Sunday’s entire performance was one big statement, but one moment in particular was the Detroit Lions letting the rest of the NFL know they are not messing around this season.

The Lions went for it on fourth-and-1 on their first possession of the second half. That’s not unusual, as the Lions like to go for it on fourth down. But the sheer power of the piece was startling. The Lions ran all the way up the middle and their line opened up the kind of crease that Jahmyr Gibbs could have run through for a 15-yard touchdown. It was a dagger, not just for the game, but perhaps for the NFC North race as well. The Packers are a good team. And the Lions made them look overmatched and outclassed.

The Packers didn’t cover themselves in glory on that Gibbs touchdown, failed to fill gaps on a run blitz, and as a team they had several mistakes throughout the game. That doesn’t change the fact that the visiting Lions took a beating.

The Packers scored late in the fourth quarter to make the score look better, but it was a 24-14 win that was far more dominant than the final score would lead anyone to believe. The Lions were the better team and it wasn’t close.

They are ticking the boxes during this strong start to the season. You’d think a team with an offense as good as the Lions wouldn’t fare well in a heavy rainstorm. There’s another point they proved on Sunday. They can win this season in just about any way.

Lions play well in the rain

Jared Goff doesn’t miss, even in the rain. He completed his first eleven passes of the match, before missing his last before halftime. Goff has played better indoors during his career; the divisions are impossible to deny. The fact that Goff goes on the road in wet conditions and hardly misses throws is a new step for the Lions this season.

Goff’s biggest pass Sunday came on a fourth down, which the Lions practice a lot. Dan Campbell went for it on Detroit’s first possession, an offside penalty moving Detroit closer to the goal line at halftime, then Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for an impressive touchdown catch in which he ran in with both feet. Then he did a headstand to celebrate.

On a day full of statements for the Lions, that set the tone.

The Lions defense also has questions to answer since Aidan Hutchinson’s season-ending injury. The Lions are getting active ahead of the trade deadline, agreeing to a deal that would bring pass rusher Za’Darius Smith to Detroit from Cleveland, Pro Football Talk reported. Perhaps there will be more actions.

But the Lions looked good without reinforcements on Sunday. Late in the first half, they made the biggest play of the game, when Jordan Love blindly threw to the middle of the field under coverage and safety. Kerby Joseph was there to wrap it up. Joseph returned the ball 27 yards for a 17-3 lead just before halftime, and given the way the Lions defense was playing, that lead looked quite comfortable.

Then Gibbs scored on that fourth-down run right after halftime, slamming the door on Green Bay.

Detroit has a big lead in the NFC North

The NFC North race isn’t over yet. The Lions are 7-1, followed by the Minnesota Vikings, who started their Sunday night game at 5-2, and then the Packers come in at 6-3. There’s still plenty of season to go. But the Lions have a huge lead with road wins at Minnesota and Green Bay. That makes it very difficult to catch them.

It’s not just about potential tiebreakers either. The Lions don’t look like a team that is going to lose a lot of games.

With wins on the road against their two biggest threats in the division, the Lions can start focusing on earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The thought of the Lions being two home games out of a Super Bowl and playing in front of a raucous crowd with an offense that is even better indoors must be scary for the rest of the NFC. The Philadelphia Eagles have been playing better lately, the Washington Commanders have been surprisingly good and the Atlanta Falcons have the kind of soft schedule that can get them wins, but no other NFC team looks better than the Lions. There’s no reason why Detroit can’t get that No. 1 seed.

The Lions continue to pass tests this season. They came in as Super Bowl hopefuls. There’s still a long way to go, but they’re starting to look like one of the few legitimate Super Bowl favorites.