Only two teams worth less than Lions, Forbes says

We're not trying to kick Detroit Lions fans while they're down, promise.

But Forbes unleashed its list of NFL team valuations for 2015 and the Lions still rank 30th out of 32 NFL teams.

The Lions are worth $1.44 billion, according to Forbes, ahead of only the Oakland Raiders ($1.43 billion) and Buffalo Bills ($1.4 billion).

To be fair, that's nearly a 50% jump in valuation from last year for the Lions; Forbes valued the team at $960 million in 2014. But just about every other NFL team had a similar increase in valuation.

William Clay Ford bought the Lions for $5 million in 1964. After his death in March 2014, Martha Firestone Ford took over exclusive ownership.

The most valuable team in the nation is the Dallas Cowboys at $4 billion. The New England Patriots ($3.2 billion), Washington Redskins ($2.85 billion), New York Giants ($2.8 billion) and San Francisco 49ers ($2.7 billion) round out the Top 5.

The Lions are coming off a 33-28 loss to the San Diego Chargers in Week 1 -- a game in which the Lions at one point led 21-3.

Note: The Lions' season opener Sunday delivered the best Nielsen TV ratings for a Lions opener since 2006, according to Fox 2 Detroit, which aired Sunday's game. The game delivered a 20.5 average rating for adults age 18-49, compared to a 14.5 last year and 16.4 rating in 2013.

Contact Brian Manzullo: bmanzullo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianManzullo.