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Sigh... The Chicago Bears are letting their season slip away...
Let's see where the various NFL Power Rankers around the web have the Bears ranked after losing to the Minnesota Vikings 23-20...
We'll start with the SB Nation.
18. Chicago Bears
Somewhere, Robbie Gould is giving the Crimson Tide's place kicker a pep talk. Or maybe it's the other way around. Gould's bricked 47-yarder in OT gave Adrian Peterson one more chance to savage the Bears' hideous run defense, and he was happy to oblige with 30 yards in the answering drive that set up a Blair Walsh game-winner. Chicago wasted a monster game from Alshon Jefferey, who took advantage of the fact that Minnesota's one competent secondary member was on Brandon Marshall to run wild for 240 yards and a pair of scores. It's shootouts from here on in for Chicago, and come Monday Jay Cutler will have the chance to equal Josh McCown's torrid November while the Bears defenders continue to make Dick Butkus weep. (Last Week: 18)
No movement down the charts? I'm surprised, let's visit a few of our sister sites around the SBN network.
The Mile High Report managed to slap in a Jay Cutler mention while dropping Chicago to 16.
Well, looks like Jay Cutler isn't quite as bad as the backup quarterback. How do you let a 2-8 football team come back to win the game like that? Just terrible! The Bears have no business making the playoffs this year and they won't.
Over at the Phinsider, they drop the Bears four spots, also down to 16.
Chicago needs good news about Jay Cutler, and they need it fast.
Chicago down only one according to Cincy Jungle, who place the Bears at 16. I sense a theme...
Did anyone think Robbie Gould would struggle with that kick?
Listening to all the armchair coaches spout off about the miss, you'd think they all were concerned. I've said it before, I thought kicking on 2nd down was the wrong decision, but I also fully expected Gould to nail it.
If Gould hits it, does anyone even bring up kicking it early?
The fellas at Big Blue View has it like so...
15. Chicago Bears (6-6): What a tough break for the Bears, who are now a game back of the division-leading Lions. But could the return of Jay Cutler reverse this team's fortunes? (LW: 14)
... and Bleeding Green Nation has it like this...
15) Chicago Bears (LW: 13) - Close overtime loss to the Vikings. No Jay Cutler at QB, but the defense is the real problem in Chi-town.
... and one more NFC East SBN site, Blogging the Boys has the Bears at 15 too. I sense a new theme...
Over their last six games, the Bears have allowed an average of 205 rushing yards per game. They don't have to worry about bringing Jay Cutler back if they can't fix that.
Two hundred and five rushing yards per game? That's gross.
The rankers at Fanspeak have the Bears at 18.
The Bears just can't seem to find a way to win. They should easily beat the Vikings whether Jay Cutler is in there or not, yet they lose the game in overtime and really make it tough for them to overcome the Lions. The Bears offense had good numbers, they just couldn't turn it into enough points. Cutler may help that, but other players on the Bears need to step up as well.
Pat Kirwan of CBS Sports has it like this...
16. Chicago Bears: The Bears should have won the Vikings game this week but they didn't and now face two playoff contenders in the next three weeks. The Bears defense can't stop the run and that problem doesn't appear to be going away.
... and his colleague Pete Prisco has the Bears down two, to 17.
The defense isn't good enough. What to do about Jay Cutler if he's ready to play?
Brian Billick of FOX Sports has the Bears way down at 20.
Alshon Jeffery is a MAN. His 249 yards on Sunday broke the franchise record that he set earlier this season.
That makes two Alshon mentions so far, and both got his last name right!
The Shutdown Corner of Yahoo has the Bears only dropping one, down to 14.
Sometimes, a NFL coach makes a decision so bad even folks sitting on their couch at home immediately understand it's wrong. Settling for a 47-yard field goal attempt on second down in overtime is an example.
One more run up the gut! That's all we needed to ensure a make-able kick!
We'll finish up with ESPN, who also drop the Bears just one place, to 15, and they also get Jeffery's name right!
Alshon Jeffery caught 12 of 15 targets Sunday for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Jeffery has caught 68 percent of attempts from Josh McCown and 54.5 percent from Jay Cutler this season.
What are your thoughts on the Power Ranking placement of the Bears this week?
