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NFL Power Rankings: Chicago Bears back in the win column

By Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.

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Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Every week we'll take a tour around the internet to see where the Chicago Bears are ranked in the eyes of the various Power Ranking experts out there.

So the Chicago Bears are back in the win column and with their sixth win those fans clamoring for the Bears to lose are back in full force. They are wondering why the Bears can't just lose out to ensure a high draft pick, as if a high draft guarantees success.

Yes losing out on Aaron Donald by one spot two years ago sucked (OK, it really sucked!), but that kid is a special talent that probably should have been the 1st overall pick.

I was all set to tackle the tanking subject today, but fellow WCG writer Josh Sunderbruch brilliantly tackled the subject yesterday in his article titled; How much does draft position matter for the Chicago Bears? (Check it out!)

Right now the Bears are sitting in the 14th draft spot, but a 7th win next week could shoot them up a few more places. Before I move on to the Power Rankings I wanted to share the mentality on tanking from a players perspective;

And from the perspective from a former scout / front office employee in the NFL.

Tanking is not something NFL teams think about.

But as for the Power Rankings, SB Nation has the Bears up 1 to 21st and Revenge of the Birds has Chicago at 23.

Bleeding Green Nation has the Bears ranked like this,

21) Chicago Bears (LW: 24) - Chicago was able to snap a three-game losing streak by getting a win in Tampa Bay.

NFL.com has the Bears up 2 to 21.

Not that anyone cares, but the Bears won. Sure, it's too little, too late for a team that blew some winnable contests right when the city thought the team might be turning its season around. The reality is that this Chicago bunch looked to be a 7-9 club -- at best -- all along.

Offensive coordinator Adam Gase has been mentioned as a hot head-coaching candidate. Well, that's nice. Enjoy a new system for the eighth time, Jay! Funny, but it was the defense that won the day in Tampa Bay, forcing three turnovers while allowing just 14 points when the outcome was still in doubt. (The Bucs scored a garbage-time TD.)

Not that anyone cares? I care!

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports has the Bears down (DOWN?) 2 to 21.

John Fox has done a good job with this banged-up team. They compete weekly.

ESPN has the Bears down 1 to 25. Down again???

A changing of the guard taking place? Jeremy Langford has either equaled or topped Matt Forte in snaps each of the past three weeks, playing 15 more snaps total.

I guess beating another bad team shouldn't guarantee a jump in the rankings.

Langford dos have the look of a lead back. Playing on a John Fox team will ensure he's not worked into the ground and hopefully he took his time working out with Forte seriously, because no one stays in better shape than Matt Forte.

FOX Sports has the Bears up 3 to 20.

Rookie RB Jeremy Langford saw eight more carries than Matt Forte in Week 16, and he was more effective on a per-snap basis. With Forte set to hit free agency this offseason, Langford looks primed for the team's lead back role in 2016.

I'd still like to see the Bears offer a 2 year deal to Forte. He seems like he'd like to stay and the coaching staff seems to value his leadership and versatile production.

The USA Today has Chicago holding steady at 19.

Jay Cutler has shown admirable progress in Year 10 of his career. But can he sustain it if OC Adam Gase gets a head job?

Gase may end up with a head coaching gig after this season, but the Bears may have a plan in place. Be sure you check out Dane's article from earlier today, Chicago Bears could look to promote Dowell Loggains if Adam Gase leaves town.

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