NFL Power Rankings: The Chicago Bears aren't very good...

... but, the Chicago Bears aren't very bad either.

They have been flirting with .500 for a couple weeks now, but they just can't get over the hump. That's to be expected after the dumpster fire of a season last year. The 2014 Chicago Bears won 5 games, but it sure felt worse. A lot worse.

While a 5-7 record is disappointing, try and find the bright side. Compare where the Bears are right now, to where they were at season's end last year. Do you feel better or worse? It has to be one or the other, there's no such thing as feeling exactly the same.

I'm guessing most of you are skewing towards better.

There are some positive building blocks on the roster for GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox to work with moving forward, but there are also a few voids that need to be strengthened.

Before we hit a few Power Rankings, let's take a look where the Bears stand in the 2016 NFL Draft.

1. Cleveland Browns: 2-10 (.531 strength of schedule)
2. Tennessee Titans: 3-9 (.495 SOS)
3. San Diego Chargers: 3-9 (.526 SOS)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-8 (.484 SOS)
5. Baltimore Ravens: 4-8 (.505 SOS)
6. New Orleans Saints: 4-8 (.521 SOS)
7. San Francisco 49ers: 4-8 (.526 SOS - 3-7 in conference, 0-5 in division)
8. Dallas Cowboys: 4-8 (.526 SOS - 3-7 in conference, 3-2 in division)
9. Detroit Lions: 4-8 (.526 SOS - 3-5 in conference, 2-3 in division)
10. St. Louis Rams: 4-8 (.526 SOS - 3-5 in conference, 3-1 in division)
11. Miami Dolphins: 5-7 (.474 SOS)
12. New York Giants: 5-7 (.500 SOS)
13. Oakland Raiders: 5-7 (.510 SOS)
14. Philadelphia Eagles: 5-7 (.510 SOS)
15. Chicago Bears: 5-7 (.526 SOS)

There are 4 teams at 6-6 behind the Bears in the draft order, so things could obviously change in the next few weeks.

Now on to the Power Rankings.

SB Nation has the Bears down two to 16, and SB  Nation's Revenge of the Birds has the Bears at 16 as well.

Canal Street Chronicles has the Bears like this,

12. Chicago Bears (5-7, Previously #11) - The Bears were looking like they might be one of the NFC's hottest teams down the stretch, coming off of a road win against the Packers... then they lost a home game to the 49ers. They are still just two games back for the 2nd Wild Card spot, and can do a lot to help themselves, with their next 3 games against fellow Wild Card contenders. It's worth noting that they haven't lost by more than 6 points since the week 3 blowout in Seattle.

and Bleeding Green Nation sees it this way.

16) Chicago Bears (LW: 15) - The Bears had this game won until Robbie Gould blew a chip shot.

The USA Today has the Bears down 1 spot to 22.

If there was a spot you'd think Chicago didn't need to worry about, it would have been (almost) always reliable K Robbie Gould.

To Gould's credit, he stood in front of the media and accepted full blame for the loss. After a very hot start to the season, including a game winner, Gould has hit a bit of a slump. If Robbie can't shake himself out of it, he may end up somewhere else in 2016.

NFL.com has the Bears down 1 to 16.

How Jay Cutler had the game he did Sunday -- 58.1 percent completion rate, 202 yards, zero touchdowns, one pick, 64.2 passer rating -- after the brand of football he'd been playing for over a month is mind boggling. Call it Cutleresque: be solid enough to boost fans' hopes of landing a postseason berth, then let them down against a cruddy team. The running game provided Cutler with 170 yards, but against a secondary that is a Steve McMichael 100-yard sprint from being formidable, Cutler threw the ball like a defensive tackle.

Cutler's game may be mind boggling, but there's a small chance his real life was weighing on his mind on Sunday. Not making excuses for his poor performance, just puting it out there.

The MMQB has the Bears at 186 as well.

Cutler errs, they lose. Cutler plays efficiently, they can beat anyone.

For as bad as Cutler played, the Bears were still in position to win the game. If Blaine Gabbert isn't allowed to go Superman on the game tying drive, if Gould hits his chipshot, if there isn't a blown coverage, there was plenty of blame to go around in that loss.

FOX Sports dropped Chicago 6 spots to 21.

Jay Cutler doesn't have enough offensive weapons to work with, and with injuries mounting in Week 13, this became quite evident.

Speaking of offensive weapons, Chicago Bears head coach John Fox on rookie Kevin White: "I think his leg is healed"

The Bears are down 1 to 21 according to ESPN.

The 49ers loss is bad, but when Jay Cutler starts and plays the full game this season, the Bears are 5-5 and have outscored opponents by 12 points.

Yahoo has it like this,

16. Chicago Bears (5-7, LW: 15)

Strange stat: Since the beginning of November, the Bears are 3-0 on the road and 0-3 at home.

That is odd. It's also just a coincidence. It has nothing to do with the Bears' players and coaches losing focus at home. That's just meatball sports radio chit-chat bullcrap.

I'm not certain, but I think with one more win, the Bears become Bowl eligible.

What do you guys think about the Power Rankings this week?