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We take our weekly trip around the interwebs to see where various NFL "experts" rank the Chicago Bears in their NFL Power Rankings.
There's nothing like a nice win over a top NFC opponent to set up a team's bye week, and that's just what the Bears managed with the recent 20-10 Halloween Night win over Minnesota.
Chicago's drubbing of the Vikings certainly knocked the Skol boys down the league's pecking order, but did it do much to move the needle up for the Bears?
Let's find out
Here's how a few reputable sites around the interwebs have the Bears ranked. The Skinny is from each site unless otherwise indicated by a "~ Lester or ~ Ken," in which case that's one of us chiming in.
| PUBLICATION | THIS WEEK |
LAST WEEK |
THE SKINNY |
| WCG | 28 | 30 | A healthier Bears team with Jay Cutler back at the helm, with a gelling offensive line (despite having key players out), a defense that is actually solid and getting better by the week, the Chicago Bears are moving back up the ladder a bit. The Bears only have two wins, but both were humiliations of division rivals, and that's always a good thing. I know Jacksonville recently beat Chicago, but... don't care, Jacksonville is a complete dumpster fire this week. |
| SB Nation | 28 | 30 | The Bears had plays like where Jay Cutler hit Alshon Jeffery in the back of a head with a pass, and Chicago still managed to beat the Vikings. The Bears jump up a couple of spots to No. 28 |
| Mile High Report | ? | ? | No rankings issued so far this week... sometimes MHR skips weeks for no particular reason (or because the Broncos lose) ~ Ken |
| NFL.com | 28 | 31 | Fun couple of days in Chicago. The Cubs staved off elimination, and the Bears won at home for the second time this season (after taking only one game at home all last year). The offense did it with backup guards. And the defense? Beyond impressive, particularly the pass rush. But how about Jay Cutler? Jumping around like a kid, moving around the pocket like he was 22 and slapping five with this offensive linemen like he's not the sulking quarterback he's often painted to be. Frankly, it was awesome to see. |
| ESPN | 29 | 30 | The Bears are pretty much where we left them in Week 1. This team has offensive talent, and if Jordan Howard and Alshon Jeffery can continue to make big plays (265 total yards, two TDs between them in Week 8), the Bears could be on the move in the rankings. |
| CBS Sports | 29 | 30 | That was a nice victory over the Vikings. Is there any doubt now about Jay Cutler as the starter? |
| USA Today | 29 | 30 | Ken's Note: It's an annoying slide show. I hate slide shows. They say something snarky about Jay Cutler. Feel free to look it up by clicking the link provided, I don't do slide shows. |
| Yahoo | 29 | 30 | Just when the Bears thought they were out on Jay Cutler, he pulls them back in. |
| FOX | 27 | 30 | Jay Cutler isn't the Bears' savior -- we've seen far too much mediocrity from him and Chicago in years past -- but he did light up the Vikings defense in his prime time return. He didn't turn the ball over, and he had a passer rating of 100.5 against one of the best defenses in the league. Jordan Howard's huge game helped, but Cutler definitely played well. |
What do you guys think about the Bears this week?
*The reason Ken does our WCG Power Rankings a day later than the rest is he ACTUALLY watches all the games!