NFL Power Rankings: The Bears lose a close one and fall in the rankings

These power rankings compilations are much more fun to do when the Chicago Bears are winning, but with them losing to another first place team, the Miami Dolphins, in tough conditions, maybe the expected drop down won’t be as great.

The Bears are still holding onto a slim lead in the NFC North, but the two teams chasing them both won, so...

SB Nation said the Bears “lost embarrassingly,” because “Brock Osweiler was starting at quarterback for Miami,” while dropping then down to 12 from last week’s 8.

ESPN gave their Power Ranking while checking out the playoff chances of each team. They dropped the Bears 5 spots to 12th.

Playoff chances: 59.7 percent. The Bears maintain favorable odds despite giving up a season-high 31 points in their loss against the Dolphins on Sunday. Chicago ranks in the top five in points allowed per game, opposing QBR, sacks and interceptions. Mitchell Trubisky has seen an uptick in production as well: He has thrown nine TD passes in his past two games, matching the total he threw in his first 15 career games.

Here’s how the USA Today has it this week.

15. Bears (9): Speaking of Osweiler, we can only assume Khalil Mack was taking pity on the man he once sacked five times in a single afternoon.

The Sporting News has the Bears dropping too.

15. Chicago Bears 3-2 (last week: 8)

Mitchell Trubisky came out firing after the bye, but not trusting Jordan Howard and the power running game enough in a positive game flow is inexplicable. Matt Nagy is going through growing pains, too.

The Washington Post has it like this.

15. Chicago Bears (3-2) | Last Week’s Rank: 8

The Bears had every chance to establish themselves as the NFC’s third-best team and the primary challenger to the Rams and Saints. But they somehow found a way to lose Sunday at Miami thanks to RB Jordan Howard’s fumble at the 1-yard line, QB Mitchell Trubisky’s brutal interception in the end zone and the down-the-stretch breakdowns on their supposedly powerful defense. Now they host the Patriots on Sunday.

CBS Sports moved the Bears down to 12.

That was a bad look in losing on the road to Miami. The command of the division is gone.

Technically, they are still in first place so they are in the driver’s seat in the NFC North, but I get the gist of what they’re saying.

NFL.com dropped the Bears three spots to 11.

Football is often hard to explain. The Bears came into their Week 6 matchup in Miami flying high and having generated 18 sacks in their four prior games, putting them on pace to tie their own NFL record, set in 1984 (the year before they won the Super Bowl). Then Chicago was stonewalled by a mediocre Dolphins offensive line. And the Bears’ offense didn’t pick up the slack in the first half. The second half was a different story, as Mitch Trubisky and Co. started scoring points. Yet, a pair of defensive linemen almost saved the day for Da Bears. Helluva play, Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman.

Side note: I didn’t like the conservative play call on third down to virtually force a long field-goal attempt for Cody Parkey. Bears fans? (@HarrisonNFL)

Neither did most of us.

What are your thoughts on the rankings this week?