NFL Power Rankings: Chicago Bears moving up!

With their division clinching win against the Green Bay Packers behind them, the Chicago Bears have now won two high profile games in back to back weeks. After beating the Rams on Sunday Night Football a couple weeks ago, the Bears didn’t make much of an ascension up the NFL Power Rankings, but now that they’re NFC North Champs let’s see how they look this week.

We’ll start off with the Mothership, SB Nation, and OH MY GOD THEY MOVED THE BEARS UP!

4. Chicago Bears: It’s Week 16, and we have the Bears — the Bears!?! — swatting away the Packers like gnats and gunning for a first-round bye. This is just and fair for a franchise that suffered though five years of self-inflicted Marc Trestman and John Fox football.

Actually, SB Nation has been pretty fair in their assessment of the Bears for most of the 2018 season.

The national pundits of ESPN moved the Bears up a whopping one place, to 5th, after their win. They then went through the 32 teams and gave the biggest breakthrough for each.

Biggest breakthrough: QB Mitchell Trubisky. The second overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft, Trubisky passed for only 2,193 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions last season as a rookie. But Trubisky is having a breakout second season, with 2,814 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and three rushing touchdowns in 12 appearances so far. Trubisky is flourishing thanks to improved talent at the Bears’ skill positions and the coaching of Matt Nagy, who brought Andy Reid’s highly successful Kansas City offense with him to Chicago.

Check out how high the USA Today has the Bears.

3. Bears (6): Newly crowned NFC North champs could wind up with a bye. You wouldn’t want to face this defense ... rested ... in January ... in Chicago.

Usually when I see the words “high” and “USA Today” in the same sentence it has a different meaning.

Here’s how Yahoo Sports has it this week.

5. Chicago Bears (10-4, LW: 5)

The Bears might run the NFC North for a while. There’s no reason to believe the Packers or Vikings will be better than them next season (we don’t even need to mention the Lions). One highlight from Sunday’s game: That touchdown pass Mitchell Trubisky made to Trey Burton was a big-time throw.

I’ll even link back to their article praising the Bears.

CBS Sports has the Bears up 1 spot to 5th overall,

They are the NFC North champs, and have done so with a dominant defense. They will be a tough out in the playoffs.

My Google search led me to Althon Sports this week.

3. Chicago Bears - Last week: 6

Not a crisp effort throughout the game against their division rivals but it had to be extra sweet to clinch the division at home against the Packers. The defense remains stellar but there were a few things on offense that Matt Nagy needs to work on with his group.

Here’s how the Sporting News has it.

4. Chicago Bears 10-4 (last week: 5)

The Bears’ defense keeps getting the job done, and Matt Nagy has continued to show his coaching prowess by adjusting to a more running back-oriented attack in December. This team has a bit of a 2017 Eagles feel developing.

The Chicago Tribune has the Bears holding steady.

4. Bears 10-4 (4). After avenging season-opening loss to Packers, Bears are eyeing playoffs with hope they can secure a first-round bye.

What are your thoughts this week?