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Just like an athletic player on the Soldier Field sod, the Chicago Bears find themselves slipping down the NFC playoff picture, but what about in the latest set of NFL Power Rankings?
Would the 2 game skid send them down the rankings, keep them the same, or has the quality of middling teams all been so bad that the Bears may go up?
A 5-3 first half record isn’t too shabby when looking big picture, but considering where these Bears have come from (5-1), and the potential they seem to have to be better, it’s maddeningly disappointing.
Let’s take a fast peek at where some of the experts have the Bears this week.
CBS Sports has the Bears down 2 spots.
Their fast start looks to be fading away with two losses in a row. At least the offense got them back into it against the Saints, which is progress.
Down three places according to Athlon Sports.
16. Chicago Bears
The smoke-and-mirrors record seems to finally be getting exposed, even if there was a bit more fourth-quarter magic saved up in the Windy City. You know things are bad when inserting Mitchell Trubisky to juice the run game is an actual talking point during the game and the rest of the week.
ESPN moves the Bears down one to 13th overall, but they have a bright spot for us fans...
Reason for optimism: K Cairo Santos
Santos single-handedly solved Chicago’s kicker crisis. Signed in late summer after Eddy Pineiro suffered a groin injury, Santos has been the Bears’ best offensive weapon through eight games. The veteran kicker is an impressive 14-of-16 on field goal attempts on the season. Santos went 3-for-3 in Sunday’s loss to the Saints, including a 51-yarder at the end of regulation that sent the game to overtime. Santos kicked for five different teams (including the Bears) from 2017 to 2019, but he might have found a permanent home in Chicago. — Jeff Dickerson
Pro Football Talk dropped the Bears a couple spots.
16. Bears (No. 14; 5-3): How did they score 23 points?
No movement this week from the Sporting News.
13. Chicago Bears 5-3 (13)
The Bears fought hard to help their defense against the Saints with Nick Foles pushing it in the passing game and David Montgomery getting everything he could in the running game. They will be in games in most weeks and got a break from the Packers losing.
Yahoo Sports is keeping the Bears in a the same as a week ago too.
15. Chicago Bears (5-3, LW: 15)
How are things going in Chicago? The headline on Mark Potash’s column for the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday: “Why is Nick Foles worse than Mitch Trubisky?” So ... yeah.
Same ranking from last week according to USA Today too.
17. Bears (17): This offense had been basically punchless all season ... until (now suspended) WR Javon Wims did his best to change that.
NFL.com actually moved the Bears up 1 spot to 15th overall?!?!
The Bears nearly did it again on Sunday, rallying back from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime against the Saints. But the offense stalled in its one possession in the extra period, and the defense couldn’t make a final stand in a 26-23 loss. Nick Foles delivered another uninspired performance, prompting FOX announcer Troy Aikman at one point to utter the line, “This is where the Bears miss Mitch Trubisky.” Hard to say that’s true, but it’s become increasingly clear that the Foles playing in Chicago isn’t the same guy who torched Bill Belichick in Super Bowl LII. Could the younger, more athletic Trubisky ultimately be the better option for the 5-3 Bears? It reminds us of the ancient football adage: If you have two quarterbacks, you really have none.
What are your thoughts on the power rankings this week?