The Chicago Bears have won two straight games and six out of their last seven contests after starting 0-2. Although every win but one could have gone either way, there is something to winning more than losing in the NFL.
The Bears are a hard team to rank. They don’t instill much confidence in the way they play, but they are also 6-3. Nobody should ever apologize for winning, especially in pro sports, but Chicago does have a lot of work to do before they are a legitimate contender. And they’ll be tested in their upcoming slate featuring games against the NFC North, Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers.
In our latest power rankings, the Bears landed at No. 14. But where do other media outlets have Chicago heading into Week 11?
USA Today
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Current Ranking: 18
Last Week’s Ranking: 18
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s Take: “Their NFL-best +14 turnover differential is nearly double the next-best teams, the Jags and Bucs at +8. But how sustainable is that formula for a Chicago team that’s been barely escaping some of the league’s worst squads?”
Our Take: This is a fair worry when it comes to evaluating the Bears. Are they going to find ways to win in games when they don’t create a massive amount of turnovers? The only disagreement here is that they have been finding ways to win NFL games, which is nothing to apologize for, no matter who the opponent is. The Bears haven’t been some juggernaut. Barely beating bad teams is not something they’ve done in recent years; instead, they were the bad team losing games.
The Athletic
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Current Ranking: 15
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
Author: Josh Kendall
Author’s Take: “It’s tough for a guy who was the No. 1 pick a year ago to earn this distinction, but Williams deserves it after a gutty, 230-yard effort Sunday that led Chicago to its sixth win in seven games. His 17-yard touchdown run was the game-winning score Sunday, and he had 63 yards on the ground overall. After a shaky rookie season, Williams is 12th in EPA per dropback (0.09) under first-year head coach Ben Johnson.”
Our Take: The Athletic’s theme for the week for each team is their breakout player. For the Bears, that is obviously quarterback Caleb Williams. He has had his ups and downs this season, but with Ben Johnson at the helm, Williams is showing that he could be a star in the league in short order.
ESPN
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Current Ranking: 14
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
Author: Courtney Cronin
Author’s Take: “The back-to-back first-team All-Pro left guard has been a model of consistency for the Bears’ offensive line. The stability Thuney provides up front allowed for a relatively seamless transition when Chicago switched left tackles in Week 6. It has also led to better protection for quarterback Caleb Williams, who went two games (vs. Cowboys, Giants) without taking a sack and has taken 14 on the season. Thuney is a big reason for that. Through the first eight games, he played every offensive snap (533) while giving up only one quarterback hit and zero sacks.”
Our Take: In ESPN’s edition, the theme of their ranking was the non-QB MVP of the team. For Courtney Cronin, that was left guard Joe Thuney, who’s been a key addition along this improved offensive line. Thuney has helped stabilize an offensive line that needed it so badly for the sake of their franchise QB. Not only is he great on the field when it comes to playing his position, but he’s also a tremendous leader and winner.
NFL.com
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Current Ranking: 16
Last Week’s Ranking: 17
Author: Eric Edholm
Author’s Take: “Things were not looking good when the Bears turned the ball over on downs midway through the fourth quarter, trailing 20-10 to the lowly Giants, who were without starting QB Jaxson Dart (concussion) for the final 15 minutes. But Caleb Williams rebounded from a slew of dropped passes to lead two thrilling TD drives in the final six minutes and pull off his fourth fourth-quarter comeback of the season. Williams gave the Giants fits by scrambling out of would-be sacks and making big plays on the move. The Bears have done a great job protecting the ball with only three turnovers since Week 3, allowing them to accumulate the league’s best turnover ratio on the season — by far — at plus-14. That’s a big reason why the Bears have won six of their past seven games. You can argue they haven’t beaten a great team yet, but a stiff remaining schedule will give them multiple opportunities to do so down the stretch.”
Our Take: Eric Edholm has the Bears in the middle of the pack, like most other outlets. He described a lot of the good and questionable about the team in an accurate way. The turnover differential being the best in the league by far may or may not be sustainable, but it’s the main reason they’ve been winning. They don’t turn it over themselves often, and they create a ton of them. Coming up, there are some really difficult opponents to deal with.
NBC Sports (PFT)
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 10
Last Week’s Ranking: 16
Author: Mike Florio
Author’s Take: “They could make things interesting in January.”
Our Take: Mike Florio, all of a sudden, has tremendous belief in the Bears. He ranked them at No. 10, which is as high as they’ve been on anyone’s ranking all season. Can they make noise in January as he suggests? It probably depends on who they play. They would be underdogs in every way against the Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, Seattle Seahawks, and Los Angeles Rams. But could they be the team that gives one of them a fit? According to Florio, there is a chance.
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