The Chicago Bears are finding ways to win games that they’ve lost so many times in the past.
I feel like I keep typing that, but it’s worth mentioning because it’s a testament to Ben Johnson and the leadership
he is instilling in this team.
The players have bought in, there isn’t a game they don’t think they can find a way to win. That confidence is huge and is a massive 180 from last season.
The truth is, though, the Bears have only beaten bad teams with suspect defenses.
Where do the Bears fall in this week’s power rankings? Let’s take a look.
15. Chicago Bears (5-3) Previous Week: 16
Sunday’s game against the Bengals was a wild ride in the final two and a half minutes of the game. It was an uneven first half for the Bears, but they took a commanding fourth-quarter lead and looked primed to close out the game with an impressive win. Forty-nine seconds and 15 points later, it was all up to Caleb Williams and the offense to salvage the game and come out with the win. A 58-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Colston Loveland later, and Chicago is (5-3). Still, there are plenty of concerns with this defense. We’ll see how active they are at the deadline, especially on the defensive line.
15 (15): Chicago Bears (5-3)
The Bears got one of the more bizarre wins of the NFL season over Cincinnati, and while there is some concern about their defense, seeing Caleb Williams come up huge in that situation will propel Chicago. The Bears are just a half-game out of first place in the NFC North.
16. Chicago Bears (17) The offense showed well in beating the Bengals, but the defense was terrible. That unit has to be better going forward.
18. Chicago Bears (21) Just a week ago, I said that Bears fans have to zoom out on this season and evaluate the offense and quarterback Caleb Williams on the whole, not on a week to week basis.
If you follow that advice, then you’ll see a unit that’s clearly coming together and finding an identity as well as a quarterback who’s gaining confidence in making opportunities for receivers. They have had some tough moments against objectively better teams this season, but Williams’s play has not been the problem in any of Chicago’s losses. Now that this offense has put up 47 points and more than 500 yards in a game, I’m hoping that perpetually nervous Bears fans can find some reason to be optimistic again.
17. Chicago Bears (17) How do you take stock of a bonkers game in which the Bears were exceptional in some regards and truly awful in others? A win’s a win, but the special teams were mostly horrendous, starting from the opening kickoff, and the defense blew a two-TD lead in the final few minutes. The Bears’ run game was incredible without D’Andre Swift, as rookie Kyle Monangai looked like a feature back, even against arguably the worst defense in the NFL. Ben Johnson also had all the play-calls going, and Caleb Williams put the Bears in a position to score on 10 of their 12 possessions. That it took a miracle deep shot to Colston Loveland (and a missed tackle) to win made it difficult to give this victory too much credit.
16. Bears (No. 16; 5-3): Sure, it came against the worst defense in the league. But 576 yards is impressive against anyone.
What do you think of the Bears in this week’s rankings? I think it feels just right.
