Heading into their bye week, the 7-2 Chicago Bears
remain on a fairly long list of contenders.The Bears stumbled, but did not fall against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football.
In fact, it was their first real test of a game this season.
Their previous two losses came in a blowout without their starting QB and in the other, the backup was asked to come in cold and lead a comeback.
But this game saw Chicago squander a lead, make uncharacteristic mistakes and still eke out a win.
It is fair
to ask, though, just over halfway through the season, if “uncharacteristic mistakes” are truly uncharacteristic for a team with the fourth-most turnovers and sixth-most penalties.
The team has a lot to clean up during the bye week, but this is a good team and there is plenty to be excited about as they enter the back half of the season.
Now, on to this week’s rankings.
WCG – Aaron Leming
4. Chicago Bears (7-2)
Mid-season Report Card Grade: A
Coming into Sunday night, the Bears were off to their best start since 2012. All of that while missing quarterback Caleb Williams for three games and figuring out the defense along the way. The addition of Jeffery Simmons is huge, but it’ll come down to whether they can start winning divisional games. They should be a Super Bowl favorite, but if they have one weakness, that is it. We’ll see how things go coming out of the bye, because starting Thanksgiving, the road to finishing the regular season is a gauntlet.
The Athletic – Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
6. Chicago Bears (7-2)
Last week: 4
Sunday: Beat Buccaneers 27-24
Midseason grade: A
Sunday night’s performance was far from their best, but another win meant another “Good, better, best” speech. Caleb Williams threw four interceptions, but the ceiling for this team is very high as they head into a week off.
Profootballtalk – Mike Florio
Bears (No. 5; 7-2): Caleb Williams isn’t trying to become Patrick Mahomes; he’s hoping to morph into Michael Jordan.
CBS Sports – Pete Prisco
4. Chicago Bears (4) Who was that playing quarterback for them Sunday night against the Bucs? Caleb Williams threw four picks and looked lost for much of the game, which was weird.
Yahoo Sports – Frank Schwab
4. Chicago Bears (7-2, LW: 4)
The Bears still got to 27 points and did enough to beat the Buccaneers on Sunday night, but it was startling to see Chicago struggle as much as it did. After scoring touchdowns on their first two drives, the Bears’ next 10 possessions were: four interceptions, a fumble, four punts and a field goal. Winning with that type of slump is notable. The Bears came up with the one play they needed, a 38-yard pass to a wide-open Colston Loveland, to get the game-winning field goal.
It was particularly strange to see Caleb Williams throw four interceptions, considering he had never thrown more than two in an NFL game. But he never lost confidence, which allowed him to hit Loveland when the Bears needed it. “I’ll never not throw the ball,” Williams said. “I could throw 100 picks in one game. If it comes down to it, I’m going to throw that pass that I threw to Colston, or if it’s a tighter window, I’m going to rip it in there.”
NFL.com – Nick Shook
4. Chicago Bears (3) In earlier portions of this season, Chicago might have lost Sunday night’s back-and-forth affair. The Bears were uncharacteristically sloppy with the football and encountered one of the greatest hurdles of their season when Tampa Bay turned up the heat and forced Caleb Williams into some mistakes, which would have spelled trouble for previous versions of this squad. Instead, Chicago’s defense rose to the occasion, burying Baker Mayfield in a key second-half sequence and all but carrying the Bears across the finish line, winning with complementary play that bodes well for this team’s future (as long as it doesn’t repeat the same offensive mistakes).
USAToday – Nate Davis
2. Chicago Bears (2): If they’re going to win games on nights when QB Caleb Williams throws four picks, whether or not they’re his fault? Look out for these guys, especially with RB Kyle Monangai likely back on the other side of the bye week.
ESPN/NFL Nation – Courtney Cronin
4. Chicago Bears (7-2)
Week 9 result: Beat the Buccaneers 27-24
Week 9 ranking: 5Most important game of the second half: Week 16 vs. the Packers
The Bears need to gain ground in their division after early losses to the Vikings and Packers. Chicago’s home rematch with Green Bay on Christmas Day carries significant tiebreaker implications and is the first of three straight NFC North games to end the regular season. The Bears will be in good position to defend their division title if they can pick up two NFC North wins over their next six games, beginning with the Lions on Thanksgiving before the Dec. 25 matchup with the Packers. — Courtney Cronin
What do you think of this week’s rankings?
