The Chicago Bears had a perplexing win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Their defense, which has been expected to struggle, gave up 37 points. That is usually the sign of a losing week. However, the offense scored a remarkable 59 points. They had 31 at halftime.
Ben Johnson said during the offseason that he wants to have the highest-scoring offense in NFL history. He followed that up with a performance like that, which makes him sound less insane for saying that.
As you can imagine, the Bears have skyrocketed up many power rankings. In our power rankings, Chicago went from No. 6 to No. 4. Here's a look at where they landed among other outlets.
USA Today
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 4
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s Take: "The Windy
City Cowboys? The Bears barely played a lick of defense Sunday in Charlotte but nevertheless looked like a team very much capable of making a run to Super Bowl 61 − especially with Caleb Williams, fresh off his first game with multiple TD passes and runs (even he's not Allen-esque … yet), at the helm."
Our Take: Offense seems to triumph over good defense in the court of public opinion. Caleb Williams and the offense certainly won over Nate Davis with his Week 1 performance.
The Athletic
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 4
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
Author: Josh Kendall & Chad Graff
Author’s Take: "Ben Johnson told our Dan Pompei this offseason that he wanted to build the highest-scoring offense in league history. It seemed outlandish at the time. Then the Bears hung 59 on the Panthers in Week 1, and suddenly anything seems possible. The defense carries plenty of questions, but that offense was unbelievable."
Our Take: The Athletic's theme this week was "What we learned?" which was that the Bears have the best offense in the National Football League. They might not be wrong.
ESPN
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 7
Last Week’s Ranking: 12
Author: Courtney Cronin
Author’s Take: "The veteran wideout led the Bears with eight catches on nine targets for 84 yards. Five of his receptions came on third down, demonstrating the trust quarterback Caleb Williams quickly built with Raymond after he signed a one-year deal in March. Perhaps the moment most emblematic of his buy-in for what coach Ben Johnson asks of his offensive players is the block Raymond had during running back Kyle Monangai's 61-yard touchdown in the third quarter."
Our Take: ESPN's theme was covering a top newcomer debut. Kalif Raymond was the choice for the Bears. It makes sense, considering he led the team that scored 59 points in receptions, and that includes an offense that features Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and Colston Loveland amongst others.
NFL.com
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 8
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
Author: Nick Shook
Author’s Take: "Ben Johnson stated his intent to rewrite the offensive record books with his team in 2026. After one week, the Bears are on pace to do so. They detonated the Panthers in a style that mirrored their 2025 success, running the ball authoritatively and letting Caleb Williams make superstar plays in an incredible offensive explosion. The one drawback: They gave up 37 points, a concern tied to a defense that still might be a persistent weakness."
Our Take: Nick Shook is holding the Bears' defensive performance against them more than other writers, which is incredibly fair.
NBC Sports (PFT)
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 3
Last Week’s Ranking: 6
Author: Mike Florio
Author’s Take: "The 59 offense is possibly better than the 46 defense."
Our Take: It should be noted that PFT's Mike Florio has been on the Bears bandwagon the longest. He also had this to say about the Carolina Panthers, which is notable: "The Panthers have only themselves to blame for giving the Bears the pick that became Caleb Williams."
If the Bears didn't have Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson would still be looking for that player to command his incredible offensive scheme. Without the Panthers' desire to add Bryce Young in 2023, this never could have happened.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Where the Chicago Bears rank in power rankings in Week 2
