The Chicago Bears came into Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers with a sense of unearned confidence. They beat the Packers by slim margins twice in a short span at the end of last year, and that gave them the feeling of a team that had won five straight Super Bowls.
Without Caleb Williams playing, Ben Johnson and his football team were served a heaping helping of humble pie in the home of their arch-nemesis. Now, they have to find a way to crawl out of that mess that they put themselves in and be ready for a huge matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
How does this terrible loss that the Bears sustained impact their standing in various power rankings across the league? Here's a look:
USA Today
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 10
Last Week’s
Ranking: 10
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s Take: "Just throw out Sunday's Lambeau sleep. Injured QB Caleb Williams appears on the verge of returning for a team that generally held up well without him."
Our Take: Nate Davis' take on the Bears after Week 5 may be the most rational you'll hear from anyone on any team. What he's saying is correct, but that doesn't mean the team should be as over-confident as they are.
The Athletic
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 11
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
Author: Josh Kendall, Chad Graff
Author’s Take: "After raising the stakes in their rivalry with the Packers, the Bears got humbled in Green Bay. But good news is on the horizon with Caleb Williams nearing a return. It’s hard to knock the Bears too much for going 2-1 in his absence with Case Keenum and Tyson Bagent at the helm."
Our Take: There seems to be a fair amount of confidence from national writers that once Caleb Williams returns, things will be significantly better for the Bears. It's not a flawed narrative; that's how it should be for franchise quarterbacks taken high in the draft.
ESPN
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 13
Last Week’s Ranking: 8
Author: Courtney Cronin
Author’s Take: "The Bears' preseason belief that their secondary would be the strength of the defense has gone out the window. That unit allowed Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love to complete six passes for 25-plus yards and has been trending down since a shootout with the Panthers in Week 1. Rookie defensive backs Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad II will understandably experience growing pains, but the play of veteran cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson (77.3% of targets thrown into his coverage have been caught) and Tyrique Stevenson Sr. (allowing a 140.7 passer rating when targeted) is a major cause for concern."
Our Take: ESPN's theme this week is discussing the biggest weakness on defense. Courtney Cronin goes into how the secondary is actually worse than the pass rush, which is true. It's also been a topic in the land of the Bears since the end of the game, regardless of what ESPN's theme was this week, as the Packers went over the top of Chicago's defense more than once for big plays.
NFL.com
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 13
Last Week’s Ranking: 10
Author: Nick Shook
Author’s Take: "We learned on Sunday that Ben Johnson is not quarterback-proof. Tyson Bagent's rough day kneecapped Chicago's offense, which managed just 246 yards and couldn't keep up with Green Bay's suddenly explosive offense. Understandably, the Packers showed little respect for the Bears' secondary, which finally became the problem I thought it might be entering 2026, surrendering a 367-yard passing day that could be transformative for Jordan Love and Co. Caleb Williams can't return fast enough."
Our Take: Well, Ben Johnson is quarterback-proof in the sense that he has won with their first, second, and third stringer at the position. It's unfair to think that he should win every game in general, let alone with backups under center. The fact that they have mostly tread water without Caleb Williams is a minor miracle. However, that doesn't excuse the overall debacle from Sunday's game in Green Bay.
NBC Sports (PFT)
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 15
Last Week’s Ranking: 9
Author: Mike Florio
Author’s Take: "Tyson Bagent’s expiration date seems to have arrived."
Our Take: Did Tyson Bagent's expiration date arrive? Or did their ability to win every game with a backup quarterback's expiration date arrive? Bagent is far from the answer at quarterback for the Bears or anyone else in the NFL, but the loss in Green Bay was on more than just the quarterback.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears power rankings roundup: Where Chicago lands ahead of Week 6
