The Chicago Bears had an impressive 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers in their season opener, which has seen them skyrocketing up power rankings around the NFL. Some even have them cracking the top-5.
After Week 1, the Bears moved from No. 6 to No. 2 in FOX Sports analyst Ralph Vacchiano's top 10 power rankings
. The only team ahead of the Bears is the Baltimore Ravens, who dominated their opener against the Indianapolis Colts.This is not surprising after the Bears’ high-scoring win over the Panthers, which is the highest-scoring game in a season opener in franchise history. Chicago’s rushing offense was elite with 291 rushing yards and six total touchdowns -- three from running back D’Andre Swift, two from quarterback Caleb Williams and a 61-yarder
from running back Kyle Monangai.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Bears’ offensive explosion is who was not involved. Besides the one jaw-dropping 47-yard catch from receiver Rome Odunze, he was barely involved in the offense; his only other reception in the game was for five yards. Fellow receiver Luther Burden III had five receptions for 63 yards but was not the leading receiver. Tight end Colston Loveland, who finished last season as Chicago’s leading receiver, never had a catch.
Instead, it was newcomer Kalif Raymond who finished the game as the leading receiver with eight receptions for 84 yards. Tight end Cole Kmet scored his first touchdown of the season as did receiver Jahdae Walker. Overall, this performance proved the Bears can find success on offensive with any player on the field, not just their top receivers.
Putting Baltimore ahead of Chicago in the power rankings is not surprising given their opener. Their offense put up 41 points, the second-most out of any team in Week 1, while also holding the Colts to just 23 points and destroying Indianapolis in time of possession.
Looking at the NFC North more broadly, the Bears are clearly on top, but it is also noteworthy that the Green Bay Packers are now the lowest-ranked team in the division and the only NFC North team ranked outside of the top half in the league. Prior to the opener, the Minnesota Vikings were the lowest-ranked NFC North team at No. 18, and the Packers were No. 16. Minnesota beat Green Bay by 17 points in their opener.
It is only Week 1, so the Bears have a long way to go if they are going to prove themselves as the best team in the league. But the season opener was a great start, and their offensive firepower is already getting recognized around the NFL as shown by Ralph Vacchiano’s rankings.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Where Chicago Bears rank in FOX Sports' Week 2 power rankings
