In our Week 10 power rankings, the Chicago Bears landed at No. 3, falling one spot, after their ugly 27-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team that jumped them, the San Francisco 49ers, is right there with Chicago in the overall NFC outlook.
The Buffalo Bills stayed at No. 1 with their big win over the Minnesota Vikings, who have an elite defense. Buffalo never came close to losing as the Bears did, but it was a similar game in the sense of a great team struggling against a top-of-the-line defensive unit.
Despite it being a tough, sloppy, and ugly win for the Bears, they have now won four in a row and are now 7-2 heading into their bye week. No more than two teams in the NFL are in a better spot heading into Week 10. Now, Chicago can rest,
heal, and prepare for a Week 11 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
Here's a look at where the Bears landed among other power rankings across the league:
USA Today
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 3
Last Week’s Ranking: 2
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s Take: "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."
Our Take: The Bears are in a good spot entering the bye week. Being in the top 3 of the NFL is a great place to find yourself at Week 10.
The Athletic
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 6
Last Week’s Ranking: 4
Author: Josh Kendall, Chad Graff
Author’s Take: "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."
Our Take: The Athletic's Week 10 theme is "midseason grade". Unshockingly, they gave the Bears an A. Everyone knows that their bad offensive performance, led by Williams' interception parade, was a one-off based on his career pattern, and they still won the game.
ESPN
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 4
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
Author: Courtney Cronin
Author’s Take: "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."
Our Take: ESPN's theme this week is the most important game of the second half. For the Bears, there are a lot of important games as they have each division rival one more time, including two against the Lions. However, none will mean more than their Christmas Day (Week 16) matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
NFL.com
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 4
Last Week’s Ranking: 3
Author: Nick Shook
Author’s Take: "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)."
Our Take: This has been a great season for the Chicago Bears. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how you win. When games are more meaningful, they are going to be harder to win. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played like a desperate team trying to save their season, and they gave the Bears everything they could handle. Now, the Bears know what mistakes they must avoid if they want to make a deep run.
NBC Sports (PFT)
Link to Article
Current Ranking: 5
Last Week’s Ranking: 5
Author: Mike Florio
Author’s Take: "Caleb Williams isn’t trying to become Patrick Mahomes; he’s hoping to morph into Michael Jordan."
Our Take: Very few will ever achieve the apex that Michael Jordan reached, but Caleb Williams would be as big a star in Chicago if he brought a couple of Super Bowls home.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears power rankings roundup: Where Chicago lands in Week 10
