2025 NFL Week 2 Power Rankings: Atrocious loss sends the Bears plunging

Turns it, things might not be so different this time after all. The Chicago Bears we saw lose to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football were the same ol' Bears as ever. Sloppy, unprepared, and incompetent. After an emphatic statement in the game's opening drive, Caleb Williams spent the rest of the game missing wide open receivers while the offensive line seemed to believe that penalties would move them forward.

In short, this was the worst possible outcome for the Bears. If they had lost a 40-41 shootout as the Baltimore Ravens did on Sunday night, that'd be fine. At least you could feel good about the future. As it is now, you have to feel that Caleb William's seat is already warming up.

Chicago started the Bears on SI 2025 NFL power rankings at No. 16, with the caveat that that would prove either much too high or way too low. Where do they fall this week? Let's take a look.

1. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 3)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks around the stadium after the game and their win against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 7, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That 41-40 victory over the Baltimore Ravens was one of the best regular season games we've seen in years. Endlessly entertaining and proves that not only are the Bills the team to beat, but that Josh Allen 100% deserved his MVP award.

2. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 4)

Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson are going to absolutely dominate again this year and I can't wait to see it. A heartbreaking Week 1 loss aside, they're firmly in title contention mode.

3. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 1)

I hate to move the defending champs down after a Week 1 win, but it didn't look that good against a team that's supposed to be bad this year. It didn't help the Eagles' case to see Baltimore and Buffalo look dominant.

4. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 6)

Justin Herbert is the best quarterback after the consensus Top 4 (Mahomes, Allen, Jackson, Burrow) and it isn't close. This feels like it could be the Chargers' year to finally make a deep postseason run.

5. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 2)

The Chiefs looked like they forgot they had to play a football game until the night before. It's far too early to panic, however. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes always find a way to right the ship.

6. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 8)

The hiring of Robert Saleh as San Francisco's defensive coordinator cannot receive enough praise. He's revitalized this defense and could spark another Super Bowl run.

7. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 5)

The Bengals won but didn't look good doing it, which is why they drop two spots. Their highly paid offense struggled mightily after the opening drive and the defense appears just marginally improved.

8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 9)

Baker Mayfield didn't play his best game, but he did enough to guide the Bucs to victory. I for one am excited to see how he looks the rest of the year as rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka continues to acclimate to the NFL.

9. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 11)

The 2025 season opener could not have gone much better for Green Bay. The whole team was firing on all cylinders against the Detroit Lions. Now they have a quick turnaround to face the Washington Commanders on Thursday, who may provide a stiffer challenge.

10. Washington Commanders (Last week: 10)

Like the Bengals, the Commanders picked up an ugly win against a bad team. Jayden Daniels looked rusty, finishing the game with a pedestrian 55.1 QBR, and so they stay put at No. 10.

11. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 13)

The Rams are going to need to get much more out of their running game than they showed on Sunday if they want to compete for a playoff spot. Kyren Williams fielded all but three handoffs and he averaged just 3.7 yards per carry.

12. Detroit Lions (Last week: 7)

Last week I said I'd give the Lions the benefit of the doubt. That's all gone now. The Lions looked like the 2021 version of themselves, and that's deeply concerning. A Week 2 matchup against the Bears, led by their former offensive coordinator, suddenly looks like a must-win if Detroit wants to remain in playoff contention.

Dan Campbel — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

13. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 14)

The Vikings are 1-0, but their opponent beat themselves more than they seized the win. McCarthy had a couple of nice plays in the clutch but finished with just a 52.6 QBR. They've got a lot to clean up before Week 2.

14. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 17)

You gotta hand it to Geno Smith, he just keeps proving the naysayers wrong. Now can he keep this up for a full season? They're set to face far more difficult opponents than the New England Patriots before long.

15. Denver Broncos (Last week: 15)

Many of the second-year quarterbacks struggled in their 2025 season opener, and Bo Nix was chief among them. An ugly win over one of the league's worst teams keeps the Broncos in place for another week, but they're in danger of a freefall if Nix doesn't significantly improve in Week 2.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 18)

I'll give the Steelers a modest bump for defeating the Jets in a 34-32 thriller, but don't buy into the "Aaron Rodgers is back" narrative just yet. A whole lot had to go right for the Steelers to eke out a win, and that won't cut it against better teams.

17. Houston Texans (Last week: 12)

When will NFL fans and analysts learn their lesson about overhyping young quarterbacks after one season? C.J. Stroud's electric Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign is now two years behind us and he's been mediocre at best since then, and on Sunday he was downright bad.

18. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 23)

Claims of the Cowboys' downfall may have been premature. Against the defending champs, the Cowboys put up one heck of a fight. Can they still be competitive in the NFC East without Micah Parsons?

19. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 27)

I didn't really want to move the Falcons this high. They lost, after all. But quarterback Michael Penix Jr. looked good and I just couldn't justify putting them below any of the next twelve teams.

20. Chicago Bears (Last week: 16)

Plenty of teams had miserable season openers this week, but at least those teams didn't have to get humiliated on the national stage. Caleb Williams looked lost and kicker Cairo Santos cost the Bears any chance of winning with a missed field goal and a botched kickoff with just over two minutes remaining.

21. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 20)

Sam Darnold probably should have stayed with Minnesota if they were willing to keep him on as their QB1. Things are not looking good for him in Seattle.

22. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 22)

An unconvincing win against a bad Saints team keeps the Cardinals in place this week.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 24)

At some point we need to have a serious conversation about Trevor Lawrence's future in Jacksonville. Mediocrity against a team like the Carolina Panthers is inexcusable.

24. New York Jets (Last week: 28)

Before Sunday night's epic clash between the Raven and Bills, the Jets-Steelers game looked like the game of the week. The Jets looked like the best version of themselves and even though it wasn't quite enough to get the win, it was enough to move them out from the bottom of these rankings.

Garrett Wilso — Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

25. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 29)

Colts fans should enjoy that win, the Colts' first Week 1 win since 2013, but they shouldn't get over their skis. The Dolphins feature arguably the worst defense in the league while next week the Denver Broncos will bring what is perhaps the league's best defense into Lucas Oil Stadium.

26. New England Patriots (Last week: 25)

Drake Maye's sophomore season is off to a rough start. It took 46 pass attempts just to get to 287 yards on the game and he finished with a meager 80.6 passer rating. Facing the Dolphins' pathetic defense next week will at least offer him a 'get-right' opportunity, if he can seize it.

27. New York Giants (Last week: 19)

I try not to overreact to Week 1, but my optimism for the Giants in 2025 appears to have been severely misplaced. This team is a mess with no clear path forward.

28. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 26)

Despite some modest hype entering 2025, Bryce Young looked just as bad as ever in the season opener. Consider Carolina firmly in the 2026 QB market.

29. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 30)

On the one hand, Tennessee's defense may be a real problem for their opponents. On the other, first-overall pick Cam Ward ended his NFL debut with a 7.4 QBR. No, that's not a typo. It was 7.4.

30. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 32)

The Saints moved up from last week, but only because I could not justify leaving them behind the last two teams.

31. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 31)

The Browns are still the Browns, but hey, Myles Garrett got two sacks. I guess that's something.

32. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 21)

Turns out my prediction in my Week 1 NFL power rankings that Mike McDaniel would be fired by Week 11 may have been too generous. I'm not sure he'll survive October after that disastrous season opener.

More Chicago Bears News:

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NFL legend Tom Brady has high praise for Bears' Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams

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