Bear Digest

Bears ranked shockingly low in ESPN's latest Week 6 NFL Power Rankings

The Chicago Bears still have a long way to go before they garner any respect from ESPN's NFL power rankings.
Bryan Perez|
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

As the 2025 NFL season rolls into Week 6, ESPN's latest NFL Week 6 Power Rankings land the Chicago Bears at No. 20. For Bears fans, it's a surprisingly low slotting for a 2-2 team.

Notably, the Bears are ranked behind the Atlanta Falcons, the only other 2-2 team in the NFL, and the Houston Texans, who currently stand 2-3.

The Dallas Cowboys, who the Bears defeated in Week 3, are one spot behind Chicago at No. 21 (they own a 2-2-1 record).

To put the Chicago Bears' ranking into context, let's compare it to the rest of the NFC North:

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, right, shakes hands with Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 1: Detroit Lions (4-1)

The Lions are the clear favorites in the NFC North -- again -- and are looking more and more like the team to beat in the NFL. So much for the negative impact losing so many assistant coaches would have on Dan Campbell's group.

No. 7: Green Bay Packers (2-1-1)

The Packers' defense has received a big boost from Micah Parsons, and while I still don't believe Jordan Love is a legitimate Super Bowl QB, Green Bay will continue to garner more respect than the Bears until Chicago plays a more consistent brand of football.

No. 16: Minnesota Vikings (3-2)

Sure, the Vikings have one more win than the Bears, and, yes, they did beat Chicago in Week 1. But the Bears are trending up, while it feels like Minnesota is trending down. Any team that's led by Carson Wentz can't be taken seriously.

Indeed, the Chicago Bears are in no position to complain about a top-20 ranking. The last few years have been lowlighted by rankings that were in the bottom five.

However, it still feels somewhat low, especially with clubs like the Falcons and Texans slotted higher.

A win over the Washington Commanders -- who are currently ranked 14th -- on Monday Night Football will go a long way in creating more national respect for this Bears team.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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