Another last-second win holds Bears steady in 2025 NFL Week 12 power rankings

Call them lucky, call them frauds, call them the beneficiaries of a weak schedule. Call them whatever you want, but you have to call the Chicago Bears what they currently are: the No. 1 team in the NFC North. Are the Bears contenders or pretenders? That's a question that will be answered in due time, but for now, the Bears' faithful are simply basking in the glory of finally winning football games.

After downing the blitz-happy Minnesota Vikings, head coach Ben Johnson is trending up for the 2025 NFL Coach of the Year award, and for good reason. He appears to be meshing well with quarterback Caleb Williams and maximizing the former first-overall pick's abilities. Despite skepticism about clashing personalities, the head coach and quarterback are making it work.

Make no mistake: this team must improve in all three phases if they want to be more than a November feel-good story, and they do. According to Ben Johnson, the mission is to win and win now. But for now, they've earned themselves another bump up from my 2025 NFL Week 11 power rankings.

1. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 1)

The Rams picked up a huge win over their NFC West rival on Sunday, beating the Seahawks 21-19. At this point, it's sure looking like the Rams are a lock to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2021.

2. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 5)

Jalen Hurts and the Philly offense struggled Sunday night, but Vic Fangio's defense got them a critical win over one of their main NFC rivals. Stopping the Lions on all five of their 4th-down attempts was huge.

3. Detroit Lions (Last week: 2)

Dan Campbell took playcalling duties away from offensive coordinator John Morton a week ago, but he may want to consider handing them back. Failing on five 4th-down attempts, three of which were well within field goal range, in a one-score game is inexcusable for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.

4. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 4)

The Colts had a bye week, so they stay put.

5. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 3)

Losing to the Broncos has all but sealed Kansas City's fate. Barring a miraculous turnaround and a simultaneous collapse by Denver, the Chiefs' streak of 9-straight AFC West division titles will end in January. However, that doesn't mean this team can't still make a Super Bowl run.

6. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 6)

Losing is never good, but if the Seahawks can throw four interceptions and still keep the mighty Rams within a field goal, then I'd say they're in pretty good shape.

7. New England Patriots (Last week: 7)

A win over the lowly Jets doesn't get the Patriots a bump this week. I can't put them in my Top 5 until I see them beat a really good team.

8. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 11)

Lamar Jackson didn't play well, and the Browns are still the Browns, but I gave the Ravens a bump into the Top 10 anyway. At full health, this team remains a title contender and should be ranked as such.

9. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 10)

When I saw that Josh Allen had scored three rushing touchdowns and three passing touchdowns in a win over the Buccaneers, I assumed he had done something historic. Turns out this wasn't even the first time he's hit those marks. He's truly a special quarterback, but I wish he had more help around him.

10. Denver Broncos (Last week: 12)

Credit where it's due: Bo Nix played a heck of a game against the mighty Chiefs. With that win, the Broncos now have a stranglehold on first place in the AFC West, and I don't think they'll surrender it.

11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 9)

After back-to-back losses, the Bucs are now only half a game ahead of the Panthers at the top of the NFC South. Unfortunately, they've got a trip to LA to take on the 8-2 Rams up next.

12. Chicago Bears (Last week: 13)

The NFC North standings saw a massive shakeup after the Bears' heart-stopping win in Week 11, with Chicago alone atop the division for the first time since Week 6 of the 2020 season. But up next is a familiar foe in new colors: Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Will the Bears hold their division lead for more than a week? We'll soon find out.

13. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 14)

The Packers may look like a title contender at times, but barely squeaking by the Jameis Winston-led Giants is proof that they are far closer to the middle of the pack than the top of the mountain. Quarterback Jordan Love continues to put a hard ceiling on this team with his Jekyll-and-Hyde performances.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 15)

Beating the Bengals doesn't earn the Steelers a big bump this week, but Pittsburgh has bigger problems. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers left the game with a hand injury and may not suit up next week against the surging Bears.

15. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 16)

The Niners crushed Arizona in Brock Purdy's first game back from his foot injury, but this team still has too many key injuries on defense to place them any higher than this.

16. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 19)

Bryce Young deserves a full week of praise for his historic performance on Sunday. He overcame an ankle injury and set a Panthers record in a win over the Falcons, beating Cam Newton's single-game passing yards record with 448 yards and three touchdowns.

17. Houston Texans (Last week: 17)

Are the Texans turning a corner? After beating Tennessee, they've now won three of their last four to get back to .500. Thursday's game against the Bills will tell us all we need to know about this team.

18. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 8)

This was arguably the worst Chargers' loss of the Jim Harbaugh era. They were thoroughly outclassed in all three phases and have now fallen two games behind the Broncos in the AFC West.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 20)

Credit where credit is due: Jacksonville played a fantastic game against the Chargers and picked up a huge win. But I'm still out on Trevor Lawrence. That's a problem that must be addressed soon.

20. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 21)

The Cowboys looked great on Monday night, but overwhelming the Raiders won't get them very far in these rankings. They're still finding their way in the first year of the Brian Schottenheimer era.

21. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 18)

I know it's only been five starts for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, but the former tenth-overall pick has been downright awful. His two interceptions against Chicago on Sunday brought his season total to eight, and he could have several more. One has to think that head coach Kevin O'Connell is regretting letting Sam Darnold leave the building this offseason.

22. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 24)

After downing the lowly Commanders in Madrid, the Dolphins get a small bump up the rankings.

23. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 22)

With quarterback Michael Penix Jr. expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, Atlanta's future is grim. Kirk Cousins won't save their season or stick around in 2026, and Penix has now suffered five season-ending injuries through college and the NFL.

24. New York Giants (Last week: 26)

The Giants very nearly defeated the Packers despite multiple injuries to key starters, so they get to move up the power rankings a bit.

Jameis Winsto — Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

25. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 25)

The Saints had a bye week, so they stay put.

26. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 24)

A 41-22 shellacking at the hands of the shorthanded 49ers has all but ended Arizona's season. The only question remaining is what will happen to quarterback Kyler Murray?

27. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 27)

After a humiliating 12-34 loss to the Steelers, one has to wonder if Joe Burrow even wants to return to this disaster of a franchise. With a defense giving up 34 points per game, how can Burrow expect to win football games and get back to the Super Bowl?

28. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 29)

After a 13-16 loss to the Texans, the Titans' top priority this year is getting rookie quarterback Cam Ward to the end of the season unscathed and with as few bad habits as possible. They need to nail their next coaching hire.

29. Washington Commanders (Last week: 30)

The Commanders get a bump up, but only because I can't justify putting them below any of the final three teams.

30. New York Jets (Last week: 28)

The Jets benched struggling quarterback Justin Fields, officially making their $40 million gamble a bust. It was the right move, but the Jets are once again dwelling in the gutters for the foreseeable future.

31. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 31)

The Browns added three quarterbacks this offseason, and not one of them is the future of this franchise. That's got to be the most Browns thing ever.

32. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 32)

No team's future is bleaker than the Raiders. They hired the wrong coach, traded for the wrong quarterback, and drafted a running back when they could have added a dominant offensive tackle to an atrocious offensive line. It will be years before the Raiders are even league-average again.

Pete Carroll — Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

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