Bears disrespected as NFL's worst team with a winning record in latest power rankings

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There are various reasons why the Chicago Bears lost an ugly game to the Baltimore Ravens last week. Among those: 11 penalties. Red Zone wasted opportunities. An untimely interception. And a defense that allowed 30 points to an offense playing without Lamar Jackson.
While the blame can be spread around, there is consensus about where the Bears sit entering Week 9: Smack dab in the middle of the NFL.
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The loss to the Ravens not only snapped the Bears' four-game winning streak, but also dropped them in power rankings across the board. In fact, both ESPN and The Athletic have Ben Johnson's team in exactly the same spot: 16th, out of 32 teams.
Bears Go Wrong Direction in Baltimore
It's not only that the Bears are now 16th - down from 14 - it's that they have the disrespect of being the lowest-ranked winning team in The Athletic's rankings. They sit at 4-3. The only other team with four wins ranked below them (at No. 18) is the 4-4 Carolina Panthers. Every other team below them has a losing record.
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The Bears can save some face - and their ranking - Sunday against the 3-5 Cincinnati Bengals and 40-year-old quarterback Joe Flacco Sunday at Paycor Stadium.

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Richie Whitt has been a sports media fixture in Dallas-Fort Worth since graduating from UT-Arlington in 1986. His career is highlighted by successful stints in print (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), TV (NBC5) and radio (105.3 The Fan). During his almost 40-year tenure, he's blabbed and blogged on events ranging from Super Bowls to NBA Finals to World Series to Stanley Cups to Olympics to Wimbledons to World Cups. Whitt has been covering the NFL since 1989, and in 1993 authored The 'Boys Are Back, a book chronicling the Dallas Cowboys' run to Super Bowl XXVII.
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