Bears make big jump in Week 12 NFL Power Rankings after win over Vikings

The Chicago Bears made a significant jump in the Week 12 NFL Power Rankings after their win over the Vikings, earning more national respect as the season heats up. Here’s where they stand now.

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The Chicago Bears keep winning football games. Seven of their last eight, to be exact.

Week 11's thrilling victory over the Minnesota Vikings maintained the recent trend in the Bears' 2025 season, one that's centered around nail-biting wins decided by less than one score in the final minutes of the game.

It's hard to win games in the NFL, and as Ben Johnson has repeated many times in his post-game victory speeches, no one should scoff at how the Bears are winning games.

MORE: PFF Grades are in: Here's who led the Bears on offense in Week 11 vs. Vikings

Here's the good news: It doesn't appear that anyone is.

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FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd certainly believes in the 2025 Chicago Bears, and ESPN's 2025 NFL Power Rankings are beginning to, as well.

The Bears jumped two spots from No. 14 to No. 12 as week 12 approaches.

ESPN's Courtney Cronin, in her summary of the Bears' ranking, confirmed that Caleb Williams remains the player under the most pressure as the season marches on.

"This is the same answer as during the preseason for a couple of reasons," Cronin wrote. "Williams has been terrific in gut-check time with five winning drives this season. He has made significant strides in mastering coach Ben Johnson's offense, but until the Bears can close out teams far sooner than the final minutes of games, the pressure remains on Williams. He's nowhere close to the 70% completion percentage goal the Bears set for him this season (59.7%); he ranks 26th in success rate (45%) and 28th in efficiency (.048). There are moments when Williams performs like a top-12 quarterback and others when he looks like a young QB trying to figure it out. Leveling off those peaks will be critical for him to end the season strong."

MORE: Bears earn fantastic new label after Week 11 win over Vikings

The Bears are closing the gap on their NFC North foes in ESPN's latest power rankings. The Detroit Lions fell two spots from No. 6 to No. 8, putting Chicago in striking distance this week, especially if the Lions somehow lose to the New York Giants.

Chicago inched closer to the Packers, too. Green Bay fell from No. 10 to No. 11.

The Vikings' standing in the power rankings wasn't harmed by the loss. They remain at No. 20.

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