Bears show no signs of slowing down in NFL Week 8 Power Rankings

The Chicago Bears took us all on a trip back in time on Sunday. Their four takeaways and four sacks on defense gave us glimpses of that dominant '85 Bears team, and by the end of their 26-14 win over the Saints, we had landed in 2018, which was the last time the Bears had won four games in a row.

After an 0-2 start to the season, including a 52-21 shellacking at the hands of the Lions, the Bears now sit at 4-2, which includes two impressive victories over the Cowboys and Commanders. While there's still a lot of football left to play and the specter of last year's 10-game losing streak after reaching 4-2 still lingers, it's hard not to like what the Bears are doing right now.

The only concern is the return of Caleb Williams' bad habits. He was bad on Sunday, but the Bears found a way to win regardless. Once Williams settles in and begins playing the way we know he can, this team will be dangerous. That's why Chicago gets a generous bump up from my Week 7 NFL power rankings.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 2)

I think we all see where this is going: a fourth straight Super Bowl run, winning their third in four years, and Travis Kelce retires on top.

2. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 6)

I almost put the Colts in the top spot, but I still can't justify putting them over the mighty Chiefs.

3. Detroit Lions (Last week: 3)

It's time to admit that I was wrong about the Lions. I thought that losing both of their coordinators in one offseason would result in a big regression for Detroit in 2025, but they haven't skipped a beat. All credit to Dan Campbell and his coaching staff.

4. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 5)

Sure, the Jaguars did everything they could to beat themselves on Sunday, but credit to the Rams for taking maximum advantage of Jacksonville's mistakes, even with Puka Nacua ruled out with an injury.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 1)

Monday night could not have gone worse for the Bucs. A win over the Lions, or even a narrow loss, would have cemented Tampa Bay as a true-blue title contender. After getting ran over on prime time, however, we're left wondering whether the Bucs are mere pretenders.

6. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 4)

The Bills drop a couple of spots during their bye week, but they have a chance to earn it back next week if they can crush the Panthers. A loss or a narrow win, however, will send them tumbling further.

7. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 8)

The Eagles stopped their losing streak at just two with a nice win over Minnesota, but this team still faces big question marks on offense.

8. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 11)

Perhaps I was a bit too harsh on the 49ers in my Week 7 NFL power rankings when I dropped them to No. 11. Even with the injury bug hitting them hard, this team keeps finding ways to win and should be considered a playoff contender until proven otherwise.

Christian McCaffre — Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

9. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 9)

Without Micah Parsons, the Packers probably lose this game. That's all well and good, but it doesn't make one feel confident about their direction. Jordan Love remains a hyper-talented but limited quarterback nearly halfway into his sixth NFL season, and that puts a hard ceiling on Green Bay's potential.

10. New England Patriots (Last week: 14)

Don't look now, but the Patriots are in first place in the AFC East standings and Drake Maye appears to be the truth. Has the Buffalo Bills' run of dominance in the division come to an end?

11. Chicago Bears (Last week: 13)

The Bears may very will miss the playoffs by virtue of playing in the loaded NFC North division, but they are frisky and fun right now as their win streak reaches four games, a mark not seen since 2018. Caleb Williams had a dud in their Week 7 victory over the Saints, but I trust Ben Johnson to get him back up to the level he was playing at in Weeks 3 and 4. It's easier to make these corrections when you're still winning on the back of a dominant defense and a suddenly powerful two-headed rushing attack.

12. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 12)

This may be controversial, but I'm leaving the Seahawks at No. 12 despite their Monday night win. Darnold did not play well and they turned the ball over four times. Almost any team besides the hapless Texans would have trounced Seattle. They need to spend their bye week figuring out what went wrong and how not to repeat this dismal performance.

13. Denver Broncos (Last week: 16)

The Broncos deserve every ounce of credit for their historic win over the Giants, but let's not get carried away. Don't forget that they were down 0-19 at the start of the fourth quarter and the Giants' implosion can't be discounted. These incredible comebacks are fun, but making too much out of one quarter of football is how the NFL world ended up massively overrating the Jaguars heading into the 2023 season.

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 10)

The Steelers are still favorites in the AFC North, but it's worth considering whether their winning record is a house of cards. Three of their four wins came against teams with a cumulative record of 3-18.

15. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 7)

The Chargers have officially lost all benefit of the doubt. Yes, the Colts are a (shockingly) good team, but the Chargers didn't even put up a fight, and this comes after barely squeaking by the 1-6 Dolphins and back-to-back embarrassing losses to the Commanders and Giants.

16. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 20)

Chuba Hubbard deserves more time to show what he can still do after his injury, but it sure looks like Rico Dowdle has stolen his starting job. Hubbard averaged just 2.2 yards per carry against the 0-7 Jets while Dowdle more than doubled that number.

17. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 22)

Give credit where it's due: Brian Schottenheimer has this Cowboys team playing excellent football. At 3-3-1, they're still in position to make a run at the NFC East division title.

18. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 17)

What to make of this Falcons team? After impressive back-to-back wins, the Falcons offense spent much of Sunday night grounded, putting up only 10 points. That's not going to get the job done against anyone except the Jets.

19. Washington Commanders (Last week: 15)

As I predicted before the season, the Commanders' 2024 Cinderella run is over. Jayden Daniels has regressed hard and even if his latest hamstring injury is not significant, he's still getting banged up too much. The defense is old, slow, and bad, and the offensive line is one big turnstile. Getting blown out by the Cowboys is doubly concerning because this was arguably their most winnable game over the next month.

20. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 18)

The Vikings are way too talented to be 3-3, but here they are. Not having a reliable quarterback option is killing Minnesota and will likely keep them out of the playoff mix.

Kevin O'Connel — Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

21. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 25)

After nearly beating the Packers in Week 6 and upsetting the Steelers on Thursday, the Bengals suddenly look dangerous. If Flacco can keep them afloat until Joe Burrow's return, a playoff spot is still on the table.

22. Houston Texans (Last week: 21)

The Texans are a complete disaster, and it's doubly frustrating because we still don't know what to make of CJ Stroud in what is a contract year for the young quarterback. Is he the rookie phenom we saw in 2023, or more of the mediocre game-manager of 2024? That's a question for the Texans to answer.

23. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 24)

It's not often that a team gets to move up during their bye week, but here we are.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 19)

Is Trevor Lawrence the biggest problem for the Jaguars? No, but they are very clearly never going to get the generational talent at quarterback that they thought they were getting from the first overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft.

25. New York Giants (Last week: 23)

I didn't ding the Giants too hard for allowing a historic 4th quarter comeback to the Broncos, but only because I believe in Jaxson Dart for the future. For now.

26. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 28)

Congrats to Cleveland on their second win of the season, but picking it up against the lowly Dolphins won't do them much good in these rankings.

27. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 31)

Yes, the Cardinals move up four spots after a loss, but only because I can't justify putting any of the next five teams above them.

28. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 27)

The Titans are not expected to trade Jeffery Simmons, but they may want to strongly consider it. He could fetch them a large package of draft picks that they desperately need to rebuild around Cam Ward and attract a new head coach.

29. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 29)

The only reason the Saints don't drop after getting dismantled by the Bears is because the bottom three teams are, quite frankly, equally deserving of the very last spot in these rankings. The Saints are ahead by just a hair by virtue of their head coach keeping this bad team in fight mode.

30. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 30)

The Dolphins are not expected to make any big changes right now, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, but this holding pattern can't continue much longer. Head coach Mike McDaniel needs to go and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa needs to be benched. Let the rookie Quinn Ewers show what he can do with a start.

On the Miami #Dolphins: No changes are expected at this time, I’m told.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 20, 2025

31. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 26)

Normally, after a bad team gets blanked, I automatically drop them to the last spot in my power rankings. Lucky for the Raiders, the Jets remain winless.

32. New York Jets (Last week: 32)

This may very well be the worst Jets team in franchise history after falling to 0-7 with no wins in sight.

Justin Field — Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

More Chicago Bears News:

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Another top Chicago Bears draft pick already looking like a bust

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