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Caleb Williams' breakout game puts Bears on rocket ship in latest NFL Power Rankings

The Chicago Bears are moving way up in the latest 2025 NFL power rankings.
Bryan Perez|
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What a difference a week makes in the narrative around the Chicago Bears and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams.

After beginning the season 0-2 and not lighting the NFL on fire on offense, sports media's talking heads had a blast taking shots at Williams and coach Ben Johnson, going as far as to suggest the marriage between the first-time head coach and 2024 first overall pick would crash and burn.

Then came Williams' 298-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Cowboys in a convincing 31-14 Bears victory, and it's Chicago that's suddenly the toast of the NFL.

Indeed, one win doesn't make a season. Not for a quarterback and not for a head coach who still has a lot of work to do to right the Bears' ship. But one win can change NFL Power Rankings, as it did for The Athletic as Week 4 inches closed.

The Bears made a massive jump up the rankings; seven spots to be exact.

Chicago now ranks 18th, after ending last week at No. 25.

"After the struggles of the first two weeks, Caleb Williams thrived Sunday in Ben Johnson’s offense," The Athletic wrote. "It was the best game of his short career as he threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns. His deep ball could open things up for this offense, and suddenly there’s some well-deserved confidence in the Williams/Johnson pairing."

Can we please stop this bizarre spin on Williams' first two games of 2025? He didn't struggle. In fact, there were signs that Williams was improving under Johnson's tutelage. Unfortunately, patience is a lost virtue in quarterback development, and it only took eight quarters for some of the league's most public figures to begin turning on the former Heisman Trophy winner.

The NFL season is long. And there will be highs and lows; a lot of them. Williams will have his clunkers this year, you can bet on that. But he'll also have his fair share of breathtaking performances that are even more impressive than what he put on display against the Cowboys.

For now, the Bears are a team on the rise led by a coach and quarterback who are beginning to figure each other out. It's a fun time to be a Chicago Bears fan.

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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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