Caleb Williams misfire sinks Bears in 2025 NFL Week 15 power rankings

Well, being the No. 1 seed in the NFC was fun while it lasted! After a triumphant win over the defending champs in Week 13, the Chicago Bears vaulted to the top of the entire NFC, a position they held for only one week. A heartbreaking loss to the Packers on Sunday threw the brakes on the Bears' hype train before it went completely off the rails.

That loss to Green Bay may have damaged the Bears' playoff chances, but their season is far from over. They're still 9-4 and control their destiny: win their four remaining games, and they take the division crown and secure a home playoff game. And that's not even a far-fetched scenario when you look at their schedule. Next week the hapless Browns come to Soldier Field, followed by a winnable rematch with the Packers. From there they travel to play the good yet banged-up 49ers then welcome the Lions to Soldier Field in the season finale.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. For now, we have to evaluate the results of this weekend. In my Week 14 NFL power rankings, the Bears rose all the way to No. 1. Where do they fall this week? Let's take a look.

1. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 2)

Dismantling the drowning Cardinals in Week 14 gets the Rams back to the No. 1 spot. They have to be considered Super Bowl favorites.

2. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 3)

After a sloppy first half, the Seahawks buttoned up and dominated the Falcons. Their Week 16 match against the Rams could very well decide the No. 1 seed in the NFC this year.

3. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 4)

The Bears gave them a run for their money, but Green Bay survived a second-half blitz and escaped with a win, their fourth straight. They're building up momentum just in time for the postseason.

4. Chicago Bears (Last week:1)

The clock finally struck midnight on Chicago's magical run to the top of the NFC, but that's okay. 2025 was never about contending for these Bears, but showing growth under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, and by that metric, this season has already been a smashing success.

5. New England Patriots (Last week: 5)

The Patriots stay put during their bye week.

6. Denver Broncos (Last week: 6)

The Broncos are clearly a good team, but their ceiling feels lower than other contenders. In back-to-back weeks, they've barely survived scrapes with the two worst teams in the league.

7. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 9)

Josh Allen almost single-handedly willed the Bills to victory over the Bengals, exactly what an MVP quarterback does. With the Chiefs currently out of the playoff picture, is the AFC Buffalo's to lose?

8. Detroit Lions (Last week: 12)

Just as we all started to write the Lions off for this year, they answered with a statement win on Thursday Night Football, overpowering the Cowboys in every facet of the game. They are very much alive in the playoff race.

Dan Campbel — Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

9. Houston Texans (Last week: 14)

The Texans are officially back after dominating the Chiefs and extending their win streak to five. This defense is arguably the most dangerous in the league, and nobody is going to want to play them in the Wild Card round.

10. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 7)

I've never been a believer in Jalen Hurts, and this season is showing everyone why. When he does not have absolutely perfect conditions around him, he struggles mightily. This Eagles team is a title contender that is being held down by its quarterback.

11. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 8)

The Ravens haven't been playing well lately, but that loss to the Steelers was absolutely brutal, thanks to a polarizing call from the refs. Head coach Jon Harbaugh was right to say the NFL's catch rule is as clear as mud.

12. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 17)

A statement win over the defending champs has vaulted the Chargers right back into the thick of the playoff race. They may not be able to overtake the 11-2 Broncos for control of the AFC West, but a Wild Card spot is well within reach.

13. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 18)

I'm really not sure what to make of the Jaguars. Trevor Lawrence has not played well this year, and at times this team appears on the verge of a breakdown, but they're still 9-4. Houston's slow start to the year could very well hand Jacksonville the AFC South crown.

14. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 11)

Have the Cowboys come crashing back to Earth? That's what appears to have happened on Thursday. They're not officially eliminated from the playoffs yet, but it would take a minor miracle to get in now.

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

The 49ers stay put during their bye week.

16. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 16)

The Panthers stay put during their bye week.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 20)

In one season, the AFC North changed from a juggernaut to a cupcake division. The Steelers are just 7-6, but in firm control and a full game ahead of the Ravens. Eight wins could very well be enough to secure a home playoff game, and that feels wrong.

18. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 13)

At the risk of overreacting, is Kansas City's current dynasty dead? That's not to say that they'll never return to title contention, but that brutal Sunday night loss sinks them to 6-7 and officially snaps their nine-year streak as the AFC West champions. 2026 may need to be a year of retooling around Patrick Mahomes.

19. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 10)

With Daniel Jones' season-ending injury, so too is the Colts' season over, and that should give new owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon a perfectly valid reason to fire general manager Chris Ballard this offseason, and maybe head coach Shane Steichen. From continually whiffing on quarterbacks to trading their next two first-round picks for a cornerback who can't even get on the field, Ballard has done incalculable damage to this franchise.

20. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 21)

Beating the hapless Jets doesn't get the Dolphins much credit in these rankings.

Tua Tagovailoa — Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 19)

Do we really need to see an NFC South team in the playoffs this year? Losing to the Saints puts the Bucs in a tie for the division lead with the Carolina Panthers at 7-6. This is a sharp fall from grace for a team that entered 2025 with expectations of a deep playoff run.

22. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 22)

Putting up a good fight in snowy conditions against the Buffalo Bills keeps the Bengals in place this week, despite the loss.

23. New York Giants (Last week: 23)

The Giants stay put during their bye week.

24. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 25)

I guess the Vikings finally found a team and quarterback that they can beat, and that would be the Jayden Daniels-led Commanders. But that doesn't earn them much credit. This team still needs a new quarterback this offseason.

Justin Jefferso — Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

25. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 24)

Everyone in the Falcons' front office needs to go this offseason. They wasted the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft, then traded away what is shaping up to be a Top 10 pick in the 2026 draft. This is a team with no direction and insufficient assets to change course anytime soon.

26. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 29)

Pulling off a huge upset against the Bucs had to feel good for the Saints. It won't help them get to the playoffs, but it throws a chaotic wrench into the NFC South division race.

27. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 30)

The Titans finally land their second win of the season in what amounted to a Tank Bowl game against the 3-10 Browns. Good for the players to get to celebrate a win, but the fans may be wishing they had lost this one if Tennessee can't secure the top pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

28. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 26)

Are the Cardinals really sure they want to move from Kyler Murray? This team is not even remotely competitive without him.

Jacoby Brisset — Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

29. New York Jets (Last week: 28)

I've got nothing left to say about the Jets. This team is a complete disaster.

30. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 32)

The Raiders climb out of last place in my rankings this week, but only because the Commanders got shut out by a bad Vikings team and the Browns lost the Tank Bowl to the Titans.

31. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 31)

Credit where it's due: Shedeur Sanders played a heck of a game on Sunday, but it was for naught thanks to head coach Kevin Stefanski's failed 2-point try minus Sanders at the end of the game.

32. Washington Commanders (Last week: 27)

Advancing to the NFC Championship Game last year may have been the worst possible thing to happen to the Commanders in 2024. Shiny wins and electric yet unsustainable quarterback play allowed their ownership to ignore the obvious, deep flaws in the foundation and go all-in on a roster that was nowhere near ready for title contention.

Now the Commanders sit at 3-10 and have lost eight games in a row. Not only is their coaching staff in hot water, but Jayden Daniels, whom the media rushed to crown as the next great QB, looks utterly lost. That is, when he's not sidelined by one of his myriad injuries. In an ironic twist, the Commanders are having the exact kind of season suffered by the Chicago Bears in 2024, just as the Bears are on the rise, and it all started with a last-second loss to Chicago back in Week 6.

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