Bear Digest

Chicago Bears make huge jump in ESPN's Week 17 NFL Power Rankings

The Chicago Bears have arrived as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, according to ESPN's latest NFL power rankings.
Bryan Perez|
Dan Powers-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

What a week to be a Chicago Bears fan.

First came the improbable, miraculous win in Week 16's Saturday night clash against the Green Bay Packers. It was a victory that put the Bears in the driver's seat to win the NFC North, and the win, combined with the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat of the Detroit Lions, already punched their ticket to the 2025 playoffs.

And with those positive developments comes a new and even bigger one: The Bears are now viewed as legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

Week 16's victory catapulted Chicago into the top 10 of ESPN's NFL Power Rankings, jumping from No. 10 to No. 8, a tier usually reserved for teams that can really hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Bears' rookies are a big reason for team's success in 2025

One of the biggest reasons this Chicago Bears team has had such a change in fortunes this year is the immediate (and positive) contributions from several high-profile rookies, the highest of which being first-round pick Colston Loveland.

The 10th overall pick from Michigan has turned into exactly what the Bears hyped him to be after the 2025 NFL Draft: a do-it-all tight end with the upside to be a lethal weapon in the passing game.

"The No. (10) pick introduced himself to the NFL in Chicago's wild comeback win over Cincinnati in Week 9 with a 118-yard, two-touchdown performance that included the 58-yard winner," ESPN's Courtney Cronin wrote. "Since then, he has gotten no fewer than four targets a game from quarterback Caleb Williams. The Bears utilize 12 personnel (two tight ends) at one of the highest rates in the league, and that's reflected in Loveland's 57.8% snap count for the season (fourth highest among the team's skill players). He creates every bit of a mismatch nightmare that Chicago expected when it selected him. And Loveland's willingness as a blocker is critically important to the NFL's No. 2 rushing offense."

Loveland, along with running back Kyle Monangai and Luther Burden III, are lethal arrows added to Ben Johnson's quiver for years to come.

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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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