ESPN skyrockets Chicago Bears in Week 14 NFL Power Rankings

The Chicago Bears made a major leap in ESPN’s Week 14 NFL Power Rankings after their latest win, earning national respect at a crucial point in the season.

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Remember when the Chicago Bears began the 2025 season 0-2, and questions about whether the Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson marriage would actually work led most of the morning sportstalk shows?

Yeah, it was a brutal start to the new era of Bears football. Chicago was fresh off a 52-21 loss to the Detroit Lions and plummeted to 26th in ESPN's NFL Power Rankings.

Johnson told the media way back then that the Bears would not look like a finished product in the first month of the season, and boy, was he right.

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Chicago has since won eight of their last nine games, are in first place in the NFC North, and control their own destiny as the top seed in the NFC playoffs.

And with those wins comes a lot more league-wide respect, including from ESPN, whose Week 14 NFL Power Rankings look a lot different than they did 11 weeks ago.

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Bears are now a top-10 team, checking in at their highest mark of the 2025 season, No. 8 overall.

One of the X-factors for the Bears to remain there -- or climb even higher -- is breakout cornerback Nahshon Wright, who ESPN's Courtney Cronin said Chicago's defense will continue to lean on.

"Wright is a big reason the Bears lead the NFL in takeaways (26)," Cronin wrote. "The backup-turned-starter for 11 of 12 games is second on the team in interceptions (five), including the Bears' only pick-six. He also has three fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. Considering the Bears' lack of consistent pass rush, they will continue to lean on Wright to earn extra possessions. Those instinctive plays, such as a forced fumble on the Eagles' tush push Friday, are keeping Wright on the field even as the rest of the Chicago secondary gets healthy at a critical time."

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Despite the Bears' first-place standing in the NFC North, they still rank lower than the Green Bay Packers, who check in at No. 5 in ESPN's power rankings.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions have fallen to No. 11. The Minnesota Vikings have tumbled all the way down to No. 24.

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