Ugly Loss Convincing for Bears in Polls

The power rankings for Week 2 had the Bears right back where they were last year during the depths of the season, before they signed free agents and made draft picks.

The Bears seemed to have everyone convinced they would be better in Year 2 of the rebuild but a funny thing happened on the way to the construction site.

They took a step back in Week 1 and did it with mostly new players on defense. They also did despite having DJ Moore on offense, although it was tough to confirm this because his stat line was nearly invisible.

So they got what posers usually get once the NFL season actually begins and the off-season hype is over. It's right back where they were near the end of last season and much of last season, in the bottom three or four teams.

Here's where the power rankings have placed them for Week 2.

SI.com: 30th

Conor Orr blasted Justin Fields for taking a sack by Lukas Van Ness when he easily could have thrown the ball away, pointing out this could mean he's not as advanced as everyone hoped in Year 2 of this offense, Year 3 overall. Defenses have caught up to his act and know how to defend it. The Lions showed them how last year with Aidan Hutchinson.

"Nearly every team has athletic, off-ball defenders. It's time for the Bears to evolve," Orr wrote. 

NFL.com: 29th

Eric Edholm put it best in his final sentence of analysis: "There was more bad here than I imagined the Bears having in Week 1."

ESPN: 29th

The Bears fell five spots in the ESPN rankings but Roschon Johnson was labeled the bright spot in his debut with 20 yards rushing on five carries, a TD and six receptions for 35 yards.

"Johnson's touchdown may have come too late, but his efficiency as a rusher was the best of any Bears running back," beat reporter Cortney Cronin wrote.

The33rdteam.com: 28th

Dropping five spots, the Bears QB was targeted here, too, by Ryan Reynolds, but the defense especially took it on the chin.

"It's the Bears' defense that's concerning," Ryan Reynolds wrote. "The talent the team added this offseason paid no obvious dividends on opening day. Until that changes, the Bears have to be considered a bottom-tier team with an unreliable but high-ceiling offense."

Yahoo Sports: 30th

Frank Schwab blamed Fields for some of his four sacks, although it seemed only one was his actual fault.

"Offensive lines get blamed for sacks, but quarterbacks often have the biggest role in sack numbers," Schwab said, pointing to the 55 sacks Justin Fields absorbed last year.

NBC Sports/Pro Football Talk: 28th

Mike Florio has Fields stepping back on his way out the door as the Bears fell seven spaces. "The up-or-out year for Justin Fields did not start well."

Fox Sports: 29th

David Helman sounded as surprised as anyone to see the Bears rated down here. "The Bears weren't supposed to be all the way down here, but this looked exactly like the team that finished with the worst record in the league last year," he wrote. "Chicago's offensive line was still leaky. Justin Fields still didn't threaten the defense consistently 

CBS Sports: 30th

Pete Prisco wrote them off already. "The offensive showing wasn't good, but the defense was even worse. So much for the idea of this team taking a step forward," Prisco wrote.

The Sporting News: 28th

Vinnie Iyer dropped the Bears down three spots to 28th, a kind of soft landing. "Justin Fields is trying to grow as a runner and passer but he can still make critical mistakes in the latter capacity and the Bears' defense, despite personnel improvements, is still weak against pass and run," he wrote.

That doesn't leave much else for the defense to be bad at.

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