Bear Digest

Power Rankings Ponder Whether Bears Can Find Way Out of This Mess

The future looks too murky for bold predictions about the Bears, indicate various power rankings.
Gene Chamberlain|
Seattle's Zach Charbonnet attempts to elude tacklers in one of the better games turned in this season by the Bears defense.
Seattle's Zach Charbonnet attempts to elude tacklers in one of the better games turned in this season by the Bears defense. | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Four website power rankings looked at what the Bears put on the field against the Seahawks and gave them a higher ranking this week than they had last week.

That either says they really disgusted people with the performance against Detroit the previous week or people just have become so bored by them that they've quit paying attention.

What is definitely true about the Bears now is they are a tough team to pin down going forward.

Without a head coach for next year, with the need for more offense despite making drastic offensive changes, and with Caleb Williams looking like the worst first-round QB among those who played this season, nothing can be predicted with any sort of reliability about 2025.

Eric Edholm of NFL.com thinks the constant losing over the years and Williams’ rookie struggles are going to make it tough even for him to win over the fans moving forward.

“This offseason will bring a coaching change and likely a few other big moves, but it's going to take winning consistently—over some impressive-looking stats—for Bears fans to fully buy in on Williams again next season,” Edholm wrote. “That's how far this thing has fallen.”

That’s questionable.

Hope springs eternal every summer at training camp and a new coach will go a long way toward rekindling the downtrodden Bears masses.

It’s Williams, himself, who people do need to worry about.

Is he a QB who can stand in the pocket and fire when necessary, like Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix were on Sunday night? Or is he bailing out at the first sign of pressure or taking a sack for no apparent reason?

The Bears will face only questions all offseason when they’re back on the field next year after they finish this season Sunday at Green Bay.

SI.com: 24th

Conor Orr of SI.com has the Bears up two spots after their 6-3 loss and describes why, before chipping in with what can turn around Williams next season.

"His talent is undeniable and, if surrounded by a true tactician who understands clock management and can force Williams to stop burning so much time, will blossom," Orr wrote.

CBS Sports: 24th

Staying put and Pete Prisco has seen so much losing that he’s losing track of it all.

“They have lost 11 straight games, which is brutal to think about for Bears fans,” Prisco wrote.

It’s actually only 10 straight now, let’s not jump to conclusions at Lambeau Field just yet, although no one should have false hopes about winning a game up there.

Fox Sports: 29th

Down four spots, the biggest drop of all, and they probably deserved it after 6-3. David Helman’s comment reflects a coaching search that could land one of two assistants from within the NFC North: Ben Johnson or Brian Flores.

“Chicago could use an injection of some of the culture that’s been built in every other building in the NFC North,” Helman wrote.

SHIFTING INSIDER FOCUS FOR BEARS JOB GOES BETWEEN TWO NAMES

THOMAS BROWN BATTLING ODDS AS COACHING PICTURE BEGINS TO FORM

WHAT DO PLAYERS WANT IN NEW BEARS COACH? YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED

NO SITTING CALEB WILLIAMS OR ANY HEALTHY BEARS AGAINST PACKERS

The 33rd Team: 24th

They fell three spots and Marcus Mosher states the obvious about Williams.

“However, Williams will need to make some serious strides in Year 2 if the Bears want to climb out of the bottom of the NFC North anytime soon,” he wrote.

NBC Sports/Pro Football Talk: 24th

Holding steady at 24th,  and Mike Florio’s comment accurately reflects what many Bears fans are feeling after seeing Detroit put up 40 on the 49ers.

“Give Ben Johnson a blank check,” Florio wrote.

ESPN: 23rd

Their highest ranking and it's up two spots after the field goal effort against Seattle. Bears beat reporter Courtney Cronin calls Keenan Allen's contract situation the one to watch for offseason. "Given his age, he won't make $23.1 million per year on his next deal, but it might be worth exploring whether the Bears can bring him back on a team-friendly contract," Cronin wrote about Allen's free agency status.

Yahoo Sports: 25th

Frank Schwab held their position and asks a question: “Where would Caleb Williams go if we had a 2024 draft do-over? The answer isn’t No. 1 overall; that would be Jayden Daniels. Would he go second? Third?”

USA Today: 23rd

Up two spots from last week and Nate Davis has his head in the NFL record book:  “This is a record-setting squad, folks. It's the first team in NFL history to allow the opening score in a game 15 times.”

NFL.com: 24th

Edholm includes a fact from Thursday’s game no one would have thought possible when the Bears added two wide receivers and Caleb Williams to the offense: “Chicago's fourth game this season without an offensive touchdown,” he wrote.

The Sporting News: 27th

Dropped by Vinnie Iyer two spots and Iyer picks a strange time to blast their defense considering it was their best performance since Eric Washington took over defensive play calling. “The Bears have lost their way defensively pretty quicky without Matt Eberlus,” he wrote, “and Caleb Williams deserved some better, more consistent play-calling to maximize his passing potential, too.”

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.