The Chicago Bears are coming off one of their worst games of the season with a 30-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. They weren’t as lifeless against Baltimore as they were in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions, but this loss was a lot more deflating as it ended a four-game winning streak.
Following this defeat, it is fair to question some things. Is Caleb Williams going to be the guy who leads the team to victory every week? He didn’t show it against the Ravens. How will he bounce back? Ben Johnson has had his ups and downs during his first year as head coach, but there is a lot of work to do. This will be his biggest test in terms of bouncing back from a bad loss.
In our Week 9 power rankings, we put the Bears at No. 15, which is down two spots from a week ago. That is not that much of a drop off, but it shows the level of mediocrity in the middle of the pack.
How do some of the other media outlets around the country rank the Bears? We rounded up five of the most notable for you to check out here:
USA Today
Current Ranking: 17
Last Week’s Ranking: 13
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s Take: “Their league-high 16 takeaways have greatly contributed to the fact that the Bears‘ average starting field position is their own 33-yard line, best in the league. Coulda used one of those turnovers Sunday in Baltimore.”
Our Take: The Bears are undefeated when they have two or more takeaways and winless when they have one or fewer. This team needs to create turnovers on defense. It shouldn’t be as important as it is, though, which is a reflection of the poor offense needing to get better.
The Athletic
Current Ranking: 16
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
Author: Josh Kendall
Author’s Take: “After completing 25-of-38 passes Sunday for a 77.2 passer rating, Williams is 24th in the league in completion percentage (61.9 percent) and 33rd in off-target throw rate (16.6 percent), according to TruMedia. By comparison, Jared Goff completed 72.4 percent of his passes in Ben Johnson’s offense last year, and it’s fair to wonder if the system can work without more accuracy from the quarterback.”
Our Take: The Athletic’s theme this week is “something scary.” Well, they are scared of Caleb Williams’ accuracy and rightfully so. There is still plenty of time for Ben Johnson to get him right, but the concern is growing.
ESPN
Current Ranking: 16
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
Author: Courtney Cronin
Author’s Take: “The Bears are a competent, well-coached football team under Johnson. The results aren’t always there, as red zone efficiency and penalties continue to be a problem. But Chicago put together a four-game win streak, and it has buy-in that feels different than other seasons. Johnson has preached accountability, which he has demonstrated in his honest reflection on decisions and calls that didn’t work. That’s a breath of fresh air as the culture shifts inside Halas Hall.”
Our Take: This week, ESPN’s theme is the best offseason addition. Everybody, including Courtney Cronin, knows that the Bears needed to hire Ben Johnson. Even with some of their struggles, it is clear that he’s a massive upgrade.
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 17
Last Week’s Ranking: 14
Author: Eric Edholm
Author’s Take: “Progress is rarely linear, but the Bears’ offense feels like it has taken steps backward over the past few games. Two encouraging drives against Baltimore ended in disappointing field goals, and then it got worse, as they scored only one TD in their lowest point total of the season. Caleb Williams had two critical grounding calls and threw a back-breaking pick with nine minutes left. The defense was working with a shorthanded secondary, but the pass rush was invisible most of the game, with Dominique Robinson and Shemar Turner both getting hurt. It’s hard to get too upset, with this loss coming after four straight wins, but the Bears caught a huge break with Lamar Jackson inactive and couldn’t take advantage.”
Our Take: As Eric Edholm points out, there were shortcomings in multiple areas of the football field on Sunday against the Ravens. Even with the injuries on defense, things have to improve if they want to stay in the hunt.
NBC Sports (PFT)
Current Ranking: 16
Last Week’s Ranking: 15
Author: Mike Florio
Author’s Take: “That ping-pong trolling of the Ravens boomeranged.”
Our Take: A lot of folks see the Bears as a middle-of-the-pack team, which they are right now. The fact that they are, however, shows the level of mediocrity in the league at this stage. There are seven or eight contenders, seven or eight really bad teams, and then the middle. Right now, the Bears are working to ping-pong out of the middle.