Bears power rankings roundup: Where Chicago lands in Week 3

The Chicago Bears took a tough loss in a sloppy game to the Minnesota Vikings. One week removed from scoring 59 points, they only managed three. Although the rain was a factor, it’s not an excuse for their pathetic performance on offense. A blocked field goal and a fumble on the goal line were more on the Bears than the rain.

It is also a fact that Ben Johnson’s offense was outcoached by Brian Flores’ defense. For this reason, the overall outlook for Chicago is taking a hit coming into Week 3. It’s a week-to-week league, but this one has the Bears looking bad.

We ranked Chicago 13th in our power rankings for the week, which is down nine spots from their fourth-place spot heading into Week 2. How did other media outlets rank them?

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Author’s Take: “Seems like the real ‘Madden’ curse here is that the Bears may have to wait at least another year for their first 4,000-yard passer.”

Our Take: The Chicago Bears deserve to take that type of fall in the power rankings. How could anyone be confident in them after a performance like that? If Caleb Williams only misses 1 game and they get back on track, we might all be laughing at this in January. Right now, it doesn’t feel great.

Author’s Take: “The first-round safety has been all over the field through two weeks. Thieneman got a game ball after Chicago’s Week 1 win and then had a team-high seven tackles and a pass breakup on Sunday. He probably can’t play quarterback, though, and that’s the big question in Chicago after Caleb Williams left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and is considered week-to-week.”

Our Take: The Athletic’s theme this week is rookie spotlights. For the Bears, it’s rookie defensive back Dillon Thieneman. He has been one of the true bright spots through two weeks. They had the Bears fall a lot in the rankings, but if Williams can play soon, they will rise again.

Author’s Take: “The Bears dodged a major bullet with the right hamstring injury Williams sustained late against the Vikings. Coach Ben Johnson labeled Williams as week-to-week, and while the QB is expected to miss some time, Johnson is confident that backup Tyson Bagent can operate the offense. It understandably won’t look the same as when Williams is under center, but the scheme will not change. Chicago gave Bagent a two-year, $10 million extension in 2025, and his experience with Johnson in preseason games is why the coach believes “we’ll be fine.”

Our Take: ESPN’s theme is “one thing we know about QB1”. That’s the perfect theme for this week when it comes to the Bears. Of course, Courtney Cronin accurately describes Williams’ injury and what it means for the Bears.

Author’s Take: “The NFL’s highest-scoring offense in Week 1 finished with just three points in Sunday’s rain-soaked loss to the Vikings. The Bears’ Week 2 experience was a nightmare that became even worse when they lost Caleb Williams to a hamstring injury. It sounds like the star quarterback avoided total disaster, but as we saw in the final minutes of Sunday’s game, if Caleb isn’t available or is physically limited, the Bears’ ceiling plunges.”

Our Take: NFL.com wasn’t as high on the Bears coming into the second week of the season, despite their big win, and they took a fall all the way to 16. Their reasons are not unfair, for now.

Author’s Take: “Don’t sleep on West Virginia native Tyson Bagent.”

Our Take: Even Mike Florio, who has been kind to the Bears in his ranking for a long time, dropped them in a big way. He also published before the Tyson Bagent concussion news, because it’s not a lock he plays either.

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