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After a perfect preseason, the Bears remain among the bottom of the NFL in the power rankings ahead of their Week 1 matchup.
After going 3-0 during the preseason, the Chicago Bears find themselves among the bottom of the NFL in the power rankings going into Week 1.
There are many question marks on both sides of the ball, which is why there should be no surprise with where Chicago is ranked.
It’s time to take a look at where the Bears stand in Week 1 power rankings before round two of Justin Fields vs. the 49ers takes place this Sunday.
It’s not a surprise to find the Bears ranked among the worst teams in the league. But at least they’re not the worst.
There’s not a lot of confidence surrounding the Chicago Bears heading into the 2022 season. Following a 6-11 season, the Bears cleaned house and brought in a new regime to right the ship.
But it’s not a process that produces immediate success. General manager Ryan Poles has been slowly rebuilding the roster by parting ways with aging veterans and building through the draft. While it’ll benefit the team in the long run, it’s not a recipe for success for the 2022 season.
Pro Football Focus released their updated power rankings, where the Bears weren’t the worst team. Unfortunately, only the Seattle Seahawks ranked lower than them. Chicago landed at 31st in the “rebuilding” category of their rankings.
New general manager Ryan Poles inherited an ugly situation in Chicago and has done what he can to set the team on the right track in his first offseason. The only issue is that very little of that has had an immediate impact on the short-term prospects of quarterback Justin Fields, who flashed big talent as a rookie but has pass protection and a receiving corps that rank among the league’s worst on paper. Fields also had his own issues in Year 1, so this could be a painful year for Chicago as it tries to put solid foundations in place for the future.
It’s not a surprise to find the Bears ranked among the worst teams in the league considering they are rebuilding — or retooling, as Poles said. But it’s also too early to gauge where this team will finish in 2022. Especially considering they have one of the most favorable schedules in the league.
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You know things are bad when analysts are ranking the Bears lower than the Lions in NFL power rankings.
It’s safe to say most people don’t believe in the Chicago Bears heading into the 2022 season — and it’s only May.
The national media have concerns about quarterback Justin Fields heading into his second season, as his receiving corps isn’t the most proven and the concerns on the offensive line. Darnell Mooney is the only proven wideout among the bunch, there’s a glaring hole at right guard and all eyes are on Fields entering a pivotal Year 2.
It also doesn’t help when you lose some key veterans on defense, including trading edge rusher Khalil Mack and losing defensive linemen Akiem Hicks and Eddie Goldman this offseason.
NBC Sports’ Peter King revealed his offseason NFL power rankings, which had the Bears landing at 28th. It’s not a complete surprise considering the national outcry about Chicago’s offseason moves. What’s more shocking is that the Bears were ranked eight spots lower than the — wait for it — Detroit Lions, who landed at 20th.
I’ve crushed Chicagoland dreams. I ranked the Lions over the Bears. Feels like the first time that’s been possible since Joe Schmidt roamed the middle of the field. But part of being a smart franchise architect is to survey the landscape and understand where you are and who you are. Ryan Poles did that when he took this job. He traded Khalil Mack, putting a $24-million dead-cap-money anchor on the franchise in the process, and saddled the team with $52.8-million in dead money.
The flip side: The Bears have a league-high $96.9-million in cap space in 2023 ($103 million more than the in-debt Packers, per Over The Cap). The upshot is if new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy can help Justin Fields to be a competent player, the Bears will be in great position to attack the market next March. Baby steps, Bear fans.
The Bears do have one thing going for them — a favorable schedule. Chicago has one of the easiest slates in the league, where they’ll face teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, New York Giants, New York Jets and Lions.
No one’s expecting much from Chicago in 2022 — even some of their fans. But you know things are bad when analysts start ranking the Lions higher than the Bears.
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Despite addressing huge holes in the secondary, the Bears have fallen near the bottom of the NFL in the latest post-draft power rankings.
Following Ryan Poles’ first NFL draft as a general manager, fans have more of an idea of which direction the Chicago Bears are headed. Poles spoke about building his team through the draft. With the 2022 NFL draft in the books, he’s already keeping his promise.
Though Chicago did not add as many offensive weapons for quarterback Justin Fields as most expected, Poles is looking to rebuild the secondary and offensive line as quickly as possible. Last season, Fields was one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league, on average per game. If he cannot get rid of the football, it doesn’t matter who he’s throwing the ball to. Still, Fields should have one top offensive weapon to throw the ball to.
With the offseason in full swing, let’s take a look at where the Bears stand in the current NFL power rankings following the draft:
The Bears are ranked lower than the Lions – THE LIONS – in USA Today’s post-free agency power rankings.
Following the first waves of NFL free agency, the Chicago Bears haven’t inspired much confidence looking ahead to the 2022 season. And while we still have months before the roster is finalized, it’s hard to look at the current state of the Bears and have confidence.
That’s been evident in a lot of post-free agency power rankings, where Chicago has consistently been among the bottom of the league. Which isn’t surprising.
USA Today Sports’ Nate Davis released his updated NFL power rankings following the first wave of free agency. And while no one expected the Bears to crack the top half of the league, it was a shock to find them at No. 28, dropping three spots, as the fifth-worst team in the NFL. Even the Lions are ranked higher than the Bears!
No first-round pick and no apparent strategy – in terms of coaching hires or free agent signings – to foster an environment conducive to developing QB Justin Fields.
The argument is a fair one. What have the Bears really done to help quarterback Justin Fields so far this offseason? Bringing in a new coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, and building the offense around him is certainly encouraging.
But general manager Ryan Poles hasn’t done much to build around his hopeful franchise quarterback. Chicago added wide receivers Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown, as well as offensive lineman Lucas Patrick and Dakota Dozier in free agency. Names that don’t exactly scream all-in.
Still, we’re only in April, and there’s plenty of offseason left to go. But it’s hard not to be concerned about Fields right now heading into his second season.
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See where the Bears rank in NFL.com’s post-free agency power rankings.
NFL free agency is still ongoing, but the first wave is in the books. While the Chicago Bears didn’t make any big splashes, general manager Ryan Poles added some important starting and depth pieces.
NFL.com’s Dan Hanzus revealed his post-free agency power rankings, and there wasn’t a lot of confidence in the Bears to begin with. Chicago fell spot to 25th following the first wave of free agency.
The Bears are starting over under new head coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles. It’s hard to argue otherwise after Chicago dealt away Khalil Mack in a move that was more about streamlining the financial side of things than actually improving the on-field product. The Bears want to get younger and build around Justin Fields in an organic way. It might not be a bad idea, considering Aaron Rodgers’ decision to stay with the Packers once again puts Green Bay in prime position to continue dominating the NFC North.
The departure of Allen Robinson from Chicago highlights the glaring need to add some playmaking talent around Fields. Darnell Mooney and Dazz Newsome are the only wideouts under contract who saw meaningful time on the field for Chicago in 2021.
Considering the Bears appear to be in rebuild mode, it’s not a surprise to see them ranked among the bottom of the NFL. Chicago has a new general manager in Ryan Poles and head coach in Matt Eberflus, and there are still plenty of questions on offense and defense. Although, there’s still plenty of time between now and the start of the 2022 regular season.
Elsewhere in the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers landed at sixth, the Minnesota Vikings at 20th and the Detroit Lions rounded things out at 29th.
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Following the Bears’ blowout win against the Giants, Chicago climbed the power rankings in Week 18.
In their final home game of the 2021 NFL season, the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants, 29-3. It was the largest win of the season for the Bears, and the fewest amount of points they’ve held a team to in 2021.
With rumors of this being Matt Nagy’s final home game as the team’s head coach, it’s a solid way to finish his tenor. After this win, Nagy is now 3-1 against the Giants as a coach.
With that, let’s take a look at where the Bears stand in the power rankings heading into Week 18.
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The Bears recorded their first win in a month with a comeback victory over the Seahawks. But did it help their case in the power rankings?
In one of the most unlikely scenarios, Nick Foles led the Chicago Bears to victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The Bears were down 10 points in the fourth quarter, on the road, looking down and out. With help from the defense, Foles led the offense to 11 unanswered points, en route to a win.
Going into Week 17, the Bears are looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since they were 3-2. It’s been a long season, with a long streak of losses putting Chicago out of the playoffs. Though there isn’t much to play for, there’s still two games left in the season and there’s no quit in the Bears – as shown last Sunday.
This week, the Bears play against the Giants. Chicago has won the last two meetings, dating back to 2019. Let’s take a look at where they stand in the power rankings before their Week 17 matchup.
After losing seven of their last eight games, here’s where the Bears sit in the power rankings heading into Week 15.
For the second week in a row, the Chicago Bears find themselves in the losing column. With a 15-point loss to the Green Bay Packers, it was expected they’d fall in the power rankings. For some reason, Chicago remains around the same as they were in Week 15.
It seems as everyone has pinned the Bears to a certain spot. They have beaten the Lions twice, and have a better record than some of the lower-ranked teams, but they’re not a playoff contender. They can only go so low – but they cannot go much higher in the power rankings.
After losing seven of their last eight games, let’s see where the Bears ranking going into Week 15.
The Bears continue to fall in the power rankings after another loss, making it five straight for the Bears.
The Chicago Bears have now lost five straight games dropping to 3-7 after a 3-2 start. It’s hard to believe that, at one point this season, they were inside the top 15 in power rankings. Now, they continue to fall as they find new ways to lose football games.
After a 16-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, let’s take a look at where the Bears stand in the Week 12 power rankings.
