Windy City Gridiron
Ahead of the NFL season-opening slate, we have some power rankings to go through.
Week one power rankings are about as useful as college football preseason polls. No one really knows until the games start.
The teams you expect to see are typically at the top of these, usually headed by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears won’t be mentioned among the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs or Baltimore Ravens at the start of the season, but you never know.
But we all like to take a look anyway.
Let’s start with NFL.com.
NFL.com – Eric Edholm
18. Chicago Bears (down 1) – We should learn a lot about the Bears quickly, with two showcase divisional games to start the year. A 2-0 start in the NFC North would be a dream scenario. A split would be reasonable. But losing to both the Vikings (at home) and Lions (in Detroit) could sink the season before it really starts. Shortly after that, the Bears must go on the road seven times in a 10-game stretch, giving them little margin for error. There’s a lot of reason for optimism this season, and I saw a lot of good things last month in their joint practice against the Bills, especially defensively. Ben Johnson has brought energy and toughness, and Caleb Williams is in an infinitely better situation now than last season. But I’m still a tiny bit concerned for the moment. The Bears’ left tackle situation and a lingering belief that there will be growing pains between Williams and Johnson keep me from raising them up higher than the middle of the pack.
CBSSports – Pete Prisco
19. Chicago Bears (down 2) – New coach Ben Johnson takes over with one priority: Making Caleb Williams a better player. He looked good at times in the preseason work, but now it counts. Time will tell.
21. Chicago Bears – Caleb Williams’ first training camp under coach Ben Johnson had “up and down moments,” general manager Ryan Poles said. Williams was the can’t-miss quarterback a year ago, while Johnson is the can’t-miss play caller heading into this season. Hopefully for Bears fans, Johnson’s debut is better than Williams’ was. Rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III have looked like they can help early.
18. Chicago Bears
- Chance of winning Super Bowl: 1%
- Biggest offseason addition: G Joe Thuney (80.0)
- Biggest offseason loss: G Teven Jenkins (75.4)
The Bears have been offseason darlings for two years in a row, but this time feels different. The addition of Ben Johnson as head coach and the staff he’s brought in should have fans feeling confident. This roster doesn’t possess the star power of the Lions‘ group, but the front office has completely retooled the offensive line, potentially setting the stage for a Caleb Williams breakout in year two.
The defense had its...
