After a Week 5 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Chicago Bears are now 2-3. Despite losing two straight games, the Bears have risen in the Week 6 power rankings.
This week, Chicago faces the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football. If the Bears offense can get going early and play as well as they did in the second half against the Vikings, they should come out on top.
The only issue is, Chicago has struggled with being consistent. So much so that, in their two wins this season, quarterback Justin Fields completed just 47.1% of his passes – twice.
Before the Bears host the Commanders, let’s take a look at where they stand in the power rankings going into Week 6.
Yahoo! Sports
Current Ranking: 26th
Last Week’s Ranking: 27th
Author: NBC Sports Staff
Author’s Take:
The Bears showed a lot of fight and heart in their narrow loss to the Vikings. But you can’t give up 17 straight completions and expect to move up these rankings.
Our Take:
The defense felt non-existent in the first half, and the offense didn’t help matters. Anytime a quarterback starts 17-for-17 passing against your defense, there’s an obvious issue. Chicago does deserve credit for switching that in the second half and even taking a one-point lead. Still, that lead wasn’t enough to win it.
ESPN
Current Ranking: 27th
Last Week’s Ranking: 28th
Author: Courtney Cronin
Author’s Take:
The Bears are in the beginning stages of a rebuild. The roster is their biggest obstacle to making the playoffs, and frankly, Chicago is nowhere near ready to think about life in the playoffs. That’s never been a realistic expectation for the 2022 season. Marginal improvement that can carry over week to week — like the second-half performance Justin Fields strung together against Minnesota en route to single-game highs in completion percentage and passer rating — is the focal point for a team with a QB in the developmental stage of his career without the adequate talent around him to take the team to the next level.
Our Take:
Justin Fields looked great in the second half against the Vikings, but does that mean everything is fixed and he will continue to build from that? No. He’s been an inconsistent quarterback but has shown flashes of being a solid NFL passer. Take the Steelers game last year and the second half of last week’s game – Fields can play well, he just needs to do it on a weekly basis.
CBS Sports
Current Ranking: 28th
Last Week’s Ranking: 25th
Author: Pete Prisco
Author’s Take:
The offense showed some signs of life against the Vikings, which could be something to build upon. They just won’t win a lot of games this season.
Our Take:
Signs of life is one thing for the Bears offense, contining to improve and build off of moral victories is where the real improvements come. A loss shouldn’t be celebrate, but the second-half performance from Justin Fields needs to be built upon. They finally have their base, now it’s time to build up.
USA Today
Current Ranking: 28th
Last Week’s Ranking: 31st
Author: Nate Davis
Author’s Take:
Limited as they are from a talent perspective, Da Bears have only lost one game by more than one score.
Our Take:
As limited as they might be on offense, coach Matt Eberflus deserves credit for getting his team where they are. Two of Chicago’s three losses were by one score or less. If they can fight hard until the end in these games during this rebuild, the future will look bright.
NFL.com
Current Ranking: 29th
Last Week’s Ranking: 30th
Author: Dan Hanzus
Author’s Take:
Sometimes a loss can feel like a win. That’s how Bears fans could optimistically look at a 29-22 setback to the Vikings that also served as a hopeful jumping off point for Justin Fields. The quarterback, who had struggled mightily through the first four weeks of his second season, caught fire in the second half, finishing 12 of 13 for 135 yards and a touchdown in the final two quarters. He added 36 rushing yards and had a long TD run negated by a penalty. Fields’ hot streak allowed Chicago to erase a 21-3 deficit and put a serious scare into the NFC North leaders. “I think we took a step forward, for sure,” Fields said. “A lot of teams in this league would have just laid down and stopped playing.” It’s a start.
Our Take:
This loss was a step in the right direction for Justin Fields and the Bears offense. One could argue they were on the verge of tying the game late in the fourth quarter before Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s fumble. If they can build off of their second-half showing against the Vikings, they’re going to look a lot better against Washington on Thursday.
