NFL Power Rankings, Week 3: Bears in familiar place among league’s worst teams

The 2023 NFL season wasn’t supposed to start this way for the Chicago Bears. After an offseason full of hope and change, the Bears, led by third-year quarterback Justin Fields, were supposed to leap into the top of the NFC North and become a relevant team in the hunt for the playoffs in December.

Instead, the Bears are 0-2 and tail spinning out of control.

Fields is regressing. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s competency is being questioned. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams isn’t with the team, and coach Matt Eberflus appears to be losing control.

It’s early. We’re only entering Week 3. But it feels like the Bears have been exposed through the first eight quarters of football, and it isn’t a pretty sight.

As a result, the Chicago Bears’ standing in the latest round of NFL Power Rankings is dropping.

ESPN published their Week 3 power rankings, and the Bears slid one spot from No. 29 to No. 30. They’re inching closer to being the worst team in the NFL… again.

Only the Houston Texans (No. 31) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 32) are ranked lower.

Entire NFC North fell in ESPN’s Week 3 Power Rankings

The Minnesota Vikings (0-2) are also in a power rankings freefall. They dropped five spots from No. 20 to No. 25 after two disappointing games to begin the season.

The Green Bay Packers fell five spots in Week 3’s NFL Power Rankings, dropping from No. 14 to No. 19, while the Detroit Lions held onto the NFC North’s highest ranking at No. 8, down one spot from a week ago.

It’s unlikely the Bears’ ranking will go up anytime soon. They face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 in a game that most analysts predict will be over before the end of the first quarter. It’ll get worse before it gets better.

And how about those Carolina Panthers? They lost to the New Orleans Saints on Monday night, dropping their record to 0-2 and No. 29 in ESPN’s power rankings. The Chicago Bears have the Panthers’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and, at this rate, could end the 2023 season with two top-five selections.

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