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NFL Power Rankings, Week 14: Bears have a lot of work to do

The Chicago Bears’ slide down the NFL Power Rankings continues in Week 14.
Pete Martuneac

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12 months ago

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Studs and duds from Bears' Thanksgiving loss to Lions (News)
Kimberly P. Mitchell/USA TODAY NETWORK

A bizarre loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, a loss punctuated by baffling coaching decisions, led the Chicago Bears to a historic decision: they fired their head coach midseason for the first time in franchise history. Matt Eberflus is gone, Thomas Brown is in as interim head coach. What this means for the Bears going forward is anyone’s guess, but the only thing we know for sure is that Chicago’s open head coaching job will be at the top of every candidate’s list.

But that speculation is for another day. For now, let’s see where the Bears stack up to the rest of the league in this week’s power rankings. We have a new team at the top as we head into Week 14, as well as a change at the very bottom.

1. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 2)

After dismantling the 49ers at home in the snow, the Bills deserve this top spot. Is this the year that Buffalo finally returns to the Super Bowl?

2. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 3)

By far the best game of Week 13 was the Eagles/Ravens clash of contenders, and the Eagles came out on top. They’re looking more dangerous than even their 2022 Super Bowl run.

3. Detroit Lions (Last week: 1)

The Lions won, but only because the Chicago Bears gave the game away at the end and promptly fired their head coach. A better coached team wouldn’t have let the Lions get away with that.

4. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 4)

In their heavyweight showdown with the Eagles, the Ravens came up just short, but that goes to show the kind of Herculean effort needed to topple Baltimore.

5. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 5)

Another win for the Chiefs came on the back of another bizarre ending to a Week 13 game. The way they’re winning, the Chiefs are either going to blow past everybody for their third straight Super Bowl win or get clobbered in the divisional round. There is no in-between.

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 6)

After a disastrous start that included a pick-six from Russell Wilson, the Steelers locked in and won a shootout against division rival Bengals. Wilson in particular showed the world that he’s still got plenty left in the tank.

7. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 7)

On Thanksgiving Day in Lambeau, the Packers easily picked apart a Dolphins team that has teetered between mediocre and awful all season. At 9-3, they’re well on their way to locking in a playoff berth.

8. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 8)

Make it three playoff teams for the NFC North if this trend continues. Sam Darnold willed his team to victory over the Cardinals as his comeback season rolls on.

9. LA Chargers (Last week: 10)

There’s still a lot of question marks on this team, but picking off Kirk Cousins four times gave them just enough juice to defeat the spiraling Falcons.

10. Houston Texans (Last week: 11)

The Texans defeated Jacksonville but will lose linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for three games. He was suspended for his scary hit on quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Sunday.

11. Denver Broncos (Last week: 12)

On Monday Night Football, the Broncos and Browns gave the NFL world a shootout, and the Broncos came out ahead thanks in large part to two defensive touchdowns.

12. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 9)

The Falcons are in big trouble. Losers of three straight, they’re now tied with the Buccaneers for the NFC South crown. And the way the NFC playoff picture is shaping up, they won’t make the cut if they’re not the division champs.

13. Washington Commanders (Last week: 15)

The Commanders took an early touchdown lead over the Titans and never looked back. That’s the kind of get-right game they badly needed to break a three-game slide and keep them in the playoff hunt.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 17)

Somehow, someway, the Buccaneers are right back in the playoff picture now that Mike Evans is back. They narrowly avoided a disastrous overtime loss to the Panthers with a timely takeaway.

15. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 19)

Speaking of narrowly dodging an upset, the Seahawks stormed back from a 14-point deficit in the first quarter to beat the Jets and keep their playoff hopes alive.

16. LA Rams (Last week: 20)

With their win over the Saints, the Rams stay one game behind the Seahawks for the division lead. Their Week 18 matchup may be a win-or-go-home scenario.

17. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 13)

After a disastrous prime time loss to the Packers, it’s fair to wonder if head coach Mike McDaniel’s seat is heating up. So far he’s overseen two postseason collapses in the Wild Card round and is on track to miss the playoffs entirely this year.

18. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 14)

This has been a nightmare season for the 49ers, thanks entirely to injuries. With Christian McCaffrey heading back to IR, San Francisco’s season is all but over.

19. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 16)

The rollercoaster season for Arizona rolls on with a heartbreaking one-point loss to the Vikings on Sunday. At 6-6, they still have a shot at the division title and a playoff berth.

20. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 18)

Studies must be done on how the Bengals could waste one of the best quarterbacking seasons we’ve ever seen. Joe Burrow is on pace for 4,727 yards, 43 touchdowns, and just 7 interceptions, but the Bengals sit at 4-8. Head coach Zac Taylor’s seat is white-hot at this point.

21. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 22)

The future is murky for the Colts. Their defense needs an entire overhaul and quarterback Anthony Richardson is not showing the kind of consistent growth anyone had hoped to see, but at least they won an exciting game over New England. A last-minute touchdown followed by a daring two-point conversion sealed the win and kept Indy within striking distance of the playoffs.

22. Chicago Bears (Last week: 21)

As deflating as it is to lose three straight one-score games to division rivals, this was probably the best-case scenario for the Chicago Bears when looking at the big picture. Eberflus was clearly not the right head coach to guide this franchise back to the Promised Land, and the Bears now have the opportunity to land someone who will. Plus, Caleb Williams still looks like the generational passer that Chicago was promised back in April.

23. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 27)

The Cowboys walked all over the Giants on Thanksgiving Day, but this season is still very much a lost cause.

24. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 29)

That loss to Kansas City has to sting but, like the Bears, the Raiders are probably better off with another loss. They need to get as close to the top of the draft as possible so they can find their quarterback of the future.

25. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 23)

Adding insult to injury in this frustrating season for the Saints, it was announced that tight end Taysom Hill’s season is over due to a torn ACL.

26. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 26)

Bryce Young was robbed of a fantastic comeback win on Sunday thanks to an unfortunate fumble in overtime, one that immediately followed a dart to Adam Theilen that put them just inside field goal range. Young is proving that the Panthers and the NFL world in general wrote him off too soon. The Panthers could very well have their franchise quarterback already.

27. New England Patriots (Last week: 25)

Drake Maye played another terrific game and the Patriots’ draft ranking improved with the loss. Things are progressing right on schedule in New England.

28. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 24)

The Titans might as well have not even shown up on Sunday. They were completely outclassed by Washington from the first play all the way to the end.

29. New York Jets (Last week: 28)

No team has fallen farther behind expectations this year than the Jets. Aaron Rodgers was supposed to put this team in Super Bowl contention. Instead, he may very well be gone next year, leaving the Jets to start over at quarterback once again and with nothing to show for the last two years.

30. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 30)

Browns fans were treated to the penultimate Jameis Winston experience on Monday night: 497 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and two pick-sixes that resulted in a loss for Cleveland.

31. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 32)

Even if Trevor Lawrence can return next week from that scary hit he took on Sunday, the Jaguars need to shut him down for the season. They’ve already been eliminated from playoff contention, the head coach is likely to be fired on Black Monday, and there’s no need in exposing the potential future of the franchise to further injury.

32. New York Giants (Last week: 31)

There’s really nothing positive to say about the Giants at this point. Dexter Lawrence and Theo Johnson are both headed to IR, effectively ending their seasons, and they’ve officially been eliminated from playoff contention.

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