It’s no surprise that the Chicago Bears took a major slide in power rankings all around the league after their blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 7.
The Bears, who actually gained a spot in NFL.com’s power rankings during the bye week, fell six spots to No. 15 in the Week 8 power rankings, where they’re still miraculously ahead of their Week 9 opponent the Philadelphia Eagles, who similarly are having struggles.
Sunday’s loss started with a blocked punt, and that was just the beginning of the misfortune for the Bears. Mitchell Trubisky and the Chicago offense were getting booed off the field by the home crowd midway through the second quarter, and the Saints — playing without Drew Brees or Alvin Kamara — built an insurmountable three-score lead before the fourth quarter began.
How bad were the Bears prior to some garbage-time production? The Saints picked up four first downs on their final touchdown drive late in the third quarter — as many first downs as the Bears offense had gained in the entire game to that point. Chicago’s offense has no downfield element to it, and even worse, Trubisky is clearly pressing as the pressure mounts on his shoulders. He’s taken a big step back in his third season … how long can Matt Nagy stand by the former No. 2 overall pick?
Chicago’s division counterparts the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings occupy two top-five spots, with the Packers sitting at No. 4 and the Vikings at No. 5. The Detroit Lions dropped two spots to No. 17.
The Bears are in free fall right now, and if there’s any chance at redeeming what was once a promising season, it must start Sunday against a struggling 2-5 Los Angeles Chargers team.
