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2025 NFL Week 7 Power Rankings: Bears' epic win proves they're playoff contenders

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated Oct 14, 2025 11:12 AM ET

As soon as the ball kicked by Jake Moody sailed through the uprights at Northwest Stadium, sealing a breakthrough win for the Chicago Bears against the Washington Commanders, a new NFC rivalry was born. Or should I say, an old rivalry was remade. When Washington was still the Redskins, they and the Bears clashed several times across the decades and gave the NFL several instant classics, like Chicago's 73-0 win in the 1940 NFL championship game, arguably the worst blowout in sports history.

On Monday night, another instant classic was made when the Bears, who at one point led by two scores, fell behind by 8 points in the fourth quarter, came roaring back to win on a walk-off field goal, 25-24. It was a massive game for Caleb Williams and the rest of the team, who can now leave the specter of 2024's infamous 'Fail Mary' game buried forever.

Most importantly, it moves them to 3-2 on the season and gives them what may be a critical tie-breaker over the Commanders in the Wild Card race. Where does it put them in this week's power rankings? Let's dive in.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 5)

At this point in the season, it feels like the Buccaneers are favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and probably the favorites to win. They just have to hope that Emeka Egbuka's injury isn't serious.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 3)

Winners of three of their last four games, the Chiefs appear to be all the way back and once again must be considered among the AFC's top contenders.

3. Detroit Lions (Last week: 2)

From 12:49 left in the second quarter, the Lions did not score again until the first minute of the fourth quarter. You just can't do that against the Chiefs and expect to win.

4. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 1)

It's not time for Bills fans to panic yet, but dropping two straight games to teams that have no business defeating the reigning MVP is concerning. They need to spend this bye week figuring out what has gone wrong; a loss to the Panthers in Week 8 would send them tumbling down these rankings.

5. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 7)

You would have liked to see the Rams put up more points against a short-handed Ravens defense, but they still won comfortably so it feels a bit like nitpicking. Good teams are allowed to have bad games, especially if they still win.

6. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 9)

I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Indianapolis Colts are legitimate contenders with Daniel Jones under center. If he keeps this up for a couple more weeks, they'll need to lock him into a contract extension pronto.

7. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 8)

The Chargers snapped their losing streak with a narrow win over Miami, so they get a small bump in the rankings, but I'm still not as confident about this team as I was going into Week 4.

8. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 4)

Are the Eagles in trouble? They've now dropped back-to-back games to opponents with huge question marks of their own and appear to be lost in an offensive identity crisis. Facing a fresh Vikings team led by a diabolical Brian Flores defense in Week 7 could only make things worse for the defending champs.

9. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 12)

Ugly wins are still wins, but it's hard to feel confident about the Packers after a four-week stretch of a brutal loss to the Browns, a frustrating tie with the Cowboys, a lingering bye week from which they seemed to emerge more banged up, and a win over the hapless Bengals that was much closer than the score shows.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 13)

This may be Aaron Rodgers' final NFL season and it's good to see him playing so well. Every football fan should be soaking up every minute of this farewell tour from arguably the most talented quarterback of all time. Yes, even you Bears fans, now that he's no longer a hated division rival.

11. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 6)

I hate to drop the 49ers this far, but with both Nick Bosa and Fred Warner lost to a season-ending injury, not to mention the plethora of other injury problems, I think the rest of the year will be downhill for this team.

12. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 14)

Credit to the Seahawks for pulling out a win despite not playing their best. They get the Texans next week which should allow them to carry back-to-back wins into their bye.

13. Chicago Bears (Last week: 18)

Chicago's thrilling 25-24 victory over the Washington Commanders was an instant classic. In back-to-back years, these two teams have given the NFL two of its most memorable moments of the seasons and they're each 1-1 in that time. We may have just witnessed the beginning of an epic rivalry that can span for the next 15 years, the way these quarterbacks are playing.

14. New England Patriots (Last week: 17)

How impressive is Drake Maye? He's playing out of his mind right now and it leads one to wonder whether he should have been drafted second overall ahead of Jayden Daniels, who is struggling this season.

15. Washington Commanders (Last week: 10)

The Commanders sit at 3-3 with a brutal four-game stretch ahead of them: they face the Cowboys next week, followed by Chiefs, Seahawks, and then the Lions. If they're not careful, Washington could soon find itself at 4-6 and far behind in the standings.

16. Denver Broncos (Last week: 11)

What do we make of the Broncos? They're 4-2, sure, but all but one of those wins came against bottom-feeders, including now the winless Jets. I'm not sure if they're a real contender or not, so they drop to the middle of the pack.

17. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 20)

An epic win over the Bills gives the Falcons a badly needed boost in these rankings. Michael Penix Jr. is playing well now and the Falcons have a favorable stretch of games ahead of them. If they keep this up, they could inch closer to the Top 10.

18. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 16)

The Vikings drop two spots in their bye week, thanks to impressive wins from other teams.

19. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 15)

I really do want Trevor Lawrence to be great, but at this point he is who he is: a mediocre starting quarterback who is slightly above-average at his best. This current iteration of the Jaguars has no future, a fact made more painful knowing that they don't even have their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

20. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 23)

The Panthers have shown legitimate growth over the last two weeks, but I'm not sure it's sustainable. Neither the Cowboys nor the Dolphins make for convincing wins. They get the 0-6 Jets next week in what should be an easy win, but two tough games after that against contenders.

21. Houston Texans (Last week: 21)

The Texans had a bye week, so they keep their spot.

22. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 19)

It is a darn shame what Matt Ebeflus is doing with the Cowboys defense. The offense is good enough to make them Super Bowl contenders, but the defense will likely keep them from even a Wild Card spot.

23. New York Giants (Last week: 28)

As I said in my Week 6 power rankings, I still don't know what to make of the Giants. They've gone from beating the Chargers, to losing to the previously winless Saints, to now dominating the defending champs. I want to put them higher than this, but can't justify it until they show some consistency.

24. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 22)

I wanted to drop the Ravens even further, but the fact is that they won't be this bad again with Lamar Jackson expected to return after their Week 7 bye.

25. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 24)

Adding Joe Flacco to the offense didn't seem to provide much of a spark. The defense kept the Bengals in this game for longer than most expected, but broke in the fourth quarter.

26. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 29)

A win over the floundering Titans won't give the Raiders much of a bump. This team is still lost.

27. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 25)

The Titans lose again, which means it's back to business as usual after their triumphant Week 5 comeback win. Brian Callahan is still on the hot seat.

28. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 26)

Myles Garrett shared some concerning thoughts to the media after Cleveland's fifth loss of the season, but no one is going to offer the superstar pass rusher any sympathy after he signed a record contract extension this offseason. He chose to stay in Cleveland for the long haul, so he needs to accept his role in the losses and become a part of the solution.

29. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 27)

The Saints are no longer at the very bottom of the NFL barrel, but they're close.

30. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 30)

While the Dolphins put up some fight against the Chargers, it's very clear that this roster and coaching staff are on borrowed time.

31. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 31)

There was a reason I kept the Cardinals at No. 21 in my Week 3 power rankings despite their 2-0 start. They've lost four straight since then and are on a crash-course with a full rebuild.