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NFL Power Rankings: Chicago Bears earn middle-of-the-pack spot for Week 1

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 12:20 PM ET

The Chicago Bears won the 2025 NFL offseason, but as Week 1 nears and their Monday night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings is right around the corner, the reality of what and who this team is right now has taken center stage.

And by center stage, I mean the Bears' slotting in most of the Week 1 power rankings.

Most of this weeks NFL Power Rankings, including our own, have the Bears rated as a middle-of-the-pack team, somewhere between No. 15 and No. 18. It's a theme that remained in Pro Football Talk's first iteration of their power rankings that were shared on social media:

Yes, it’s that time. Please let us know how wrong we are and why. pic.twitter.com/PtQ2ugTPba
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 2, 2025

In PFT's rankings, the Bears check in at No. 17, which is just outside the NFL's playoff field. Broken down even further, Chicago is ninth among NFC teams.

The really bad news for the Bears is how the rest of the NFC North is viewed on the eve of the regular season. Two of the NFL's top six teams, according to Pro Football Talk, reside in the North. The Green Bay Packers are No. 5, and the Detroit Lions are No. 6.

The Minnesota Vikings rank several spots ahead of the Bears, too, at No. 12.

A victory over the Vikings in Week 1 will push the Bears up Week 2's NFL power rankings, but it'll be a tall task for Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson in their first regular season game as a QB-coach combo.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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