Many fans are wondering what the outcome of the 2025 season will be for the Chicago Bears. They are better on paper, and their coaching staff looks significantly improved, but there have been plenty of summers where the vibes are high in Chicago, followed by fall weekends that were not as fun.
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports did a power ranking of the NFC teams, and while he has Chicago improving, they are still a middle-of-the-pack team. He has them listed in the tier ‘Wild Card Wilderness’, so you can guess how he views them.
Chicago Bears ranked ninth in NFC power rankings
The first tier is the Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, and Detroit Lions. They stand at the top as the title contenders. This is a problem for Chicago, considering two of the teams are in their division. That can also add to why they are still lower despite the strong offseason.
The second tier is the fringe contenders, which features the Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is where you can argue for the Bears to sit. However, both teams made the playoffs last year, and both have playoff wins in recent years as well. The Bears lack both, which is why they still sit in the middle.
Of the teams in tier three, the Bears are ranked third behind the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers. So, if you wanted to get very technical, they are rated as the ninth-best team in the NFC this season. Considering they ended last year as the 13th-best team in the NFC, this should be viewed as a win.
Still, Atlanta has some holes, and there is just as much projection, so you can easily argue for the Bears to be as high as seven. The Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, and Seattle Seahawks round out the tier, so you could also argue that if they slide just a smidge, they are ranked 12th, which is only a slight tick up.
It is ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints as the worst teams in the conference, though.
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Still, for too many years we have seen Chicago start higher in the power rankings than they finish. This year is about finishing higher than ninth.