Chicago Bears romp, move up in NFL power rankings

The Chicago Bears had everything clicking the right way on Sunday as they blew out the St. Louis Rams. Jay Cutler had the offense moving, and had a couple of big plays from Zach Miller and Jeremy Langford.

The Chicago Bears enjoyed a game that did not have everyone on pins and needles. They blew out the St. Louis Rams 37-13. Jay Cutler led the offensive explosion, throwing for three touchdowns and not throwing any interceptions.

Cutler started it early with his first completion, an 87-yard touchdown pass to Zach Miller. Miller, who caught the game-winning touchdown last week against the San Diego Chargers, later caught another touchdown.

Jeremy Langford, playing for the injured Matt Forte, showed that he could be his replacement should the Bears decide not to re-sign Forte at the end of the season. He ran for 73 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and he had seven catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Langford showed that he could use the same skill set that makes Forte so valuable. If he can continue to play like he has, we could see a new era next season, and the next great Chicago Bears running back.

After starting the season 0-3, the Bears have gone 4-2, and 3-1 on the road. After the debacle of last season, they are on their way back to contender status. They are not there yet, but are moving in the right direction.

Head coach John Fox reflected on Sunday’s game, undoubtedly the Bears’ best all-around effort of the season. “I think we probably clicked as well as we have all season long,” Fox said Monday, “in a short week, on the road, against an NFC opponent, which we hadn’t done yet. From that standpoint, it’s gratifying after the fact.”

With the Bears’ win, and with a lot of the middle range teams losing, the Bears took a big jump in this week’s NFL power rankings. Let’s take a look at how the teams stack up:

team. 47. The New York Giants seem to be <a href=. (9-0). Previous: 1st. New England patriots. 1

87. The Panthers did not look particularly good against the Titans, but still came out with another win. <a href=. (9-0). Previous: 3rd. carolina panthers. 2. team

3. team. 32. The Cardinals were expected to be in a defensive battle against the Seahawks. What happened was they got into a shootout. <a href=. (7-2). Previous: 4th. arizona cardinals

The Vikings have gone largely ignored so far, but all that will change. They are now leading the NFC North over the Green Bay Packers. <a href=. (7-2). Previous: 5th. minnesota vikings. 4. team. 60

cincinnati bengals. 5. team. 56. The Bengals were shocked by the Houston Texans on Monday night. They should not have, since they sleep-walked through the game, and when it was time to come through in the end, they could not do it. Perhaps they were looking ahead to next week’s battle against the Arizona Cardinals? . (8-1). Previous: 2nd

6. team. 55. The Steelers were supposed to be minus <a href=. (7-3). Previous: 8th. pittsburgh steelers

The Falcons had a bye in Week 10. They play the Indianapolis Colts in Week 11. . (6-3). Previous: 11th. atlanta falcons. 7. team. 44

8. team. 49. The Packers have now lost three games in a row. They find themselves looking up at the Vikings. The loss of <a href=. (6-3). Previous: 7th. green bay packers

team. 45. The Broncos lost their second consecutive game. <a href=. (7-1). Previous: 6th. denver broncos. 9

Previous: 15th. buffalo bills. 10. team. 16. The Bills looked bad trying to deal with injuries just before their bye. Since then, however, they beat the Dolphins and the Jets in consecutive weeks. They got healed up, and are now ready to make a playoff run. <span style=. (5-4)

Previous: 10th. new york jets. 11. team. 30. The Jets have now lost three of their last four games. Having <a href=. (5-4)

New York giants. 12. team. 31. The Giants did everything they could to beat the Patriots except scoring more points. <a href=. (5-5). Previous: 12th

The Seahawks may be suffering from the Super Bowl runner-up blues. They just cannot seem to string victories together, and their vaunted defense has had trouble making stops in key situations. They did a good job of coming from behind, but gave up two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to seal their fate. . (4-5). Previous: 9th. Seattle seahawks. 13. team. 36

team. 46. The Indianapolis Colts had a bye in Week 10. They play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. . (4-5). Previous: 16th. indianapolis colts. 14

miami dolphins. 15. team. 59. After losing their last two games, the Dolphins found themselves in a 16-3 hole early against the Eagles. They fought back and came away with a one-point victory. <a href=. (4-5). Previous: 18th

16. team. 57. The Bears are getting their groove. After starting the season 0-3, they have gone 4-2. Five of their last six games have been decided by a field goal or less. Jay Cutler had three touchdown passes and ZERO interceptions. There have not been any more Cutler jokes, and even Stephen A. Smith had to admit that Cutty is playing well. . (4-5). Previous: 21st. chicago bears

124. The Chiefs pulled off the upset against the Broncos. They intercepted Manning four times and held him to just five completions. The Chiefs found a way to put up 29 points on the best defense in the NFL. <a href=. (4-5). Previous: 20th. kansas city chiefs. 17. team

The Chicago Bears pretty much shut down <a href=. (4-5). Previous: 13th. st. louis rams. 18. team. 51

philadelphia eagles. 19. team. 54. The Eagles had an early 16-3 lead on the Dolphins, then proceeded to shoot themselves in the foot. They got a punt blocked, and they had key penalties that negated touchdowns. Then, after <a href=. (4-5). Previous: 14th

28. The good news is that the Raiders held Bridgewater in check. The bad news is that they forgot that Adrian Peterson is a pretty good running back. . (4-5). Previous: 17th. oakland raiders. 20. team

team. 48. This was perhaps the ugliest game of the week. <a href=. (4-5). Previous: 23rd. tampa bay buccaneers. 21

15. This is one bad defense in New Orleans. After having the worst defense in the history of the NFL a couple of years ago, they are trying to do it again, apparently. As a result of this bad showing, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was fired on Monday. . (4-6). Previous: 19th. new orleans saints. 23. team

13. The San Diego Chargers had a bye in Week 10. They face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11.. (2-7). Previous: 24th. san diego chargers. 24. team

Previous: 29th. houston texans. 25. team. 10. The Texans pulled off a big upset, ending the Bengals’ undefeated season. Something happened in the second half of their blowout loss in Miami. Since giving up all those points in the first half, they have not given up a touchdown in ten straight quarters. . (4-5)

123. The Cowboys’ losing streak now stands at seven. This is a dysfunctional group (surprise!). <a href=. (2-7). Previous: 22nd. dallas cowboys. 26. team

27. team. 42. The 49ers had a bye in Week 10. They face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. . (3-6). Previous: 27th. san francisco 49ers

jacksonville jaguars. 28. team. 52. The Jaguars thought their 13-game road losing streak was extended to 14, but <a href=. (3-6). Previous: 30th

The Ravens just cannot catch a break. <a href=. (2-7). Previous: 26th. baltimore ravens. 29. team. 26

team. 35. The only time the Titans showed any emotion was when some players were upset with Cam Newton’s touchdown dance. <a href=. (2-7). Previous: 28th. tennessee titans. 30

team. 50. The Lions finally got a win in Green Bay! They went 23 years without experiencing a victory in Lambeau Field. It was not pretty, but considering some of the stinkers they had there, this one smells awfully nice. . (2-7). Previous: 32nd. detroit lions. 31

53. The Browns are a mess right now. <a href=. (2-8). Previous: 31st. cleveland browns. 32. team

Home/Chicago Bears