Chicago Bears end losing streak, move up in NFL Power Rankings
The Chicago Bears finally ended their losing streak, and in the process moved up in this week’s NFL Power Rankings.
The Chicago Bears ended their three-game losing streak on Sunday by beating their former coach Lovie Smith and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The win was the Bears second in six games.
The Chicago Bears used a three-headed running attack to keep the Bucs’ offense on the bench. Matt Forte, Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey combined for 174 yards rushing. While Forte and Langford did most of the heavy load, Carey scored two one-yard touchdowns, one on the ground and another through the air.
The Chicago Bears showed some character in not mailing it in and tanking for a better draft pick. They played hard, as if there was something to play for, and there was — pride.
Pernell McPhee credited Willie Young with firing the team up and getting them to play hard on Saturday night.
"I think it all goes back to Willie Young giving that speech last night, and if you know Willie Young, he’s got character. It was a serious speech about us coming together and having each other’s back no matter what. We just all played ball, had fun, high-fiving, jumping around. It was a funny reality check. It was funny but it was a reality check. Having your brother’s back."
The Chicago Bears now stand at 6-9. Though the record is not good, they are officially better than last season’s team. They still have a ways to go before becoming contenders, but they are on the right road. This offseason could be one of the franchise’s biggest one in recent history.
With the win, the Chicago Bears also move up in this week’s NFL Power Rankings.
There were a few teams that took big steps by winning big games, while others hurt their playoff hopes by losing winnable games.
Let’s take a look at how this week’s rankings look:
Previous: 2nd. arizona cardinals. 1. team. 32. <strong><a href=. (13-2)
carolina panthers. 2. team. 87. The Panthers’ quest for an undefeated season came to an end with their loss to the Atlanta Falcons. <strong><a href=. (14-1). Previous: 1st
(12-3). Previous: 3rd. New England patriots. 3. team. 47. The Patriots had a chance to clinch home-field advantage AND knock out their division rivals, the Jets out of the playoff race, but did neither. Could that fateful coin toss really hurt their season?
124. Remember when the Chiefs were 1-5 and lost <strong><a href=. (10-5). Previous: 8th. kansas city chiefs. 4. team
team. 36. The Seahawks have some kind of problem when it comes to the St. Louis Rams. They are 1-5 against them in the past three seasons. Good thing they don’t have to worry about them in the playoffs.. (10-5). Previous: 6th. Seattle seahawks. 5
(10-5). Previous: 9th. new york jets. 6. team. 30. The Jets extended their winning streak to five by getting a huge win against the Patriots. In the process, they leapfrogged over the Steelers to take the final playoff spot.
The Broncos were in danger of not making it to the playoffs, but an overtime win over the Bengals gets them into the dance. We are seeing the beginning of the <strong><a href=. (11-4). Previous: 10th. denver broncos. 7. team. 45
The Bengals took the Broncos into overtime, but ultimately fell. They just don’t give you a reason to think they can make noise in the playoffs.. (11-4). Previous: 7th. cincinnati bengals. 8. team. 56
60. The Vikings put up 49 points against the New York Giants and are now in a position to win the NFC North if they beat the Packers next week. Can they overtake them and stop Green Bay’s reign in the North?. (10-5). Previous: 11th. minnesota vikings. 9. team
(10-5). Previous: 5th. green bay packers. 10. team. 49. The Packers had a chance to win the division and show how playoff-ready they are, but put up an egg against the Cardinals. The Packers’ offensive line has to improve for them to do anything in the playoffs.
10. After a 1-4 start and a hot seat for <strong><a href=. (8-7). Previous: 13th. houston texans. 12. team
55. The Steelers just had to win out and they would be in the playoffs. They had their high-powered offense going up against a Baltimore Ravens team that resembled a MASH unit. What happened was the Ravens came away with a huge upset, and the Steelers are now on the outside looking in. They need to win and the Jets to lose in order to get back in. <span style=. (9-6). Previous: 4th. pittsburgh steelers. 13. team
indianapolis colts. 14. team. 46. A lot had to happen for the Colts to remain alive in the AFC South, and most of it has happened. An overtime fumble lost by the Bengals keeps the Colts alive.. (7-8). Previous: 15th
15. team. 44. The Falcons pulled off the biggest upset in a day of upsets on Sunday, beating the Panthers and ending their perfect season. That is the highlight of their season, however, as they were eliminated from the playoffs. Things were looking so well for them when they were 5-0, weren’t they?. (8-7). Previous: 16th. atlanta falcons
Previous: 17th. st. louis rams. 16. team. 51. The Rams continued their dominance over the Seahawks by sweeping their season series once again. If only they could play the Seahawks every week.. (7-8)
28. The Raiders beat the Chargers in <strong><a href=. (7-8). Previous: 19th. oakland raiders. 17. team
detroit lions. 18. team. 50. After losing seven of their first eight games of the season, the Lions can incredibly find themselves out of the cellar if they can beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Great achievement if they can do it.. (6-9). Previous: 20th
(7-8). Previous: 21st. buffalo bills. 19. team. 16. The Bills had their second “bye week” by beating the Dallas Cowboys. Now Rex Ryan’s crew can hurt his former team, the Jets, by winning and eliminating them from the playoffs. You know Ryan wants that more than anything. <span style=
team. 57. The Chicago Bears finally bested their wins of last season on their fourth try. <strong><a href=. (6-9). Previous: 23rd. chicago bears. 20
(6-9). Previous: 14th. New York giants. 21. team. 31. The Giants were eliminated from the playoff run last week, and this week they played like a team that had nothing to play for. They gave up 49 points to the Vikings, and look like they are ready for their vacation.
<strong><a href=. (6-9). Previous: 25th. new orleans saints. 22. team. 15
54. The Eagles had a chance to win the division, but they could not keep up with Washington, and now Chip Kelly will have to go back to the drawing board. Are there any other stars on the roster he could trade?. (6-9). Previous: 18th. philadelphia eagles. 23. team
team. 48. The Bucs could not stop the Chicago Bears’ running attack and lost again. They, however, have no reason to drop their heads, as they tripled their win total from last year.. (6-9). Previous: 22nd. tampa bay buccaneers. 24
26. This has been a miserable season for Baltimore, but they put a serious dent in the Steelers’ playoff hopes, so that is a highlight for them.. (5-10). Previous: 27th. baltimore ravens. 25. team
(5-10). Previous: 24th. miami dolphins. 26. team. 59. The Dolphins are ready for the <strong><a href=
(5-10). Previous: 26th. jacksonville jaguars. 27. team. 52. The Jaguars played better than many thought. They had an outside chance of winning the division, but ultimately could not. A few more pieces and they can be contenders.
(4-11). Previous: 28th. san diego chargers. 28. team. 13. The Chargers took the Raiders to overtime before falling. Things will at least look better when they move to Los Angeles.
(4-11). Previous: 30th. san francisco 49ers. 29. team. 42. The 49ers will regret not hiring Adam Gase or Vic Fangio as their head coach. Jim Tomsula is on par with Dan Campbell, but ownership will be too proud to acknowledge it, and they will be at the bottom of this list for quite some time.
dallas cowboys. 30. team. 123. The Cowboys have had a forgettable season filled with injuries, but the end result may be good. When healthy, they are a good team, and with a top-five pick AND good health, they will probably be a good bet to win their division next season.. (4-11). Previous: 29th
The Browns are still playing for something this season. They are battling for the top spot in the draft. Will <strong><a href=. (3-12). Previous: 31st. cleveland browns. 31. team. 53
Previous: 32nd. tennessee titans. 32. team. 35. Jacksonville sure looks like they want to have the top pick in the draft. There is no life in their play and no interest in winning.. (3-12)