One of the most pressing questions in the NFL world over the last month has been whether the Chicago Bears are contenders or pretenders. They entered Week 13 with an impressive 8-3 record, but barely beating out a collection of the league’s worst teams didn’t inspire confidence. After a triumphant Week 13 win over the defending champs, the Philadelphia Eagles, that question has been definitively answered.
The Bears put the NFL on notice with their fifth consecutive win, introducing themselves as legitimate contenders, and with that comes increased expectations. At the start of the 2025 NFL season, most fans and analysts would have called a nine-win season a success. Now the conversation has shifted to securing the division title, or even the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
All of the Top 5 teams from my Week 13 NFL power rankings lost over the weekend, which opened the door to a major shakeup. How high do the Bears land after taking down the defending champs? Let’s dive in.
1. Chicago Bears (Last week: 9)
Beating the Eagles in front of the entire world on Black Friday was exactly the kind of statement win that the Bears had been looking for all season, and now they hold the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture. It may be a short-lived stint, but for this week at least, the Bears deserve the top spot in these rankings.
2. Los Angeles Rams (Last week: 1)
I won’t drop the Rams too far, despite a bad loss to the Carolina Panthers. You can bet that Matt Stafford won’t turn the ball over three times in a game again this season, and the Rams will continue to be dangerous.
3. Seattle Seahawks (Last week: 7)
I know that the Minnesota Vikings started an undrafted rookie quarterback in place of J.J. McCarthy, who remained in concussion protocol, but that 26-0 shellacking was seriously impressive. I don’t think head coach Mike Macdonald is getting nearly enough praise for what he’s done with this team.
4. Green Bay Packers (Last week: 10)
A year after going 1-5 in the NFC North, the Packers have started 2025 undefeated in the division and have now swept the defending division champs, the Detroit Lions. They welcome the 9-3 Bears to Lambeau Field next week for a game that should decide who reigns supreme in the NFC North. That’s going to be appointment viewing for football fans everywhere.
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5. New England Patriots (Last week: 7)
A punt return touchdown in the first quarter of their Monday night game put the Patriots up 10-0 against the Giants, and they never looked back. This team just keeps winning as Drake Maye continues to add to his MVP case.
6. Denver Broncos (Last week: 11)
The Broncos eked out an overtime thriller over the hapless Commanders to improve to 10-2. I’ve been a doubter of this team all season, but I don’t think I can keep that up any longer. This team is legit.
7. Philadelphia Eagles (Last week: 6)
Would the real Eagles please stand up? At 8-4, they’re still a good team, but what’s their identity? Last year, it was running the ball and controlling the line of scrimmage, but that’s no longer the case. What’s going to propel them back to the Super Bowl?
8. Baltimore Ravens (Last week: 2)
I may have been a bit premature in declaring the Ravens to be back. Getting blown out at home by the Cincinnati Bengals was a terrible look. There are serious issues on offense as Lamar Jackson is struggling mightily. Is his injury still bothering him?
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9. Buffalo Bills (Last week: 12)
As the calendar turns to December, the Bills have to find some consistency if they want to be a serious contender. This Jekyll-and-Hyde act, suffering a humiliating loss one week just to absolutely dominate the next, is unsustainable.
10. Indianapolis Colts (Last week: 5)
The Colts were expected to make a Super Bowl push after trading the farm for All-Pro cornerback Ahmad Gardner, but after dropping a home game to the Houston Texans, they may not even win the division. It’s officially time to panic.
11. Dallas Cowboys (Last week: 13)
We’re all going to owe Jerry Jones a huge apology if the Cowboys keep winning. Defeating the Chiefs on Thanksgiving is an undeniable statement win, and at 6-5-1 on the season, Dallas is officially in the playoff mix.
12. Detroit Lions (Last week: 4)
Dan Campbell’s hyperaggressive, “always-go-on-fourth-down” shtick is wearing thin. They’ve failed to convert on each of their last seven fourth-down attempts, and it’s going to land him in the hot seat if the Lions keep losing as they did on Thanksgiving.
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13. Kansas City Chiefs (Last week: 3)
Just as it looked like the Chiefs might be turning a corner on the 2025 season, they go and lose another heartbreaker. At 6-6, there’s genuine concern now that the Chiefs may miss the playoffs entirely. Imagine hearing that sentence in the middle of 2023.
14. Houston Texans (Last week: 14)
The Texans are so close to rejoining the upper echelon of the NFL. If they can power past the Chiefs next week and make it five wins in a row, they’ll be back in the Top 10.
15. San Francisco 49ers (Last week: 15)
A win over the hapless Browns doesn’t inspire much confidence in this squad, especially not after trying to lose to Carolina the previous week. The 49ers have simply suffered too many major injuries for me to trust them.
16. Carolina Panthers (Last week: 17)
Every few weeks, the Panthers come out of nowhere to take down a juggernaut. Only gaining one spot after beating the mighty Rams may seem unfair, but I don’t trust this team to play consistently well.
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17. Los Angeles Chargers (Last week: 18)
No one’s going to throw the Chargers a parade for beating the Raiders. They have a long way to go to regain my confidence in them.
18. Jacksonville Jaguars (Last week: 19)
The Jaguars may have dominated the Titans, but as the great Shania Twain has said, that don’t impress me much.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Last week: 20)
They may be 7-5, but I can’t trust the Bucs anymore this season. Baker Mayfield is banged up and not playing well, and the rest of the team isn’t good enough to mask his deficiencies.
20. Pittsburgh Steelers (Last week: 16)
Is Mike Tomlin’s historic streak of non-losing seasons in peril? At 6-6 and with three games coming up against the Ravens and Lions, it sure seems to be.
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21. Miami Dolphins (Last week: 22)
That game against the New Orleans Saints got way too close for comfort. Miami won, but this team is still far from being a serious playoff contender.
22. Cincinnati Bengals (Last week: 26)
Credit to the Bengals for playing arguably their best game of the season, but you still can’t trust this defense in December or January.
23. New York Giants (Last week: 21)
All things considered, losses are probably preferable for the Giants at this point. They need to get the best pick possible for the 2026 NFL draft.
24. Atlanta Falcons (Last week: 23)
It’s clear by now that spending the 8th overall selection of the 2024 NFL draft on an older and injury-prone quarterback was a disaster for the Falcons. Drafting a Jared Verse may not have made them a contender this year, but they certainly would have beaten the Jets in 2025.
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25. Minnesota Vikings (Last week: 24)
There’s plenty of doom and gloom around the Vikings right now, but I don’t think it’s entirely warranted. They’re a good quarterback away from being a good team again. In 2026, they just need to have the guts to move on from J.J. McCarthy and start over at that position.
26. Arizona Cardinals (Last week: 25)
I really don’t know what the path forward for this team is. It may have to start with a clean sweep of the front office and coaching staff.
27. Washington Commanders (Last week: 29)
I liked the decision to go for two after their overtime touchdown, but it didn’t work out for the Commanders. They’ve lost seven straight now, dropping to 3-9 on the season, and will likely be eliminated from playoff contention next week.
28. New York Jets (Last week: 31)
Special teams once again came up big for the Jets, with an 83-yard kick return in the fourth quarter to set up a tying score, and Nick Folk later drilling the game-winner as time expired. It was a nice win, but the Jets still have a long way to go before they can be competitive.
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29. New Orleans Saints (Last week: 28)
The Saints very nearly led an insane comeback win that included an onside kick recovery, but after getting to 2nd-and-one, they failed three consecutive attempts to gain a yard. That’s a brutal way to lose, but a good experience for rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.
30. Tennessee Titans (Last week: 27)
It’s time to have a conversation about Cam Ward. It’s way too early to give a final verdict, but Ward is playing so far below an acceptable level that the Titans must strongly consider signing a veteran quarterback this offseason, both to mentor Ward and to serve as a bridge quarterback if they decide to end the Ward experiment sooner rather than later.
31. Cleveland Browns (Last week: 30)
The Browns have nearly half a dozen quarterbacks and none of them are their future.
32. Las Vegas Raiders (Last week: 32)
The Raiders are bad at everything and that’s all I care to say about this miserable team.
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