Chicago Bears tumble down ESPN's Week 9 NFL Power Rankings
The Chicago Bears were riding a four-game winning streak into Week 8's clash agains the Baltimore Ravens, but sloppy play and and underwhelming performance by the offense led to a 30-16 loss and swirling questions around QB Caleb Williams' development.
Indeed, Ben Johnson put some of those questions to rest when he said that Williams' Week 8 showing was his best in a few weeks, but the sour taste of defeat remained.
In fact, it's going to linger for a while.
Chicago's standing in NFL Power Rankings took a hit, too.
For example, ESPN's latest league power ranking dropped the Bears two spots, from No. 14 down to No. 16
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At least the World Wide Leader is still a believer in coach Ben Johnson.
"The Bears are a competent, well-coached football team under Johnson," ESPN's Courtney Cronin wrote. "The results aren't always there, as red zone efficiency and penalties continue to be a problem. But Chicago put together a four-game win streak, and it has buy-in that feels different than other seasons. Johnson has preached accountability, which he has demonstrated in his honest reflection on decisions and calls that didn't work. That's a breath of fresh air as the culture shifts inside Halas Hall."
Accountability will be a point of emphasis after Week 8, when Chicago was flagged 11 times.
"We've got to play a cleaner game, complement each other better," Johnson said on Mnday.. "We had good field position on offense a number of times and we simply didn't score enough points. We have to eliminate the penalties. We're shooting ourselves in the foot way too much and we've got to be more efficient in the red zone."
Now, it's up to the locker room to respond.
"We've talked about it with the players," Johnson said on Monday. "We'll certainly make sure that they understand. Especially now that we lost a game and penalties were a big culprit as to why we didn't have the success we wanted to, I think it really opens pandora's box up here where, 'Hey, all hands on deck here, we've got to get this thing fixed.' We've been harping on it as a coaching staff and when it results in a loss, I think it just magnifies the issue that was at hand."
What Aidan Hutchinson Said to J.J. McCarthy Ahead of Lions-Vikings Game Sunday
Key Points:
- Aidan Hutchinson sent a message to J.J. McCarthy
- The Lions and Vikings play at 1 p.m. Sunday
- Hutchinson appeared to make a prediction
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will link up at Ford Field this Sunday with both teams in need of a win to potentially gain ground on division leader Green Bay.
The Lions have enjoyed a strong season on defense behind star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson this season while the Vikings have fallen back to the pack amid the resurgence of the Chicago Bears and starting QB J.J. McCarthy's injury.
On Tuesday, McCarthy's former Michigan Wolverines teammate Hutchinson revealed what he said to the Vikings' returning starter along with a surprising pledge to avoid causing trouble in an unexpected way.
Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) waves at fans after 24-9 win over Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. © Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Hutchinson's Thoughts on Sunday, McCarthy Matchup
Hutchinson was asked about the mindset he will bring into Sunday's game against the Vikings QB.
"Yeah, it'll be exciting you know, we have a great relationship and I probably gotta shoot him a text this week at some point, letting him know, and, no, he's a great competitor, and, um, I'm looking forward to it," Hutchinson said.
"Yeah it's always weird, you know how some of the guys you play with just keep continuing to show up, and now me and J.J. will get our first matchup, if you want to call it that," Hutchinson said.
"But no, it's gonna be, it's gonna be fun, I'm sure we'll laugh a little bit out there, and um, yeah, it'll be great."
Hutchinson on Hitting Vikings QB
Hutchinson appeared to predict that he would hit the Vikings QB at some point when he was drafted based on a text message he sent him.
He also spoke about what he plans to do afterward.
"I think I texted him when we got drafted, telling him I'll roll off a bit at the end and not try to, you know," Hutchinson added, intimating that he wouldn't rub it in and cause further damage after a prospective hit against McCarthy.
"It's going to be fun and I'm hoping it's going to be a good one," Hutchinson added.
Dolphins Predicted to Replace Tua Tagovailoa With 1,772-Yard QB
The Miami Dolphins got a nice win in Week 8 against the
Some believe it all starts with quarterback play, and sometimes it’s tough to argue against. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hasn’t been good enough for the Dolphins for much of the year, despite having a decent game against the
Some believe that the Dolphins need to replace him, including PFN, who predicted that the Dolphins would select Dante Moore with the second overall pick. Moore is currently the quarterback at the University of Oregon.
“Dante Moore is a close second-place on my current 2026 NFL Draft board, but the 6’3″, 208-pound passer is in the QB1 mix, and for a Dolphins team likely nearing a QB reset, he presents a potential upgrade.
“At his size, with his easy arm talent, layering ability, underrated mobility, age-defying field vision, and composure in tight situations, Moore bears a striking similarity to C.J. Stroud,” Ian Cummings
Should the Dolphins Draft a Quarterback?
Moore would be a decent pick for the Miami Dolphins, as he’s proven a lot during his time at Oregon. While he struggled against Indiana, he’s still thrown for 1,772 yards, 19 touchdowns, and just four interceptions.
Things become troubling regarding what the Miami Dolphins could do with Tagovailoa in the future. Due to his contract, the Dolphins might be unable to get out of it anytime soon. The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen explained his contract situation, stating that it has to be paid out in guaranteed money in future seasons due to his deal.
“The Dolphins signed Tagovailoa to a four-year contract extension in July 2024 that runs through the 2028 season. It includes two void years for cap-accounting purposes in 2029 and 2030. Tagovailoa still has guaranteed money remaining on this extension, which makes moving on from the contract pretty debilitating for the Dolphins from a cap standpoint.
“All money paid to a player, including fully guaranteed money in future seasons, must hit the cap at some point. Any bonus money or future fully guaranteed money that has not yet hit the cap turns into dead money when a player is cut,” he
Is It Time to Move On From Tua Tagovailoa?
According to The Athletic, cutting him after the year for the Dolphins isn’t a solution, as they’d still be hit massively at the top.
“Cutting Tagovailoa outright after this season is not tenable. His extension included a $42 million signing bonus that was prorated — or divided evenly — over the first five years of the contract. For cap hit purposes, that came out to $8.4 million in prorated signing bonus for each season from 2024-2028.
“If the Dolphins cut Tagovailoa outright, the prorated signing bonus for 2026, 2027 and 2028 — a total of $25.2 million — will accelerate into dead money for the 2026 season.”
