Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) on the bench with Chicago Bears wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) during the final minutes of their game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field, in Chicago, on Saturday, November 25, 2012. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune)
Here are the Week 13 power rankings from various sites around the web:
Analysis, “For better or for worse, their success is tied to Jay Cutler, and his return to action showed how valuable he is.”
Analysis, “For all of you people who dropped Michael Bush in fantasy weeks ago … me, too. In reality, the Chicago Bears are the walking wounded with health issues on both sides of the ball, starting with guard Lance Louis’ season-ending knee injury. Another Lance (Briggs) is in a walking boot. Meanwhile, everyone’s holding their breath on Matt Forte‘s ankle. Man, it feels like 2011 in Chicago.”
CBS Sports: #7 (Last week: #8)
Analysis, “They are such a different team when Jay Cutler is on the field from an attitude standpoint. He has to stay on the field.
Fox Sports: #7 (Last week: #8)
Analysis, “Jay Cutler made some eye-popping throws on Sunday, some that I don’t think any other quarterback in the NFL could make, or even attempt to make. That can be a really good thing at times or a really bad thing at other times.”
Pro Football Talk: #8 (Last week: #11)
Analysis, “The biggest difference between the 2012 Bears and the 1985 Bears is that, if six starters got hurt against the Super Bowl XX champions, they played for the other team.”
Pro Football Weekly: #7 (Last week: #7)
Analysis, “Loss of ORG Lance Louis a big one for an already maligned O-line.”
Analysis, “A rash of injuries has hit the Bears at an inopportune time. Aside from the fact that key players like Matt Forte, Lance Briggs and Charles Tillman all went down, Chicago suffered injuries on its already weak offensive line. Starting guards Lance Louis and Chris Spencer also left Sunday’s game. Jay Cutler probably will be under even more duress for the foreseeable future.”
Best ranking: ESPN: (#6)
Worst ranking: WEEI.com: #9
Thoughts on this week’s power rankings?
Jake Perper is the owner and head writer for Bearsbacker.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Bearsbacker and on Facebook for up to the minute news about the Bears.
