Stephen A. Smith puts Bears in elite company with bold NFL ranking

After making the case for Kansas City, including Mahomes' championship résumé and the Chiefs' balanced offense, Smith turned to his league-wide hierarchy.

"But right now, Kansas City, San Francisco, Minnesota, Jacksonville and the Chicago Bears are the top five teams in the National Football League."

Chicago improved to 3-1 with Sunday's 23-12 win over the New York Jets, its second consecutive victory since Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2.

And the Bears haven't just hung on while Iceman has been out. Chicago beat Philadelphia 27-7 with Case Keenum at quarterback before overwhelming the Jets statistically in Week 4. The Bears outgained New York 492-157, produced 34 first downs to the Jets' seven and possessed the ball for nearly 43 minutes.

Now Smith believes that body of work is enough to place Chicago among the NFL's five best teams.

NFC North takes center stage in Week 5

Minnesota, the only team to beat Chicago this season, is also in Smith's top five and leads the NFC North at 4-0. The Bears are next at 3-1, while neither the 2-2 Packers nor 2-2 Lions made Smith's group.

Sunday's trip to Lambeau Field will provide another measuring stick for the Chicago Bears, especially with Tyson Bagent starting in place of Williams.

But four weeks into the season, the Bears have apparently done enough to change how they're being viewed nationally. They aren't being discussed merely as a playoff contender anymore. At least according to Stephen A. Smith, they're already one of the NFL's five best teams.