Bears make big jump in ESPN's Week 7 NFL power rankings

But with Williams back under center and the Bears at 4-2, national expectations are rising again.

ESPN identifies Chicago's biggest offensive problem

This week's ESPN rankings added a wrinkle: Each team's NFL Nation reporter identified its biggest offensive concern.

For the Bears, ESPN's Courtney Cronin pointed to penalties.

"Quarterback Caleb Williams being back under center alleviates a lot of the issues the Bears struggled with in his absence, such as red zone execution, third-down efficiency and their downfield passing attack. One area that can stand to be cleaned up more is offensive penalties, which accounted for seven of the Bears' infractions Sunday. Those offensive penalties helped generate Chicago's most penalty yardage in a game since 2016 (133). The Bears are tied for the third-most offensive holding penalties (10). That's an area they'll want to fix so it doesn't derail drives."

Chicago committed 12 penalties in total against Atlanta, including seven on offense.

It's a very real concern, especially for an offense that was hitting on all cylinders with Williams back in the lineup.

Williams completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, helping Chicago build a 31-7 lead before Atlanta mounted a fourth-quarter comeback.

The Bears' offense has proven that it can run opposing teams out of a stadium. Imagine how much more productive it could be if it weren't consistently putting itself behind the chains with avoidable penalties.

Are the Bears becoming legitimate Super Bowl contenders?

ESPN's No. 9 ranking feels like a reasonable slotting for where Chicago stands entering Week 7.

The Bears have won four of their first six games, including two victories during Williams' absence. Sunday's performance reminded us what Johnson's offense looks like with its franchise quarterback healthy.

Still, the Bears have more to prove before they can be crowned one of the NFL's best teams.

The defense nearly allowed Atlanta to erase a 24-point deficit, while offensive penalties remain a recurring problem. Eventually, those issues will cost them games.

The Bears host the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football in a matchup between two 4-2 teams led by two of the top three picks in the 2024 NFL draft.

Finally, a Thursday night game worth watching.

A victory would push the Bears to 5-2 and provide another reason for national analysts to take Chicago seriously. For now, ESPN ranks the Bears among the NFL's 10 best teams, and that's a remarkable place to be after six games, especially given everything Chicago has already navigated this season.