CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears (1-1) dropped four spots in ESPN’s NFL power rankings after losing to the Minnesota Vikings (2-0) at home in Week 2.
ESPN dropped the Bears from No. 7 to No. 11.
Chicago is one spot ahead of Minnesota and one spot behind the New England Patriots (1-1).
The Bears defeated the Carolina Panthers (1-1) in Week 1 by a final score of 59-37. Third-year QB Caleb Williams had 269 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 65 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
However, Chicago’s good vibes came to an end in Week 2.
Williams Has Hamstring Injury
Williams suffered a right hamstring injury against the Vikings and needed to be carted off to the locker room.
The USC product is considered “week-to-week,” per Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
The Bears lost to the Vikings by a final score of 9-3. Williams was injured in the fourth quarter at the 7:36 mark. He was replaced by Tyson Bagent.
“He’s right now working through every avenue that he’s got available to get back on track here,” Johnson said about Williams. “We’ll see what that looks like. Here’s what I know. This guy’s a little bit different than the average human being. I said that last night. I’ll double down on that. He gets back — he has in the past — a lot faster than what people can anticipate, and so I’m not putting a timeline on this. We’re going to say week-to-week. He’s going to attack this with everything that he knows.”
Williams was the first overall pick in the 2024 draft. The talented signal caller has 7,890 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 984 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns in 36 starts. He hasn’t missed a game in the NFL yet.
The Bears host the Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) in Week 3 on Monday Night Football. Not only could Chicago be without Williams, but Bagent may also be sidelined.
Bagent Has Concussion, Bears May Have To Start Keenum
Bagent is in the NFL’s concussion protocol, and he may not play against the Eagles, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
If Bagent can’t play, Case Keenum would start for the Bears. The veteran hasn’t appeared in a regular-season NFL game since 2023.
Keenum, 38, has 15,175 passing yards and 79 passing touchdowns in 80 NFL games.
Chicago beat Philadelphia last season on November 28 by a final score of 24-15. Williams had 154 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one interception in that game.
