Power Rankings: Bears making move for mountaintop

Updated Oct. 3

I was tempted. Really, really tempted.

I thought long and hard about moving the Bears into the top spot of the CBS SportsLine.com Power Rankings, taking over for the Indianapolis Colts. After Chicago's impressive destruction of the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, I was leaning that way.

Tommie Harris spearheads Chicago's powerhouse defense. (Getty Images)

The Bears, known for their defense, showed the rest of the NFL they can play offense, too. Rex Grossman was zipping passes to a good receiving group -- Bernard Berrian might be the most improved player in the league -- and the Bears hung 37 points on the Seahawks.

The defense did its part, too, making Matt Hasselbeck look jumpy in the pocket and forcing him to throw three interceptions.

That was impressive.

But after thinking on it for a couple of days, it wasn't good enough for the top spot. Part of the rationale is that knee-jerk decisions usually don't make a lot of sense in the end.

The Colts, who squeaked out a road victory over the New York Jets thanks to two Peyton Manning-led drives in the final minutes, remain in the top spot.

In keeping them there, two factors came into play. They won, and they won on the road. Winning road games, no matter who you play, is tough in the NFL. The Colts struggled and didn't look dominant, but they still found a way.

That's good enough to stay No. 1. Sure, the Bears looked better this week, but they were at home. And once the ambush started, it never stopped.

The Bears are clearly the class of the NFC after four weeks, a legitimate Super Bowl team at this point.

But the NFC is like the National League in baseball: a step below the other guys. Of the top five teams in our rankings, four are AFC teams. Of the three undefeated teams, two are AFC teams.

Don't you get the feeling that if you set a line on the Super Bowl right now the AFC would be a touchdown favorite, no matter who the representative?

Lovie Smith has himself a heck of a football team, one that should win 13 games based on the Bears' schedule and their division foes. That means the NFC playoffs are probably going to go through the chill of Chicago. That might be getting ahead of the action some, but it's always fun to speculate.

Maybe we can have a remake of the Super Bowl Shuffle, re-mix style.

Yeah, yeah, we know there's a lot of football to be played. But the Bears have really impressed -- just not quite enough to take over the top spot.

Not yet, anyway.

The rankings for Oct. 3:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Colts · Trends	1
	They won four games in November by a total of 10 points. They're not dominating, but they are winning.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	They get a major test next week when the Patriots come to town for a Monday night game. Is that the end of the unbeaten season?
	3	Vikings · Trends	3
	Brett Favre might be having his best season. Who said he would flop? Oh, me.
	4	Patriots · Trends	5
	They bounced back nicely against the Jets and have a two-game lead in the division, but the Saints will be a great barometer for where they are now.
	5	Cowboys · Trends	7
	They beat the Redskins, but they still looked off. They'll get it going Thursday against the Raiders.
	6	Bengals · Trends	4
	What was that in Oakland? That reminds us a little of why they're still the Bengals. They had no business losing that game.
	7	Chargers · Trends	9
	They are rolling again after a slow start. What else is new for this team? They are the class of the AFC West, just like we thought they'd be.
	8	Cardinals · Trends	10
	They played a decent road game against the Rams, even if they made it interesting in the end. The running game is getting cranked up, which is great for the playoff run.
	9	Eagles · Trends	11
	They snapped a two-game losing streak against the Bears to keep their playoff chances solid. This is the time when the Eagles usually get it going.
	10	Steelers · Trends	6
	They just haven't looked that good this season. Something is off. It might be wise to work on that kickoff coverage.
	11	Giants · Trends	12
	Eli Manning's big game saved their season against Atlanta. Now they face a tough road game at Denver on a short week.
	12	Broncos · Trends	8
	Was their start a fraud? It sure looks like it. They aren't playing well on either side of the ball, but especially on offense.
	13	Jaguars · Trends	16
	If the playoffs started today, they'd be in. Wow. They aren't winning pretty, but they're finding a way.
	14	Packers · Trends	17
	Losing Al Harris and Aaron Kampman for the season will impact that defense in a big way. It's good that the offense is playing better now to help offset it.
	15	Falcons · Trends	14
	They have three consecutive homes games to turn their season back around. The defense just gives up too many big plays.
	16	Dolphins · Trends	21
	Chad Henne is growing up. As he does, they will be better. The playoffs are still possible. But don't lose at Buffalo.
	17	Ravens · Trends	15
	They've been a disappointment so far. If they lose to the Steelers this week, they can say goodbye to the playoffs.
	18	Texans · Trends	13
	That loss at home to the Titans is a big hit to their playoff chances. They just never got it going on offense. Kris Brown choked two weeks in a row. Now the Colts come to town.
	19	Titans · Trends	22
	They are somehow still alive at 4-6. Winning four consecutive games after opening 0-6 is impressive. Vince Young is doing a nice job.
	20	Jets · Trends	18
	Mark Sanchez is playing like a rookie. But it doesn't mean he should sit down. He needs to grow and playing is the right way.
	21	Panthers · Trends	19
	They will likely have a new coach next season and that could mean the end for Jake Delhomme. He just isn't good enough.
	22	Bears · Trends	20
	Is Lovie Smith in trouble? He might be. Cutler sure hasn't lived up to the expectations. He needs help.
	23	49ers · Trends	23
	They can forget the playoffs now. The rest of the season is about finding out if Alex Smith is the long-term answer at quarterback.
	24	Bills · Trends	25
	Perry Fewell's first game showed a team that will still fight. And there was a Terrell Owens sighting. Amazing.
	25	Seahawks · Trends	24
	Count this team as one of the biggest flops of the season. But injuries have played a big part. Is Mike Holmgren coming to the rescue?
	26	Chiefs · Trends	26
	They're on a two-game winning streak. Beating the Steelers is a big step for this young team. The Chiefs are improving.
	27	Redskins · Trends	27
	The best thing to come out of the Cowboys loss is that Jason Campbell played better. They're still fighting.
	28	Raiders · Trends	28
	Say hello to the bench, JaMarcus Russell. Bruce Gradkowski is the guy the rest of the way.
	29	Lions · Trends	31
	Matt Stafford showed against the Browns that he was the right pick last April. They have their building block.
	30	Rams · Trends	29
	Do you feel sorry a little for Steven Jackson playing on this team? He's having a huge season. And now Marc Bulger is out? Ouch.
	31	Buccaneers · Trends	30
	Josh Freeman played like a rookie against the Saints, but he will have those days. It's hard to believe that's a Bucs defense we've been watching. It tells us why Jim Bates was fired.
	32	Browns · Trends	32
	The good news is Brady Quinn is looking better. The bad news is the defense regressed. They have a long way to go to being able to compete for a playoff spot.