Power Rankings: Bears shufflin' after offing Buffalo

Updated Oct. 10

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, including my own.

In the past, it's been a rule of sorts when compiling the CBS SportsLine.com Power Rankings to not move a team that wins out of the top spot, even if it didn't look good in doing so. After all, a victory is a victory.

This week, I'm breaking the rule.

Coach Lovie Smith has himself quite a juggernaut so far in Chicago. (Getty Images)

A week ago, I was tempted to move the Chicago Bears into the lead, but opted to keep the Indianapolis Colts there after their razor-thin victory over the Jets.

Not this week. Not after what happened Sunday.

The Bears are the best team in the NFL right now. They have to move into the top spot. So even though the Colts are 5-0, it's the 5-0 Bears who ascend to No. 1 this week.

How can they not be there?

The Bears have outscored their opponents 156-36. They have four victories of more than 25 points.

That's domination.

The Colts, on the other hand, have struggled to win each of the past three weeks. In all three games, victories over the Jaguars, Jets and Titans, they had to come from behind in the second half.

Last time I checked, the Jets and Titans aren't going to be in the playoff mix come December. The Titans led the Colts for nearly the entire game Sunday before losing 14-13.

The Bears blew out the Buffalo Bills, winning 40-7. It was the first time a Bears team scored 40 or more points since 1993. Wow.

That's why a shakeup at the top was needed. The Colts have been unable to really get the offense untracked, the defense is getting gashed by the run and there is no real feeling that they are nearly as good as the team that opened 13-0 last season.

By contrast, the Bears are better than the team that won the NFC North last season, only to lose in the divisional round of the playoffs to the Carolina Panthers.

Quarterback Rex Grossman has 10 touchdown passes, wide receiver Bernard Berrian is developing into a big-play receiver and the defense is better because the secondary is improved with the addition of nickel corner Ricky Manning. Against the Bills, they played without starting defensive tackle Ian Scott and starting defensive end Adewale Ogunleye and still shut down the Bills.

Rookie defensive end Mark Anderson, a fifth-round pick out of Alabama, had two sacks in place of Ogunleye and now has 5½ on the year. Can everyone in the building rush the passer? Does the trainer have speed-rush ability?

There's already talk comparing this Bears team to the 1985 squad that won the Super Bowl. That Bears team had arguably the best defense of all time. This team's defense is good, but not quite that good.

This team, though, has an offense that can score. Grossman's 10 touchdown passes are only five fewer than Jim McMahon threw in all of 1985. Sure, the game has changed to a more wide-open style that favors the pass, but right now this team is passing it better.

There is no Walter Payton in the backfield, but the combo of Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson isn't bad.

Is it time to get in the studio and make the 2006 Super Bowl Shuffle, only an edgier version to keep up with today's hip-hop culture?

We are the Bears Shufflin' Crew,
Blowin' through the first five weeks like nobody knew.
We are the Bears Shufflin' Crew,
Breakin' rules by playing the way we do.
We are the Bears Shufflin' Crew,
Move over Colts -- we're No. 1 and not you

OK, so it's not 50 Cent. Or Eminem. Or even Vanilla Ice, for that matter. But you get the idea.

The Bears are the best team.

The rankings for Oct. 10:

Power Rankings
Current		Team	Previous
	1	Patriots · Trends	11
	They get Tom Brady back. They have the deepest team in the league. Oh, and they have the best coach. Add it up, and it's no wonder they are Super favorites.
	2	Steelers · Trends	1
	The champions are loaded again and will be in the thick of it come playoff time. They didn't do much to improve their offensive line, though, which has to be a concern.
	3	Colts · Trends	7
	Peyton Manning is back healthy again, so they are a real contender again. The addition of Donald Brown to the running game will give it more explosiveness. The key will be the return to health of major defensive players.
	4	Cardinals · Trends	2
	They've done some nice things in the offseason, including adding corner Bryant McFadden and drafting Beanie Wells to carry the football. They will be a playoff team again and maybe they'll finish in Miami.
	5	Eagles · Trends	4
	They've had a wonderful offseason, adding key players like tackles Jason Peters and Stacey Andrews and loading up in the draft with speed and quickness. They will be tough to stop on offense.
	6	Giants · Trends	5
	They fortified the defense with some key free agents and added a speed receiver in Hakeem Nicks to the passing game. Tom Coughlin will have this team in the playoffs again.
	7	Titans · Trends	6
	They haven't done a lot, and losing Albert Haynesworth will hurt. The other thing is their division is tough. They also have to get more big plays from their passing game.
	8	Ravens · Trends	3
	Joe Flacco will be better in his second season as a starter and that defense will once again be among the best. They do have to take their passing game up a notch.
	9	Falcons · Trends	9
	It's all about the defense for the Falcons. Adding Tony Gonzalez makes the offense complete and the draft was loaded with defensive picks to help the other side. They aren't going away.
	10	Saints · Trends	19
	This is another team that has improved its defense in the past four months in terms of talent. Now new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has to bring it all together.
	11	Chargers · Trends	10
	This is still a deep, talented team. If Philip Rivers continues to develop, the Chargers will easily be the class of the AFC West.
	12	Texans · Trends	17
	The Texans have a lot of important pieces in place. As long as Matt Schaub can stay healthy, they might be ready to make a real playoff push.
	13	Panthers · Trends	8
	They will be the same team: Run heavy and play tough defense. Is that enough? Jake Delhomme has to play better.
	14	Bears · Trends	18
	Getting Jay Cutler is the steal of the offseason. He makes them a real playoff threat. Yes, I do believe that.
	15	Cowboys · Trends	14
	They have talent, but something just seems to be off. I don't think they're as good as the Eagles or Giants in their own division, which is why they are down this low.
	16	Bengals · Trends	24
	Getting Palmer back makes them dangerous and the defense will be better around him. I like the Bengals as a sleeper team. I really do.
	17	Vikings · Trends	13
	Quarterback. It's all about the quarterback. Whether it's Sage Rosenfels or Tarvaris Jackson, that position has to be better. Words of advice: Stay away from that guy named Favre.
	18	Packers · Trends	23
	The move to a 3-4 under new coordinator Dom Capers will be one to watch closely. If that side of the ball plays better, Aaron Rodgers might get them to a playoff game.
	19	Bills · Trends	22
	Can Terrell Owens make them a playoff team? That might be stretching it, but they will be better on offense.
	20	Seahawks · Trends	28
	New coach Jim Mora takes over a veteran team that was hurt by injuries last season. They need to keep Matt Hasselbeck healthy. If they do, they will push the Cardinals.
	21	Jets · Trends	16
	How long does it take to get Mark Sanchez ready? If he's what they think he is, they will be better than expected. If not, it's a redshirt season and they will win six games.
	22	Buccaneers · Trends	15
	Who plays quarterback? Whoever it is has to be better than what they had last season. There are also some age concerns on defense. New coach Raheem Morris faces a challenging first season.
	23	Redskins · Trends	25
	They're the fourth team in a four-team division. That will make it tough to win eight games.
	24	Jaguars · Trends	26
	They've made some nice moves to fix the offensive line, and now it's time for the offense to do more. The defense also needs young players to step up, especially end Derrick Harvey.
	25	Broncos · Trends	20
	They're excited about Kyle Orton. I'm not. I think he's OK. They better hope the defense plays better than a year ago or it won't matter who quarterbacks the Broncos. I do like Knowshon Moreno.
	26	Dolphins · Trends	12
	They are the step-back team this season. But in 2010, look out. I think Chad Henne will take over at some time this season.
	27	49ers · Trends	21
	It's all quarterback with the 49ers. Can Shaun Hill or Alex Smith get the job done? If not, they'll stay down here all year long.
	28	Raiders · Trends	27
	It's all about JaMarcus Russell. If he plays an entire season to the level of expectations, the Raiders will be better. I think he can. But they have other issues.
	29	Chiefs · Trends	29
	They landed their quarterback in Matt Cassel and have added a few players to help, but new coach Todd Haley faces a big task in getting this offense to play like his Arizona unit did.
	30	Browns · Trends	30
	New coach Eric Mangini will build this team the way he wants it. But one has to wonder if that's a good thing considering his Jets history.
	31	Rams · Trends	31
	The Rams were a disaster last year. New coach Steve Spagnuolo has a lot of work to do. They're at least a year away.
	32	Lions · Trends	32
	They have their franchise quarterback to build around, and Jim Schwartz will do a good job, but there's a lot of work still to be done.