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	Colts · Trends	1
	They didn't look great against the 49ers, but they found a way. That's what good teams do. It has to be good having Bob Sanders back again.
	2	Saints · Trends	2
	It was a little bit of a struggle against the Falcons, but the schedule is favorable the rest of the way, to say the least. Is an undefeated season possible?
	3	Vikings · Trends	4
	They have a real hold on the division after sweeping the Packers. They really are a balanced team and Brett Favre is coming off a big game. There, I said it. Aside from the Steelers game, he is playing well.
	4	Broncos · Trends	3
	After their first loss, here come the champions. The Pittsburgh Steelers will provide another stiff test for the Broncos. They need to throw it better. Period.
	5	Patriots · Trends	5
	They come off the bye with a chance to take a real hold of the division by beating Miami. You know they'll be ready for the Wildcat.
	6	Bengals · Trends	6
	At 5-2 after their bye, they get a rematch with the Ravens this week. They can throw it better now than when they beat them the first time, which should help.
	7	Steelers · Trends	7
	They can show they are back with a road victory at Denver. The bye week gives them a little edge heading into that one, although Denver will be angry coming off its first loss.
	8	Eagles · Trends	8
	We get Eagles-Cowboys this week for first place in the NFC East. That should be fun. The Eagles are rolling after that Oakland disaster two weeks ago.
	9	Cowboys · Trends	11
	Is it time to stop ripping on Tony Romo? He's playing some of his best football. The defense, which was a problem much of the season, is playing better.
	10	Ravens · Trends	14
	They had to beat Denver to save their season, but now they get a big one against the Bengals on the road. To have a real chance to win the division, they need that one.
	11	Cardinals · Trends	9
	Can anybody figure this team out? They play well on the road and stink it up at home. Good thing they're on the road this week.
	12	Giants · Trends	10
	They are an example of how fast things can go bad in the NFL. If that defense doesn't play better soon, they could be playoff-less.
	13	Texans · Trends	16
	The improvement of the defense to go with that passing game has really helped this team. They do have a lot of premium talent on the defensive side of the ball.
	14	Chargers · Trends	17
	They seemed to right things the past two weeks, but now must head east to play a desperate Giants team. That won't be easy.
	15	Falcons · Trends	12
	They played well at New Orleans, especially in the second half, and the schedule gets easier now. They are a good 4-3 team.
	16	Packers · Trends	13
	Boy that offensive line is bad. If they don't improve there, Aaron Rodgers doesn't stand a chance.
	17	Bears · Trends	19
	Nothing like the Cleveland Browns to provide the perfect potion for all that ails a team. Facing Arizona at home this week won't be as easy.
	18	Dolphins · Trends	22
	That wasn't pretty against the Jets, but they found a way. Now they have to go to New England, with a chance to get back into the race. Playing two consecutive road games is tough.
	19	Jets · Trends	15
	There is no way they should have lost to the Dolphins at home, but at 4-4 they have been way too inconsistent. How about some special-teams work this week?
	20	Jaguars · Trends	18
	They will be a .500 team at best. The defense isn't very good, so they will play a lot of high-scoring games. The good news is they have a winnable game against Kansas City this week.
	21	Panthers · Trends	24
	Was that a job saver for coach John Fox and a season saver last week in Arizona? It was a big win, but those two things are still to be decided.
	22	49ers · Trends	20
	Playing close isn't good enough. They have to start winning those kinds of games. It's hard when they're limited on offense.
	23	Bills · Trends	21
	The run defense is really bad and they don't have the offense to make up for it. Did you ever think they would long to get Trent Edwards back so much?
	24	Seahawks · Trends	23
	They've been a major disappointment in a lot of people's minds. But the injuries have crippled this team. It's a tough first year for Jim Mora Jr.
	25	Raiders · Trends	25
	At least they showed up and competed against the Chargers. It's more than they did the previous week. Wonder how Tom Cable's troubles will affect the team?
	26	Chiefs · Trends	26
	They come off their bye with the Larry Johnson saga hanging over their heads. Something they need more of: Better play from Matt Cassel.
	27	Redskins · Trends	27
	Did they fix things during the bye? Is Jim Zorn safe now that he made it through the week off? Can they turn it around? Doubtful.
	28	Rams · Trends	31
	They won. They won. They won. After 17 consecutive losses, they should celebrate. Steven Jackson is having a good year for a bad team.
	29	Titans · Trends	32
	The move to Vince Young paid off. Yeah, as long as Chris Johnson runs for 228, it paid off. They did show more life coming off their bye in winning for the first time.
	30	Lions · Trends	28
	Losing to the Rams drops them down a few spots. They are competing, which is a good sign for this young team.
	31	Browns · Trends	29
	Does this team need a bye or what? Do they really have to play out the season with that offense?
	32	Buccaneers · Trends	30
	The Josh Freeman Era begins, and it's the right thing to do. They have to get him going for the future. Why wait?