8. San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers being 9-4 despite all of the injuries they have dealt with is quite impressive. This team isn’t going to win the Super Bowl or anything, but getting into the playoffs feels like a guarantee at this point.
The Niners could also win the NFC West this year depending on how the rest of the season goes. San Fran has been missing players like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner for much of the season, and the overall roster talent is not what it used to be.
Former foundational players like Talanoa Hufanga and Dre Greenlaw left in free agency last year, and Brandon Aiyuk isn’t going to suit up for this team again.
Once this team gets a bit more talented, we could be talking about them once again being a Super Bowl contender, but that year won’t be in 2025.
7. Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears fell to the Green Bay Packers in Week 14, and the NFC North, for the time being, is now the Packers’ division. This was as good a loss as you could have though, if you’re the Bears, as Ben Johnson’s team is playing with house money a bit, and taking the Packers to the final seconds of the game is impressive.
The Bears might still be a year too early right now, but their being 9-4 despite the loss is a testament to how much they have done right this year, and the NFC North is still a division they can win. Chicago will now have a good bit of work to do to get there, but they do host the Packers at Soldier Field in a couple of weeks, so there could be a good time for revenge.
You would like to see Caleb Williams tighten some things up, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, and this team is good enough to take the division back and win a playoff game this year. Chicago is no. 7 in our power rankings.
Good for the Bears, as this has been a great season so far.