National Media Disparity

[adam]

As we know, the national media or even our local media have not been very high on this team. Some preseason predictions had us winning 3-8 games, which we have already exceeded some of those predictions by Week 5. However, there is something else going on. The media pointed to a weak schedule for our record but have not used the same reasoning for teams that are very similar to us through this week. Check out these teams and how much different they are rated than us in power rankings.

1. First we have BUF. They are top 5 in most rankings. On NFL.com they are #4. Here is their breakdown:

BUF 4-0 (beat NYJ, MIA, LAR, LV = 6 combined wins), 2 wins by 3 or less, allowed 23 or more in 3 games. 25th SoS. The best team they beat was LAR, who is also on this list, and only beat them by 3. They have the 25th SoS to this point, yet are rated 18 spots higher than the Bears. 

2. This one is crazy. Pittsburgh is also rated in the top 8 in most power rankings, and are #5 on NFL.com. Here is their breakdown:

PIT 3-0 (beat NYG, DEN, HOU = 1 combined win), allowed 16 or more in every game, 21 or more in 2 games. 32nd SoS. The EASIEST schedule so far, one combined win from their opponents and they have allowed multiple TDs in every game, yet they are 17 slots higher than the Bears? Seriously.

3. Another one very similar to PIT is TEN. They are also in the top 8 in most rankings and #7 on NFL.COM. Their breakdown:

TEN 3-0 (beat DEN, JAX, MIN = 3 combined wins), all wins by 3 or less, allowed 30 or more in 2 games. 29th SoS. Who have they beat? A 6 point differential on 3 wins and no losses means they are barely winning. All wins by 3 or less, but they are ranked 15 slots higher than the Bears, half of the league higher, but why? What have they done better than the Bears?

4. This one might be the most legit one with LAR coming in at #9. Their breakdown:

LAR 3-1 (beat DAL, PHI, NYG = 2 combined wins), lost to BUF 35-32. 23rd SoS. They still have played a relatively easy schedule and have only beaten teams with a combined 2 wins. Does that garner a top 10 ranking and 12 slots higher than the Bears?

5. The media darling Browns. Everyone loves Mayfield, even though he is still middle to the bottom half of the league (182 yds/g, 6.3 Y/A). The Browns come in at #13 at NFL.com. Their breakdown:

CLE 3-1 (beat CIN, WAS, DAL = 3 combined wins), allowed 20 or more in every game, over 30 in 3 games, lost to BAL 38-6. 21st SoS. They have a -2 in points differential at 3-1. Come on man. They barely beat CIN, beat a Chase Young-less Washington team that had Haskins still starting (3 INTs, 3 sacks), and won a shootout in DAL where neither team played defense. DAL actually cut the lead to 41-38 with 4 to play. So that game was a lot closer than the score looked. CLE is ranked 9 slots higher than the Bears.

 

So here are the Bears, in the bottom 12 in most power rankings, and even before the TB game were still comparable to these teams above in terms of performance and record.

#22 - CHI 4-1 (beat TB, ATL, NYG, DET = 4 combined wins), lost to IND 19-11. 28th SoS-before TB game.

 

So I can understand rating the Bears that low, but why are other teams not held to the same standard? It is clear that both PIT, TEN, and to an extent CLE are all in the same boat. Then you have to consider BUF and LAR because they really only played each other. 

One other thing I noticed, none of these teams have played SEA, GB, or KC yet. The best teams faced outside of this group have been BAL, IND, and TB. The Bears have played two of them and are 1-1.