Bears got respect because they lead the league in points allowed, they earned that respect. Going into the season Sports Illustrated had the Bears ranked as the WORST team#32 in the NFL.
When Dallas played Seattle I kept hearing how Dallas was playing without Flozelle Adams and Julius Jones and how disadvantaged they were. Seattle had their #3 receiver at #1 spot because #'s 1and 2 were hurt. Their starting safety was gone as was their #2and 3 cornerbacks yet all I heard was how Seattle stole a win.
The Bronco's and the Seahawks have gotten almost no credit for their success this year. The Colts, the Pats, the Giants and the Bears all got bumped in their first games and those were the ones the media wanted to win. Thats just the way it is.