The Chicago Bears return to Soldier Field to cap off a hat trick of primetime games. They’re hoping to finish the three-game stretch at 3-0 as they head into their bye week, but a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad stands in the way.
Chicago is riding high after back-to-back wins over last season’s Super Bowl participants, but the Bucs should not be overlooked.
Will the Bears fall victim to a trap spot or will Ben Johnson continue to keep the team focused and not let them buy into the hype the media
has built up around them?
For Tampa Bay, it’s a chance to shake off their 0-4 start and prove their improvements over the last month weren’t a fluke.
The Bucs come in having won three of their last four games and the only loss came in overtime.
Their defense ranks first in the league. However, the offense has been clunky. Over the last two weeks, they’ve won resoundingly with virtually no passing game (in last week’s 16-0 win, no “virtually” modifier was needed).
Dive into the Bucs and what it will take for the Bears to remain on a winning streak.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
SB Nation site: Bucs Nation
Record: 3-5, second in the NFC South
Last week: 16-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons
Game day, time, TV: Sunday, 7:20 p.m. CT, NBC Sunday Night Football
Spread: Bears -6.5
Bears all-time record against: 40-22
Historical meetings: Week 10 of the 2001 season.
The Bears defense held the Bucs’ offense in check in the first half, allowing only three Tampa field goals.
Jim Miller and Marty Booker had their connection going though. They connected for three touchdowns –28-, 44- and 66-yards.
A late comeback by the Bucs gave the Bears a scare. Brad Johnson rushed for a 1-yard score and hit Mike Alstott for a 2-point conversion with 2:29 left in the game.
Chicago ended up punting back to Tampa but Johnson was picked off by Tony Parrish.
Anthony Thomas fumbled, giving the Bucs new life. Johnson hit Warrick Dunn along the sideline but R.W. McQuarters was flagged for unnecessary roughness, giving them another 15 yards.
That allowed Tampa to attempt a 48-yard field goal, but they missed it as time expired.
The Bears won 27-24.
Last meeting: Week 2 of 2023. The Bears offense had its moments, but the defense was shredded.
Mike Evans had 171 yards and a touchdown, while Baker Mayfield threw for 317 yards.
Justin Fields threw for 211 yards and rushed for a TD. However, he threw two interceptions. DJ Moore had 104 receiving yards. Chase Claypool also had a touchdown.
A late pick-six by Shaquil Barrett off Fields sealed a 27-17 Bucs win.
Injury report: The Bucs listed five players on their injury report.
Limited participation
- RB Kenny Gainwell (hip)
- S Tykee Smith (ankle)
Did not participate
- OLB Yaya Diably (knee)
- WR Emeka Egbuka (foot)
- DL Elijah Roberts (personal)
Offense: The Buccaneers come into Chicago ranked 20th in points and 25th in yards.
Their passing offense ranks 29th, while their rushing offense ranks first.
Quite the disparity, but the numbers are backed by the past two weeks when they’ve passed for a total of 62 yards.
Baker Mayfield (61.8 pct cmp./679 yds./3 TD/2 INT) missed three games with a thumb injury that he’s now playing through. However, he has done minimal passing since returning and Tampa’s numbers reflect that.
Emeka Egbuka (28 rec./240 yds./2 TD) is the leading receiver for the Bucs, but he’s been injured. Chris Godwin (27/243/0), Cade Otton (19/186/0) and the running backs Bucky Irbing (18/78/1) and Kenneth Gainwell (12/61/1) are the other receiving leaders for Tampa. Tez Johnson (9/178/1) and Ted Hurst (11/168/1) have also caught some passes.
On the ground, however, Irving (148 att./728 yds./5 TD) and Gainwell (58/289/0) are getting the production for the Bucs. They’re each averaging 5.0 yards per carry. In fact, every Tampa player with a rushing attempt is averaging at least 5 yards per carry.
Defense: Tampa’s defense comes in ranked fifth in points and third in yards allowed.
They rank eighth in passing defense and second in rushing defense.
The dominant unit is led by LBs Josiah Trotter (68 tkls/1 INT/3 PD/1 sk/3 TFL/1 QB hits) and Alex Anzalone (42 tkls/3 INT/1 sk/2 TFL/1 QB hits/3 PD). S Tykee Smith (1 INT/43 tkls/3 TFL/4 QB hits/2 PD) is also making plays all over.
Up front, OLBs David Walker (4 sk/6 TFL/6 QB hits), YaYa Diaby (3 sk/6 TFL/6 QB hits/2 PD/1 INT) and Al-Quadin Muhammad (2 sk/1 FF/1 PD/4 QB hits/2 TFL) are getting after opposing QBs. Veteran A’Shawn Robinson (1 sk/2 INT/3 PD/1 TFL/2 QB hits) is playing well.
In the secondary, Jacob Parrish (2 INT/13 PD/3 TFL) leads the league in pass breakups. Zyon McCollum (30 tkls/2 INT/9 PD/1 TFL) and Keionte Scott (39 tkls/4 PD/1 sk/1 QB hit) are making plays, too.
Key matchups: It’s a classic battle of the trenches. The Bears OL needs to best Tampa’s DL to establish the run and allow Caleb Williams to use play action to take downfield shots. Keeping Williams clean will allow the offense to be at its best.
On defense, the Bears need to slow Irving and Gainwell down and not allow them to chew up the clock and get easy yards. Forcing Baker into passing situations and play from behind benefits the Bears.
Key stats
- The Bucs have allowed more than 300 yards of offense only three times this year. They beat the Cowboys 24-16 but lost to the Cincinnati Bengals (33-27) and Pittsburgh Steelers (26-19 in OT).
- The Bears have had less than 300 yards of offense in their two losses.
- Baker Mayfield has 14 pass attempts and 64 passing yards in the past two games. He’s completed only half of his attempts.
- The Bucs defense is tied for the best DADOT at 6.6. Their pressure percentage is fifth-worst at 19.3 percent, despite having the seventh-highest blitz percentage at 33.6 percent.
- Tampa’s pass defense is really good. Opposing QBs have a 74.9 rating against them and just 205.9 yards per game.
Can the Bears finish off their trifecta of primetime games against top defenses undefeated? Is this a trap spot for Chicago?
