It was one of the ugliest Chicago Bears victories in recent memory. And yet, it was still a Bears victory. Cairo Santos hit a last-second 38-yard field goal to give Chicago the 27-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, improving their record to 7-2 in the process.
Caleb Williams threw a whopping four interceptions against Tampa Bay, which he confirmed is the most he’s ever thrown in a single game dating back to his youth football days. After a red-hot start to the game with a stellar
first quarter, he appeared to falter against a Buccaneers defense that has been one of the best in the NFL this season. Still, a pick-six by Jaylon Johnson and an overall strong defensive outing from the Bears gave them the win.
The Bears have their bye week coming up in Week 10, and it couldn’t have come at a better time after such a sloppy performance. Still, they found a way to win, and that says a lot about this team. Here are some of my takeaways’ from Chicago’s win on Sunday night.
Caleb reverts to his rookie self
The stat sheet isn’t kind to Caleb Williams this week. His four interceptions buried any opportunity at sustained drives that the Bears could have hoped for. Two of them came on passes that he tried to throw away but simply didn’t have enough distance behind, and a Buccaneers defender got under it and made the play. One was a forced through into a tight window, but one that was bobbled and ended up into the arms of a Tampa Bay defender. The first one was simply a missed read of a nearby safety in zone coverage.
I’m not as worried about some of the interceptions as I am what followed. Williams looked inaccurate and rattled on a handful of passes. He found the open man, but he simply put the ball in the wrong place to where the receiver couldn’t make the catch. He’s done a much better job of playing on time within Ben Johnson’s offense this year, but after the second or third interception, his progressions felt rushed. Caleb has been fantastic overall in 2026, but this was one to forget. The bye week will be beneficial for him to get his confidence back.
The resilience of Chicago’s defense
As much as it felt like the Bears’ offense kept finding new ways to let the Buccaneers back into the game, Tampa Bay’s offense also struggled throughout the course of the game. Some of that comes down to that team’s own offensive issues, but some of it comes down to the strong coaching of defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and the resilience of the defensive personnel.
Jaylon Johnson, who has struggled this year to the tune of the No. 105 overall grade among NFL cornerbacks in PFN CB Impact grading, came through in the clutch with a pick-six. Cam Lewis, who had to move from safety to the nickel after Kyler Gordon got hurt, had an interception of his own. Jeffery Simmons had another sack and made some incredible effort plays in pursuit. Austin Booker and Shemar Turner each had sacks, and Grady Jarrett split a sack with Daniel Hardy while also making multiple big plays along the defensive interior. The Bears’ defense stepped up when it mattered most.
Good teams still find a way to win
Make no mistake about it: this was a bad performance by this version of the Chicago Bears. Having seen what this team is capable of, this was an incredible disappointment. And yet, they still came out on top, extending their winning streak to four games. If your worst game is still a win, you’re doing something right.
Chicago now has the bye week to rest, recover from injuries, and regroup. This team fought hard in the face of adversity, and even after making boneheaded mistake after boneheaded mistake, these guys managed to pull it off in a primetime setting. Many inferior teams around the NFL would’ve collapsed when faced with the downturn of momentum the Bears faced on Sunday. This game served as a reality check that the job isn’t finished. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done. It’s too early to crown the Bears as a Super Bowl-caliber team, but it’s much better to get that wake-up call in Week 9 instead of in the postseason.
