The Buccaneers fell short in a defensive-led comeback against the Chicago Bears
, losing 27-24 on a last-second field goal by Cairo Santos. After looking listless in the first quarter, the Bucs' defense settled in and gave Bears quarterback Caleb Williams one of his worst games in the NFL. Tampa Bay forced five total turnovers, including four Caleb Williams interceptions, setting the stage for a major comeback.However, the momentum never reached the Bucs offense, which never gained much traction despite favorable field position. Tampa Bay reached the end zone on just 40% of its red zone attempts and committed two turnovers. While the defense ultimately surrendered the game-winning field goal, the offense let the team down against Chicago.
Here
is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Bucs' Week 9 loss to the Bears:
The Good: the defense after the first two drives
The Bucs' defense started the game as badly as they possibly could have, allowing touchdowns on Chicago's first two drives. After that, they looked like the best defense in the NFL, allowing only two field goals for the rest of the game. They got into Caleb Williams' head and forced four interceptions, a career-high for the Bears quarterback. After completing 75% of his passes for 112 yards in his first two drives, Williams completed just 55% of his passes for 167 yards the rest of the game.
Unfortunately, the Bucs offense largely failed to capitalize on the opportunities the defense gave up. Baker Mayfield and the offense scored just three points off the interceptions, even throwing a pick-six after picking off Williams for a fourth time.
Even as the offense failed to capitalize on the numerous interceptions, the defense gave the offense one last shot to get even with Chicago. With under four minutes left, a rookie outside linebacker forced a Luther Burden III fumble on Chicago's 17-yard line. The Bucs tied the game 24-24 after that turnover with a Bucky Irving rush touchdown, but the defense finally gave way on the next drive. A coverage bust led to a long completion to Colston Loveland that put the Bears in field goal range, and they finished with a 38-yard field goal to win 27-24.
The Bad: the pass offense
Usually, when a team wins the turnover battle, victory follows. The Bucs offense, particularly its passing attack, tested this paradigm, languishing in futility for much of the game despite the defense forcing five takeaways and the specials teams blocking a punt.
The rush offense may not have had the same juggernaut quality from its last two efforts, but it was still potent. Bucky Irving ran for 97 yards on 20 attempts. He also scored the Bucs' only two touchdowns. Kenneth Gainwell was less successful, totaling just 16 yards on five attempts, but overall Tampa Bay leaned away from their strongest offensive component and rushed only 28 times against 32 pass attempts.
Baker Mayfield had his moments, particularly his 58-yard completion to Tez Johnson, but he was a major reason why the Bucs lost. Late in the third quarter, he threw a pick-six to Jaylon Johnson, which ultimately decided the game for Tampa Bay.
Mayfield was not alone in his struggles. The offensive line and tight ends had procedural issues all night, committing five false start penalties. The Bucs also had drop issues, with Tez Johnson dropping two potential third-down conversions and Ted Hurst dropping an easy second-quarter completion.
The pass offense was sloppy and unfocused, as it has been since Zac Robinson took over as offensive coordinator. While the rushing attack continues to yield dividends, the Bucs' season may be a wash if they cannot muster together a marginally functional passing offense.
The Ugly: Baker Mayfield's trajectory this season
The Bucs gave Baker Mayfield a $165 million contract before the season began and have done nothing to warrant such a massive payday. While the circumstances around him are far from perfect, he is being paid like one of the best players in the NFL. He has to lift the play of everyone around him
His two picks in Chicago looked like the interceptions undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels threw against the Packers and Steelers earlier this season. Like the loss to Cincinnati, Mayfield threw a pick-six that ultimately made the difference in a one-score game. With Zac Robinson failing to give him many easy levers to keep the offense moving, as Dave Canales and Liam Coen did, Mayfield is proving he lacks the individual ability to lead a winning offense.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: The good, the bad and the ugly from the Bucs' Week 9 loss to the Bears
