After dominating both of last season’s Super Bowl teams in the previous two weeks, the Chicago Bears offense had a disaster of a performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with five turnovers, including four interceptions from quarterback Caleb Williams.
Still, they managed to escape with a 27-24 win thanks to their defense, which also had a pick-six, and a game-winning field goal from kicker Cairo Santos. Chicago now goes into their bye week 7-2 with a chance to be first in the NFC North if the Minnesota Vikings lose on Monday Night Football against the Buffalo Bills.
Here are some studs and duds from the Bears’ win against the Buccaneers, including cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who had a pick-six that helped flip momentum a little in Chicago’s
favor and was the difference in this game.
Stud: CB Jaylon Johnson
After being a dud in most of the Bears’ games this season, cornerback Jaylon Johnson finally had a good game. His pick-six offered a momentum swing and gave Chicago back a two-possession lead late in the third quarter. It was also his first interception of the season and he only had one pick last season since he was out most of the year due to injury. Maybe this will be the catalyst Johnson needed to get back on track and have a strong second half of the season after the bye week.
Dud: QB Caleb Williams
This may have been the worst game of Caleb Williams’ life. It certainly was his worst game in the NFL with four interceptions. In all fairness, the last one was not in his control as it was the result of a tipped ball. Still, once the second quarter started, it was all downhill for Williams in this game. At least he has the bye week to rest and get back to how he performed in the previous three games.
Stud: K Cairo Santos
Cairo Santos was not asked to do much against the Buccaneers, just two field goals and three extra points. However, the last field goal -- a 38-yarder -- was the game-winner and Santos had no problem getting it through the uprights. He is having a really good season for the Bears so far and he will hopefully continue that performance after the bye.
Dud: RB D’Andre Swift
Tampa Bay may have a great run defense, but I still expected more than 31 rushing yards out of D'Andre Swift. Chicago tried to run the ball, giving it to Swift 12 times, but he only averaged 2.6 yards per attempt for the second week in a row. Kyle Monangai should return after the bye week, returning Chicago’s backfield to full strength and allowing Swift to rebound in Week 11 against the New Orleans Saints.
Stud: LB Devin Bush
Devin Bush was all over the field for the Bears in this game. He led Chicago in tackles with nine, as well as having a tackle for loss and defending two passes. This may have been Bush’s best game as a member of the Chicago Bears and he continues to be their best free agent pickup from the offseason.
Dud: DE Austin Booker
Austin Booker had a sack in this game. But he is a dud because of his obvious face mask penalty on third down when he could have gotten a sack, forcing Tampa Bay to punt the ball. This is something Booker has had a problem with in the past and should have been corrected by now. I would imagine this is something Dennis Allen will address during the bye week.
Stud: RB Salvon Ahmed
Roschon Johnson was not doing much as Chicago’s backup running back with Monangai out. So, the Bears decided to give Salvon Ahmed a few rushing attempts and he actually played well with an average of five yards per carry. He was a good change of pace back and is also a cool comeback story since this was his first action in a regular season game since 2023. Ahmed probably will not get many more snaps for the Bears this season, but he made the most of his five carries in this game.
Dud: WR Zavion Thomas
Zavion Thomas' 94-yard kick return that was called back due to a hold was an amazing display of his speed. However, his 15-yard penalty in the second quarter is part of what led to Chicago’s downfall. The Bears were on their way to scoring their third touchdown of the night when Thomas was called for the blatant penalty. On the next play, Williams threw his first interception of the night. Williams’ interception is not his fault, but his penalty contributed to it.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Studs and duds from Bears’ 27-24 win against the Buccaneers
