The Chicago Bears (6-2) are gearing up for a Week 9 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) on Sunday Night Football, where Chicago is looking to improve to 7-2 as they kick off the final of three straight prime-time games.
The Bears are coming off a 34-17 statement win over the Seattle Seahawks, where Chicago's offense out-dueled the league's best defense in the Seahawks, becoming the first team to pass for 200 yards (247), the first team to score three rushing touchdowns (all D'Andre Swift) and they scored the most points (34) against the Seahawks this season. Meanwhile, Chicago's defense was rejuvenated with the addition of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, whose presence opened things up for the rest of the defense, which totaled
three sacks and intercepted Sam Darnold in the fourth quarter.
Can Chicago win their third straight in prime time and head into their bye with a 7-2 record? Our Bears Wire staff shares their game predictions for Bears-Bucs in Week 9:
Alyssa Barbieri (5-3): Bears 31, Bucs 16
Bold prediction: Bears hold Bucs under 120 rushing yards
After back-to-back wins against last year's Super Bowl participants, the Bears will conclude their three-game stretch in prime time against their easiest opponent, the Buccaneers. But this isn't a game that Chicago should take lightly, even if Tampa Bay managed to pull off a 16-0 win with Baker Mayfield not completing a single pass. I'll stop just short of calling this a trap game, but the Bears need to approach this Sunday night showdown the same they did against the Patriots and Seahawks.
Chicago's offense just lit up arguably the best defense in the NFL against Seattle with 34 points and three rushing touchdowns, as Caleb Williams became the first quarterback this season to throw for 200+ yards. Now, the Bears offense faces another challenge in a Bucs defense that ranks top-10 in both passing and run defense, so this is a game where Ben Johnson will have to be at his best. Dominating the trenches, controlling the time of possession, limiting the mistakes and taking what the defense gives them will be key in besting this team, and the offense has shown that they can beat you in a multitude of ways. Whether it's relying on the run, opening things up with Caleb or dinking and dunking down the field, Chicago's offense will be the difference maker in this one.
Meanwhile, Sunday night will serve as Jeffery Simmons' official Soldier Field debut, and the stadium is sure to be rocking in prime time. Last week, we saw the immediate impact that Simmons had on the defense. Outside of his production -- including his first sack with Chicago -- he opened up opportunities for his teammates, most notably Montez Sweat and Grady Jarrett. The weakness of this Bears defense remains the pass defense -- which should see a boost with the return of rookie Malik Muhammad. Luckily, the Bucs' strength is the run game, and they'll no doubt look to get that going against Chicago's ninth-best run defense. If the Bears can shut down the duo of Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell, it will put the pressure on Baker Mayfield, who went 0-for-3 passing last week against the Panthers.
I'm expecting this game to be close in the first half before the Bears pull away in the second half, where the offense will control the clock and find a rhythm while Simmons and the defense makes things difficult on Mayfield and this Bucs offense. Assuming Chicago takes care of business, it will be their fourth straight win since Caleb Williams' return and they'll head into the bye week sitting at 7-2 (and perhaps, by week's end, sitting atop the NFC North).
Brendan Sugrue (5-3): Bears 26, Buccaneers 13
Bold prediction: Bears get a defensive touchdown
We’ve reached the midway point of the NFL season, and the Chicago Bears are arguably the top team in the league. This doesn’t feel real. The Bears are winners of three straight games and have the opportunity to further their legitimacy with a victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football.
It’s extremely hard to poke holes in the Bears' gameplan these days. Their offense is humming as Caleb Williams enters elite quarterback territory and D’Andre Swift eyes the franchise single-season touchdown record. The Buccaneers have a very solid defense that can get after opposing quarterbacks, but after the Bears dispatched the Seahawks “Dark Side” on the road, it’s hard to believe they will regress at home against this group. As long as Swift can stay together in one piece, they will be just fine.
And the Bears defense took a big step forward with Jeffery Simmons in the lineup. He has proven to be a legitimate difference maker and will get his first taste of playing in front of a raucous crowd at Soldier Field as a Bear. Tampa’s offense has been one-dimensional as of late, with their rushing attack carrying the load. They’re averaging 213 rushing yards over the last five weeks, while quarterback Baker Mayfield has only attempted 14 passes since returning from injury two weeks ago. The Bears have one of the best run defenses in the NFL and will force Mayfield to throw the ball, which will create opportunities for Simmons and the line to get after him.
The Buccaneers aren’t as bad as their record indicates, but they’re not in the same class as the Bears right now. Chicago matches up well against this team on both sides of the ball and will come away with another double-digit win to go into the bye week at 7-2.
Mike Pendleton (6-2): Bears 41, Bucs 17
Bold prediction: Bears get 6 total sacks
At some point, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to have to start trusting Baker Mayfield again which they haven’t done in the last two games, despite getting back-to-back wins. Tampa has dominated on the ground, but the Bears defense looks completely different with the arrival of Jeffery Simmons and that’s going to make all the difference in the world for this matchup.
Seeing how other defensive linemen were getting to Sam Darnold last Monday, it’s evident that Simmons is going to create opportunities for his teammates and with the lack of confidence in Tampa’s passing game, Chicago should feast. I’m going to take this a step further and call two sacks for Simmons and Montez Sweat, as they will dominate an offensive line that has allowed 23 sacks so far.
Chicago’s offense is rolling right now in the passing game, and while Ben Johnson has voiced displeasure in the run game, Tampa’s going to have their hands full. Caleb Williams should continue to roll in operating the offense, but this matchup also feels like it could be similar to Week 1, where the Bears ran up the score.
Vinnie Parise (6-2): Bears 34, Bucs 20
Bold prediction: Bucs are scary through three quarters, Bears pull away in fourth
The Chicago Bears are one of the best teams in the NFC right now. After beating the last two conference winners in their last two games, they are near the top of the mountain in the whole league. Whether it’s the head coach, quarterback, or pieces on either side of the ball, the Bears have impactful people who help them win on a week to week basis.
The only thing that could hold the Bears back this week is taking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lightly. Their record is not a true indicator of how good they can be. When Baker Mayfield is out there, he can make an impact. When Vita Vea is out there, he can make an impact. That team, who has been much better recently, must be taken as seriously as any opponent on the schedule.
The Bucs will put up a fight. The Bears’ talent will just allow them to take over in the end. Expect them to pull away late, similarly to how they did it against both New England and Seattle. Will they dominate the way they did against the New York Jets? That’s hard to see.
Ariana Pensy (6-2): Bears 30, Bucs 14
Bold prediction: Jeffery Simmons gets a strip-sack
The Chicago Bears have put up at least 30 points in every game since Caleb Williams has come back, including a 34-point performance against the Seattle Seahawks, who are supposedly one of the best defenses in the NFL. While Tampa Bay also has an incredibly talented defense, they will be outmatched by this Bears offense.
Chicago has too many playmakers for the Buccaneers to contend with between wide receivers Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III, tight end Colston Loveland and running back D’Andre Swift, who just put up three touchdowns. Williams has been on fire since his return and if the Seahawks could not stop him, I do not believe Tampa Bay can.
Defensively, the Bears were already playing incredibly well at home. Now, they have added Jeffery Simmons to the mix and he already had an impressive debut against Seattle. Tampa Bay’s quarterback, Baker Mayfield, has been having a fumbling problem this season, with six total fumbles. Simmons will be looking to get in the backfield and will get the ball out of Mayfield’s hands. Also, saying the Buccaneers will put up 14 points is actually higher than what Chicago gives up at home, so it would not be surprising to see them score even less points.
Randy Holt (4-4): Bears 31, Buccaneers 13
Bold prediction: Rome Odunze crosses the 100-yard threshold.
It’s almost a little bit alarming to have this much confidence in the Chicago Bears. But the offensive talent is undeniable, and the renewed energy on the defensive side following the arrival of Jeffery Simmons is equally impossible to ignore.
Tampa Bay is a talented team with a better-than-their-record vibe. Their defense is particularly strong, sitting seventh in the league in total yards allowed. They’re especially adept at stopping the run. Which means that the explosiveness is, once again, going to have to come from Caleb Williams and the pass game. They showed they can handle that against a difficult Seattle front on Monday night, so it’s not an unreasonable ask. Rome Odunze feels like he’s on the cusp of a massive game, too. The gameplan may be similar, but we saw how well the operation can go when there’s an emphasis on control rather than explosiveness.
Defensively, this is about stopping the run. The Bucs are in the bottom-third of the league in total offensive yards but enter this contest as the league’s top rushing team in total volume. They’re also coming off a game in which they did not complete a forward pass but ran for over 300. The addition of Simmons had an immediate impact in that respect. If the Bears can force Tampa’s offense into having to throw the ball, they should be just fine.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Will Bears beat the Bucs? Our game picks and bold predictions
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