After back-to-back wins in prim etime, the Chicago Bears will play under the lights for the third week in a row, this time against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. Tampa Bay is coming off a win where they did not complete a pass, while the Bears are coming off a 34-point performance against one of the NFL’s best defenses.
This promises to be a game to remember, as it will be defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons’ first game at Soldier Field. Chicago’s defense was already playing well at home before this trade and with Tampa Bay’s offensive struggles, this is a good opportunity for the Bears to have another dominant win in primetime.
Chicago has not defeated the Buccaneers since 2020, but here are three reasons for optimism on why
the Bears can win this game and get to 7-2.
Buccaneers’ passing game
There are a lot of ways to look at Tampa Bay’s 16-0 win against the Atlanta Falcons last week, where they had over 300 rushing yards but no passing yards. Clearly, they have an amazing run game. However, this also shows just how much the Buccaneers are struggling in the pass game and who the starting quarterback is has not mattered. They have struggled with Baker Mayfield, and they struggled during the time Jalon Daniels was the quarterback. In fact, they are averaging just 131.4 passing yards per game, which is the lowest in the NFL. This will allow the Bears to focus primarily on shutting down the run game because Tampa Bay cannot win if they have to rely on the passing game.
Tampa Bay’s lack of points
There is a reason the Buccaneers are 3-5 so far this season. The fact that they have the worst passing offense in the NFL is a major reason they have scored 20 or fewer points in five games this season. Meanwhile, Chicago’s defense has been excellent at home, allowing an average of just 13 points in home games this season. This will also be the first home game with Jeffery Simmons, so their defense should perform even better.
Another prime-time game
Prime time has brought out the best in the Bears this season. That was clear in their dominant 34-17 win against the Seattle Seahawks. They also controlled the game against the New England Patriots in prime time despite the final score. Their first prime-time game of the year in Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles, with Case Keenum facing off against Jalen Hurts, was another dominant win. Tampa Bay also won in prime time earlier this year against the Dallas Cowboys, but that is more a reflection of Dallas than the Buccaneers.
Follow Bears Wire onTwitter,Facebook andInstagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 3 reasons for optimism as the Bears face the Buccaneers in Week 9
