The Chicago Bears defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 27-24, on Sunday Night Football in what was an awful offensive showing and inspired defensive showing for Ben Johnson's squad.
The Bears looked like they were headed for another Carolina Panthers-esque win after a quick 14-0 start, where Caleb Williams threw touchdowns to Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. But when the second quarter hit, everything changed. And it started with a personal foul penalty called on rookie receiver Zavion Thomas that completely flipped the game.
Williams proceeded to throw a career-high four interceptions and the Bears turned the ball over a total of five times. But Chicago's defense rose to the occasion (four sacks, two interceptions) and was the reason why the Bears even
had a chance to preserve the win. Cairo Santos was the hero with a 38-yard game-winning field goal to seal the victory.
While it was ugly, a win is a win, and the Bears are sitting at 7-2 heading into their bye week, and there's a chance they could be in first place in the NFC North if the Minnesota Vikings lose on Monday night. This was the worst offensive showing under Ben Johnson, but they still managed to win, which is a sign of a great team.
As you can imagine, there were plenty of reactions to the Bears' sloppy win over the Bucs, where fans were thankful for the victory after an ugly showing, the perfect timing of the bye week and what this win means for the team moving forward.
NFL world reacts to Bears' ugly win vs. Buccaneers in Week 9
This is by far the worst the #Bears offense has looked in the Ben Johnson era in normal weather. And they still won.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) November 9, 2026
This was absolutely ugly. But good teams find a way to win.
Bears fans tonight pic.twitter.com/w9EoiPpTky
— Simpsons NFL (@TheSimpsonsNFL) November 9, 2026
I learned more about the Bears championship prospects tonight than I did in their dismantling of the Seahawks last Monday
— Todd Fuhrman (@ToddFuhrman) November 9, 2026
Team is good and the fact you can win a game like that with your defense when the offense was below average should have Bears' fans thinking NFC title
For all the new Bears fans we gained, welcome to what Bears football is usually like
— DaWindyCity Productions (@dwcprodz) November 9, 2026
Making you want to kill yourself hundreds of times per game
The Bears just won a game with 5 turnovers
— Nico (@elitetakes_) November 9, 2026
That kinda makes me believe in them even more
This was the worst we’ll see the Bears play all year. And they still managed to pull out the win. That’s a very good sign.
— Bryan Perez (@BryanPerezNFL) November 9, 2026
One of the ugliest Bears wins I’ve ever seen. And ugly wins still count.
— Kirsten Tanis (@Kirsten_Tanis1) November 9, 2026
Bye week couldn’t come at a better time. Learn what they can from this game & move on.
I still hate SNF. Bears are cursed when they play then. Too many bad things happen.
7-2. Bears D game ball.…
Well.
— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) November 9, 2026
The true test of good teams is can you win when pretty much everything goes wrong?
The #Bears certainly did tonight.
I’d rather get a shitty win than a shitty loss.
— Silvy (@WaddleandSilvy) November 9, 2026
The #Bears WORST game still had them leading wire to wire.
The bye comes at the perfect time.
Listen. Just burn the tape. Go into the bye, heal up, regroup, and move forward. #Bears
— Mikey V. (@mikey_v_bdc) November 9, 2026
Bears fans thought this defense was sweet. 4 INT and a fumble recovery is something i can hang my hat on. DEF can hang with ANYBODY
— Ashlie (@EMT_Ashlie) November 9, 2026
That big gain to Colston Loveland should be huge for Caleb Williams' confidence going into the bye week.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) November 9, 2026
He was awful for most of this game. No denying that. Take the bye week to rest, recover, and regroup. This #Bears team is capable of so much more.
To all of the people who were saying “lemme hop on the bears bandwagon”
— Burns (@therealburns3) November 9, 2026
This is Chicago bears football and win or lose I hope you enjoyed tonight
Offense couldn't have played worse and they still win (and never trailed).
— Bill Zimmerman (@BillTZimmerman) November 9, 2026
Championship Caliber team.
Maybe we needed to get kicked in the mouth and be a little humbled on offense
— DaWindyCity Productions (@dwcprodz) November 9, 2026
Get back to the drawing board and return after the bye motivated and hungry
The beautiful part is you got the W in your worst game of the season
We can safely chalk this one up as a win they don't get without the Jeffery Simmons trade.
— Matt Clapp (@DaBearNecess) November 9, 2026
A wise man once said:
— Vinnie Parise (@VinnieParise) November 9, 2026
Wake up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and find a way to win a football game.
7-2, ran a gauntlet of prime time games and two short weeks to get there..hit the bye and breathe.
— StartKyleOrton (@startkyIeorton) November 9, 2026
Go figure the Bears get their first SNF win with their QB throwing a bunch of stupid picks since 2018, which was also when their QB threw a bunch of stupid picks.
— Brendan Sugrue (@BrendanSugrue) November 9, 2026
Everyone can calm down.
— Mason West (@WestSportsPT) November 9, 2026
Reset over BYE and beat the Saints.
The biggest worry should be guys' health, like Luther Burden. #DaBears https://t.co/Lozl5Pa426
The sign of a great team is can you win despite your star QB having a bad game?
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) November 9, 2026
Chicago’s defense is legit….Super Bowl Caliber
Been awhile since I had to use this one. pic.twitter.com/0ubwAdHldA
— 𝕲𝖗𝖎𝖒 𝕮𝖚𝖙𝖙𝖞 (モナンがい 𝕾𝖟𝖓) (@iamcogs) November 9, 2026
This is just a figure it the fk out type of game to get the win and get to the bye. I think these guys have some primetime fatigue and this had potential for a trap game. It’s been a weird 3 weeks.
— TomPaints (@tom_paints) November 9, 2026
The Bears just won a game after turning over the ball 5 times.
— Ficky (@itsfickybaby) November 9, 2026
Team of destiny.
This is the first ugly win the Bears have had to squeak out all season.
— Joey Sangwich (@JoeySangwich_) November 9, 2026
It’s a W, they’re going into the bye, they should get some guys back, and then they have the Saints at home with a chance to go 8-2.
Don’t blow this out of proportion. It’s the NFL, they’re not going to win…
I've seen more games than I can count where the Bears turn the ball over like crazy & lose.
— Matt Eurich (@MattEurich) November 9, 2026
While it isn't ideal for your team to have that many TOs in a game, it is also a sign of resiliency that they can win a game like this.
Don't want it to be the norm, but a win is a win.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: NFL world reacts to Bears' ugly 27-24 win vs. Buccaneers
