Chicago Bears vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Week 9 Game Preview: Overview, Keys to Game, Insights
The Bears (6-2) had their most impressive victory of the season beating the defending champion Seahawks on the road Monday night. New addition DL Jeffery Simmons was terrific in his debut and the rest of the defense followed suit with an outstanding all around effort. Ben Johnson and crew look to keep rolling as they return home looking for a fourth consecutive win in a Sunday night matchup with the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay (3-5) stumbled badly out of the gate losing their first four games of the season but they have won three of the next four and find themselves right in the middle of the race in the putrid NFC South. In fact, if they win on Sunday they could be in first place.
The Bucs’ offense has been held back by a thumb injury to quarterback Baker Mayfield that cost him three games. Mayfield has returned but is still struggling, as evidenced by a performance last week against Atlanta when he completed no passes in what amazingly ended up as a winning effort, something that hasn’t happened in the NFL since 1974.
The reason Tampa has been able to put together some semblance of an offense is the running game, which is the best in the league. Running back Bucky Irving has 728 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns so far in 2026. Wide receivers Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka can be dangerous but they’ve done almost nothing this year.
The Buccaneers are definitely stronger on the defensive side of the football allowing 285.9 yards and 18.9 points per game, both in the top five in the NFL. They have 12 interceptions so far in 2026 one of the highest totals in football. Outside linebacker David Walker leads the team with 4 sacks but the entire unit only has 16 for the season.
The Bears are riding high right now with three consecutive wins, including, the very impressive showing against the Seahawks. This would be a prime spot for a potential letdown against an opponent that looks weaker on paper at least. If they have really moved up to contender status they will be ready to play Sunday.
Where to Watch/Listen
- Sunday, November 8 at 7:20pm CT on NBC, WBBM Radio (English), and WRTO Radio (Spanish).
Keys to Victory
Here are my keys to Sunday’s game. If these things happen, the Bears should have a shot to win.
- Control the running game. Tampa has been leaning heavily on their ground attack with Mayfield still not 100 percent healthy. Forcing him to throw the ball should be beneficial.
- Caleb Williams staying efficient. The Bears quarterback has been completing over 70 percent of his passes and doing a good job avoiding turnovers. This offense is almost impossible to stop if he can maintain that.
- Keep getting pressure with just the defensive line. Thanks to Simmons, Chicago did not need to rely on the blitz to get to the quarterback on Monday night. Not having to bring extra rushers makes it easier on a secondary that could definitely use the help.
Don’t Tell Me the Odds
The Bears are favored by 6 points over Tampa Bay Sunday night. The over/under is around the NFL average at 47.5.
It’s Football Weather
The forecast for kickoff at Soldier Field Sunday night is 51 with clear skies and a gentle breeze at 7 miles an hour out of the east.
My Prediction
The Bears will come ready to play and hassle Mayfield throughout the night. Williams will hit a couple big explosive plays down the field and the home team will win 24-10.
Official NFL Preview
Here is the official preview of the Buccaneers-Bears game from the NFL.
