Frank Schwab Senior writer Updated Mon, November 9, 2026 at 4:45 AM UTC About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this story Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III (10) runs to score a touchdown against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum (27). (AP Photo/David Banks)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had chances to beat one of the NFL's hottest teams on Sunday night. They just didn't do enough to actually win the game.
Between Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles settling for three short field goals and multiple offensive mistakes including a pick 6 from Baker Mayfield, the Buccaneers let the Chicago Bears escape on a night in which Caleb Williams threw four interceptions. Tampa Bay tied it late but Williams answered with one big pass to tight end Colston Loveland, which set up a game-winning field goal as time expired. Chicago won 27-24 and the Buccaneers will have plenty of regrets over letting one slip away.
The Bears improved to 7-2 but their offense got shut down and made mistakes to help Tampa Bay stay in the game. But it wasn't enough, after falling behind 14-0 early, to be passive.
Tampa Bay showed that to win a big game on the road, you have to get more aggressive to pull the upset. The Buccaneers played well, stayed in the game, and ultimately went home with a loss.
The Bears got off to a hot start and it looked like they might blow out the Buccaneers. They gave up a 9-yard touchdown catch to Rome Odunze and a 56-yard touchdown catch to Luther Burden III. Two Chicago possessions into the game, Tampa Bay trailed 14-0.
Then the turnovers started. The Bears had the ball inside Tampa Bay's 10-yard line on their third drive but rookie receiver Zavion Thomas took an unnecessary roughness penalty that pushed Chicago back. The next play Caleb Williams threw an interception. That seemed to get in Williams' head. The play after the Buccaneers got stuffed on a quarterback sneak on a fourth-and-1 in their own territory, Williams threw a touchdown off his back foot for his second interception in two passes. He had thrown one interception all season before Sunday, in 158 attempts. After Chicago got a field goal, Williams threw another one up for grabs and Tampa Bay had its third interception of the night.
Tampa Bay didn't fully take advantage, though they stayed in the game. Twice, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles decided to settle for field goals close to the goal line instead of being aggressive with his team trailing. The first time the Buccaneers kicked a 25-yard field goal on fourth-and-4 at the Bears' 7-yard line. Late in the first half the Bucs got the ball to the 3-yard line and had time for one more play before halftime, but they took a short field goal again.
The Buccaneers were still in the game when they scored early in the third quarter, but still trailed 17-13 and they had let many opportunities pass them by. But Chicago couldn't put them away.
Williams threw another interception on a deflected pass in the third quarter. He had never thrown three interceptions in an NFL game and suddenly he had four on Sunday night. But again, Tampa Bay struggled to take advantage of it.
Baker Mayfield never seemed to notice cornerback Jaylon Johnson lurking underneath in coverage and threw an interception to him, which Johnson returned for a 67-yard touchdown and a 24-13 Chicago lead.
But Tampa Bay's defense was remarkable in the second half. The Buccaneers allowed just one first down in the first 28 minutes after halftime. That kept the game close.
In the fourth quarter, Bowles passed on going for it on fourth-and-4 at Chicago's 12-yard line to settle for a short field goal for the third time in the game. That cut the Bears' lead to 24-16 but it still required the Buccaneers stopping Chicago, putting together a touchdown drive, making the two-point conversion, keeping the Bears from winning it regulation and then Tampa Bay winning the game in overtime. They started checking those boxes though.
Burden lost a fumble on a third down reception that would have been short of the first down, and Tampa Bay recovered on the Bears' 17-yard line with 3:38 left. Two runs by Bucky Irving got the Bucs into the end zone and Mayfield scrambled up the middle for the two-point conversion and a tie game.
But the Buccaneers had only tied it and Chicago had ample time to answer. Williams got the drive going and then the Buccaneers lost Loveland in coverage. He gained 38 yards. After a half in which the Bears barely moved the ball, one big play was enough to give them a shot at the field goal and the win.
Cairo Santos hit the game-winner and Chicago got the win, knowing that the Buccaneers handed them plenty of chances to take it at the end.
Cairo Santos drills it from 38 yards out, and the Bears have survived a wild "Sunday Night Football" outing at Soldier Field.
Caleb Williams is back. He just connected with Coleston Loveland for a 38-yard gain, and the Bears are suddenly in field goal range.
Bucky Irving has found the end zone for the second time tonight! The 2-point attempt was good, too. Baker Mayfield just kept it himself.
We're all tied up, 24-24, with 2:51 left.
Luther Burden was down for quite some time after that fumble, and needed help getting off the field. He eventually walked off on his own.
They threw a screen pass on third down to try and seal the win, but Luther Burden lost the ball.
The Bucs now have it back inside the red zone and can tie it up.
The Bucs couldn't convert on third-and-long, so they opted to punt it away. They do still have two timeouts, so a quick stop here would give them a shot.
This was the first of back-to-back sacks for the Bears defense, and the Bucs are looking at third and long again.
Austin Booker got Baker Mayfield by the facemask while sacking him on third down. That's a huge penalty that keeps Tampa's drive alive.
Add another punt to this list, and it's remarkable the Bears are leading.
The Buccaneers will take over at their own 15 with 8:03 left in the game. They're running out of time to tie this thing up.
Baker Mayfield got the Bucs into scoring position, but their drive stalled out. A 35-yard field goal works, too, and we've got an 8-point game.
Neither team on the last five drives has had a single first down. The Bears are punting it away again near the end of the third.
They tried to fake the punt, too, but got called for a false start.
Kalif Raymond just muffed a punt return after a quick stop again, but he managed to recover the ball to stop the turnover.
Baker Mayfield just threw a pick-6 on his very first play after Caleb Williams' interception, and he took a pretty big hit at the goal line.
Jaylon Johnson gets the touchdown, and Chicago is up 24-13 now late in the third. Wow.
Make that four interceptions for Caleb Williams now, though that one wasn't entirely his fault. He tried to find Luther Burden, but the ball was deflected up and right into Alex Anzalone's arms.
Well, maybe not. A holding penalty doomed that drive for the Bucs, and Baker Mayfield is limping off after missing Egbuka deep on third down.
That's the stop Chicago needed. Now we'll see if the Bears offense can get anything going.
That punt ended up going about 25 yards after it was just barely blocked at the line, so Tampa will start in Bears territory.
The Bucs have all of the momentum right now.
Caleb Williams successfully threw it away that time after a ton of pressure in the backfield. No interception, but it was third down.
Austin Booker just drilled Baker Mayfield in the backfield there on third down. The Bears defense has forced another three-and-out, and they'll get the ball back.
Caleb Williams is not any better out of the break. He just missed Raymond twice there, and seems very off still. The Bears have to punt for the first time tonight, and Tampa will have a chance to take the lead with a touchdown.
Source: Sports
0 Comments