CHICAGO — The 3-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers carry a two-game winning streak and a team-record 324 rushing yards into Soldier Field Sunday night, where they face a Chicago Bears team that has won six of eight games and sits a half-game out of first place in the NFC North.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET, with NBC handling the broadcast. The Buccaneers, who won their last two games by a combined 46-point margin, are now just a half-game behind the 3-4 Carolina Panthers in the NFC South standings — a remarkable position for a team that started the season 1-5 with five one-score losses.
Tampa Bay’s offensive surge has been built almost entirely on the ground. The Buccaneers rushed for 584 yards combined in their wins over Carolina and Atlanta, including the team-record 324-yard effort in a 16-0 shutout of the Falcons in Week Eight — making them the first NFL team in 52 years to win a game without completing a pass. Quarterback Baker Mayfield attempted only three passes in that game, two of which were dropped by receivers. Mayfield has thrown just 14 passes in two games since returning from a dislocated right thumb. Running backs Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell have powered the surge, and the Buccaneers rank first in the NFL in rushing offense with a rushing-yardage differential of 709 yards — the best in the league.
Chicago’s backfield presents a comparable threat. Running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai have combined for 869 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, and the Bears rank second in the NFL in rushing offense. The Bears’ defense, which ranks fourth in rushing yards allowed, was reinforced by the midseason trade acquisition of interior defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons. In his debut with Chicago on Monday night, Simmons helped hold Seattle Seahawks running backs Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet to a combined 52 yards and 3.3 yards per carry on 16 carries in a 34-17 Bears victory.
Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams, the first-overall pick in the 2024 draft, has completed 70.9% of his passes with a 6-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 104.6 passer rating in his third NFL season. He has also rushed 26 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns. Against Seattle, Williams threw for 247 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. The Bears rank third in overall offense and seventh in defense. Rookie safety Dillon Thieneman, a first-round pick, leads Chicago with 47 tackles and has added 1.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, one interception and five passes defensed.
Tampa Bay’s defense has been equally disruptive. The unit intercepted Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix four times in Week Eight and now leads the NFL in interception rate while ranking third in overall net yards allowed, second in rushing yards allowed and fifth in points allowed. Cornerbacks Zyon McCollum and Jacob Parrish anchor the secondary. The Buccaneers recorded five sacks in each of their two games prior to the Atlanta shutout, though they had limited pass-rush opportunities against the Falcons in heavy rain. Williams has taken 13 sacks in 171 drop-backs, a sack rate of 7.60%.
Tampa Bay’s turnover picture has also shifted sharply. The Buccaneers forced four turnovers in each of their last two wins and three more in a Week Five victory in Dallas. Over that four-game stretch, the team’s points-off-turnovers differential moved from -30 to +3. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, Tampa Bay’s leading receiver, is listed as questionable with a foot injury but could return Sunday night.
All four NFC South teams face difficult opponents in Week Nine. The Panthers host the 6-2 Denver Broncos, the 3-5 Falcons host the 5-2 Cincinnati Bengals, and the 2-5 New Orleans Saints host the 5-3 Cleveland Browns. The Buccaneers could move into first place in the division with a win and the right combination of results elsewhere Sunday.