The Buccaneers had the Bears right where they wanted them Sunday night, and still walked away empty-handed in a 27-24 loss that felt there for the taking.
Chicago coughed it up five times. Tampa Bay even got a blocked punt.
None of it was enough, because the Bucs couldn’t put together the finishing touches when the game was there to be won. That left a lot of individual performances under the microscope, and a few players came out looking a lot better than others.
Zyon McCollum was one of the biggest bright spots. He started slowly and got tested early, but he flipped the script with two interceptions that kept Tampa Bay alive. He also finished with five tackles, including one for a loss.
Tykee Smith also made his presence felt in a game full of giveaways. He kicked off the turnover parade with a red-zone interception and added seven tackles, good for second on the team, plus one tackle for loss.
Jacob Parrish continued to build on a strong season. He entered the week leading the league in passes defended, then added another breakup against Caleb Williams that popped into the air and became an interception for Alex Anzalone. Parrish didn’t pile up headlines the way McCollum did, but Chicago clearly respected his side of the field.
Anzalone made the most of that opportunity. He snagged the interception off Parrish’s deflection and later showed off his range by running stride for stride with a Bears receiver to break up another pass. He now has four interceptions on the season, the first time a Bucs linebacker has reached that mark since Lavonte David in 2013.
Bucky Irving was the engine on offense. Against a Bears run defense that came in allowing just 87 rushing yards per game, he went for 97 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries and added four catches for 28 yards. At this point, Tampa Bay goes as he goes.
Chase McLaughlin kept doing what he’s done all year. He hit all three of his field goals and his lone extra point, staying perfect through nine games. He’s been the best kicker in the NFL and is worthy of All-Pro consideration.
The other side of the ledger was rougher.
Baker Mayfield’s night was defined by the giveaways that gave Chicago life. With the defense forcing five turnovers and the special teams unit even blocking a punt, Tampa Bay still couldn’t cash in because Mayfield threw two interceptions, including a pick-six that ended up being the difference.
Zac Robinson’s offense also drew plenty of blame. The play-calling was described as conservative and anemic, and when the run game wasn’t producing chunk gains, the passing attack had little to lean on. The expectation here is that he’ll be a one-and-done and the Bucs will be searching for a new play-caller next season.
The offensive line didn’t help matters either. Tampa Bay was flagged for five false starts, a costly series of self-inflicted wounds for an offense already struggling to move the ball.
Special teams coverage was another problem area. The Bucs allowed a 40-yard return on the opening kickoff, and later gave up a 91-yard return for a touchdown that was wiped out by a holding penalty. Even with that break, Chicago repeatedly got the kind of field position that can tilt a game.
Tez Johnson had the biggest explosive play of the day with a 58-yard catch and finished with a team-high 76 receiving yards on two receptions, but the drops hurt. He had two critical misses on third down that stalled drives and undercut Tampa Bay’s chances to finish the job.
And then there was the quietest disappointment of all: rookie tight end Hurst. He was targeted only once, dropped a catchable ball, and otherwise disappeared. For a third-round pick, the early returns haven’t matched the expectations the Buccaneers had when they drafted him.
In Other News...
Baker Mayfields Turnover Night Made This Bears Loss Sting Even More
Caleb Williams and Baker Mayfield turned a Bears-Buccaneers matchup into a turnover-heavy afternoon, with the two quarterbacks combining for six interceptions in a game that still somehow stayed tight all the way through. Chicago and Tampa Bay traded mistakes, but the Bears were able to keep enough of their footing to leave with a narrow victory in a game that never felt clean for either offense.
Mayfields rough night only added to the frustration for Tampa Bay, especially because the Buccaneers had chances to make the Bears pay for their own errors. Instead, the turnovers kept swinging the momentum back and forth, and Chicago did just enough in the closing stretch to survive the chaos and finish off the win. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Wasted A Rare Edge And Now The Offense Is Under Fire
The Buccaneers came out of Chicago with a loss they could not afford, falling 27-24 to the Bears and slipping to 3-6 despite a defense that repeatedly handed them chances to take control. Tampa Bay forced five turnovers and still managed only 10 points off those takeaways, a wasted edge that made the afternoon feel like a missed opportunity from the opening quarter onward.
Bucky Irving gave the Bucs a spark with two touchdowns in his hometown, and Jamel McCollum added two interceptions as part of a defense that did its job and then some. The problem was everything around it, from an offense that never fully cashed in to the decisions that left points on the table, leaving Todd Bowles and Zac Robinson facing a familiar kind of scrutiny as the season keeps slipping away. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Bowles Just Put Tampa Bays Biggest Problem In Focus
The Buccaneers left Chicago with a familiar kind of frustration, one that made Todd Bowles postgame message hard to miss. Tampa Bays defense did its part by creating extra chances, but the offense could not turn those takeaways into enough points, and the result was a loss that felt like a missed opportunity more than a simple setback. Bowles made clear afterward that the issue was not on the defensive side, where the unit continues to give the team a chance to win.
Baker Mayfields two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, only sharpened the concern around an offense that has not matched the standard set by the defense. The Buccaneers now head into their bye week with a problem that is easy to identify and harder to fix, because the talent is there but the execution has not been. For a team trying to stay in the race, the next stretch is less about what the defense can do and more about whether the offense can finally meet it halfway. [Read more 🡒]