The Bucs walked into Sunday Night Football and asked their defense to survive its biggest test of the season. Against a Bears offense that came in eighth in points per game, 10th in EPA/play and sixth in success rate, Tampa Bay’s defense didn’t just hang around - it made game-changing plays all night.
It still wasn’t enough to get the win, but the effort was impossible to miss. The Bucs forced five turnovers, and every one of them mattered.
Tykee Smith started the sequence by stopping Chicago from stretching the lead in the second quarter, jumping Caleb Williams for an interception in the red zone. Zyon McCollum then delivered two huge picks of his own, and both came immediately after Tampa Bay’s offense handed the ball back to Chicago - first on a Baker Mayfield interception and then on a failed fourth-and-1 attempt.
Later, Jacob Parrish helped create another takeaway when he broke up a pass that Alex Anzalone secured in the third quarter. The final turnover came when Rueben Bain Jr. delivered a massive hit on Luther Burden III to force a fumble, and Ifeatu Melifonwu came away with the recovery. That set up a Bucs touchdown that tied the game with just minutes left in regulation, but Chicago answered with a field goal as time expired.
Even in defeat, the defense matched up with one of the league’s best units and kept the game alive.
This wasn’t a one-night fluke, either. Tampa Bay has held seven of its nine opponents this season below their average scoring output.
Only Pittsburgh and Cleveland have scored more against the Bucs than they have averaged on the year. Strip out defensive and special teams touchdowns, and Tampa Bay ranks fifth in points allowed per game at 17.8.
The group has also slowed down two of football’s toughest offenses in Dallas and Chicago.
For a defense that’s been dragged around in recent years, 2026 has looked different. The unit has done enough to win its share of games, but the offense has left it stranded. Tampa Bay is now ranked worse than the Chargers in EPA/pass, and that gap has made all the difference.
The pass rush is doing its part. The Bucs pressured Caleb Williams on 39% of his dropbacks Sunday.
Rueben Bain Jr. has posted 11 pressures and a sack since Week 6, while Calijah Kancey was all over the field against Chicago and has nearly matched Bain’s production over that same stretch with just one fewer pressure. Second-year edge rusher David Walker has been excellent, and A’Shawn Robinson has been steady on the interior.
Josiah Trotter has also been a major boost in the middle of the defense. After a slow start, Alex Anzalone has turned into a big-play presence, with three interceptions over the past two weeks.
The secondary has been just as sharp. Tykee Smith, Zyon McCollum, Jacob Parrish and Keionte Scott have helped drive Tampa Bay to the second-lowest passer rating allowed and the best EPA/play allowed.
There’s talent all over this defense, and there’s no shortage of players who can flip a game with one snap. The problem is what happens after those flips.
Turnovers are supposed to change games, but the Bucs aren’t cashing in enough. According to Sumer Sports, Tampa Bay is averaging just 2.74 points scored per turnover forced, which ranks 22nd in the NFL.
That’s less than a field goal per takeaway, and it says plenty about how much the offense has fallen off in less than two seasons.
In Other News...
Todd Bowles Just Put Tampa Bays Biggest Problem In Focus
The Buccaneers came away from their loss to the Bears with a familiar frustration hanging over the building: a defense that did its part and an offense that failed to make it count. Tampa Bay forced five turnovers and still walked off beaten, a reminder that the margin for error disappears fast when takeaways do not turn into points. Todd Bowles made it clear afterward that the issue is not on the defensive side, where the group continues to give the team chances.
Now the focus shifts to the bye week, where the Buccaneers will have time to sort through an offense that has not matched the standard set by the defense. Baker Mayfield's two interceptions, including one that went the other way for a touchdown, only sharpened the concern, but the bigger picture is broader than one sequence or one player. Tampa Bay has enough on defense to stay in games. The question is whether the offense can finally do its part before the season slips further into a pattern the Bucs cannot afford. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Bowles Sends A Clear Message On Emeka Egbuka's Drop-Off
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The broader issue is bigger than one receiver, though, and Bowles framed it as part of an offense that has struggled to get on track. Tampa Bay sits last in passing yards, so Egbukas slide is tied to a unit that has not been able to sustain much of anything through the air, leaving the Bucs with a clear need to spark production somewhere before the season drifts any further. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Let A Prime Upset Chance Slip Away In Frustrating Loss
For much of Sunday night, the Buccaneers had the kind of game that usually travels well: takeaways on defense, steady production on the ground from Bucky Irving, and enough chances to turn a road upset into something bigger. Zyon McCollum helped fuel that formula with an interception, and Tampa Bay kept putting Chicago in uncomfortable spots while trying to control the game on the road.
But the night kept slipping away in the details. Conservative play-calling, penalties and shaky special teams all chipped at the margin, and Baker Mayfields rough night in the passing game left Tampa Bay unable to cash in on its defensive work. Even with the Bears coughing up five turnovers, the Buccaneers walked off with a 27-24 loss that felt like one they had every chance to own. [Read more 🡒]