The Buccaneers came out of Soldier Field with a 27-24 loss Sunday night, but the bigger story was how hard they fought back after getting punched in the mouth early. Tampa Bay’s defense absorbed two quick Chicago touchdowns, then tightened the screws and allowed just 6 points the rest of the way while forcing 5 turnovers. The offense, though, never fully cashed in on those gifts.
That was the difference. After the first three interceptions, the Bucs had only 6 points to show for it.
Bucky Irving helped drag them to a late game-tying touchdown, but Tampa Bay couldn’t finish the job. Baker Mayfield’s two interceptions, including a pick-six, loomed large in a game decided by three points.
Irving was the clear offensive bright spot. In his hometown return, he led all offensive players from either team with 125 total yards on 24 touches and scored twice.
He’s now up to 8 total touchdowns and remains on pace for another 1,000-plus yard season. Kenny Gainwell also chipped in with 76 total yards on 8 touches, most of it through the passing game, and has looked like the dependable backup Tampa Bay hoped it was getting over the last three weeks.
Beyond that, the passing game was a mess. Mayfield had to throw more after logging just 15 total passes over the previous two weeks combined, and the results were rough.
Tez Johnson’s 58-yard catch offered a jolt, but it was quickly overshadowed by the two interceptions that undercut Tampa Bay’s chances. Mayfield now has 4 total touchdowns and 7 total turnovers on the year, and while Zac Robinson and the receivers share in the blame, the Bucs are still waiting for more from the quarterback they gave $165 million.
On defense, Jacob Parrish earned top honors after another strong night in coverage. Zyon McCollum picked off two passes and now has four interceptions over the last three weeks, but he also got beaten badly early, including on a touchdown.
Parrish, meanwhile, kept showing up where Tampa Bay needed him, adding another pass deflection to extend his NFL lead and helping create yet another interception for Alex Anzalone. He also made key tackles on Chicago’s open-field threats and continued to look like a future cornerstone at cornerback.
The rest of the defense kept piling up plays. Tykee Smith grabbed a huge red zone interception, Rueben Bain Jr. forced a fumble with a heavy hit on Luther Burden to set up the late tying score, and also added QB pressures as his rookie season keeps trending up. Josiah Trotter continued his strong run with 8 tackles, a team-high total, plus a QB pressure as a blitzer.
Even the late coverage breakdown that helped put Chicago in range for the winning field goal felt easier to swallow because of everything Tampa Bay had already done to keep the game alive. The defense has been carrying a heavy load all season, and Sunday was another reminder of how much it has given this team.
Special teams had its own bright spots. Riley Dixon turned in his best outing of the season, averaging 48.8 yards on six punts with a long of 54 and placing two inside the 20. Chase McLaughlin stayed perfect with three field goals and one extra point, and Miles Killebrew partially blocked a punt.
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 🡒]