Reports of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ demise have been greatly exaggerated.
The Bucs continued their 2023 win streak, rolling past Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears 27-17. The defense led the way, holding the Bears offense to 236 total yards and sealing the win with a Shaquil Barrett pick-six. On offense, Baker was efficient (26-34, 1 TD) and leaned on big plays from Mike Evans, including this 70-yard catch and run:
70 yards for Mike Evans!
📺: #CHIvsTB on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/RmhL8IWAmW
— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2023
Chicago’s offense simply was not up to the task this afternoon. After scoring on their first drive, they failed to sustain any momentum until too late. Fields went 16-for-29 for 211 yards with one touchdown and two late interceptions, adding just 3 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Overall, Fields struggled reading Todd Bowles’ defense and too often held the ball for long stretches, leading to six sacks. He had significantly more success when he targeted DJ Moore, who caught six passes for 106 yards.
The Tampa defensive front was simply too much for Chicago’s offense. Vita Vea was frequently in their backfield, sacking Fields twice. The defensive line also helped limit Chicago’s run game to 67 yards.
Offensively, the Bucs simply got the job done with a heap of help from Evans, who caught six passes for 171 yards and a touchdown. He was all but unstoppable against a depleted Bears secondary that lost safeties Jaquan Brisker and Eddie Jackson early in the game.
The Bucs run game was buoyed largely by Rachaad White, who ran for 73 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He had little help from rookie Sean Tucker, who gained just seven yards on eight attempts, or Chase Edmonds, who ruled out in the second half after two carries for 12 yards.
Tampa Bay’s offense got off to a bit faster start this week than against the Vikings last week, kicking a field goal on their opening drive. However, despite dominating time of possession in the first half, they only had 13 points and a blocked field goal to show for it. It was the defense that separated them from the Bears, all but locking the Bears offense down after their initial scoring drive.
The third quarter saw the Bucs score on a 32-yard bomb to Mike Evans:
WANT MIKE EVANS. GOT MIKE EVANS.
📺: #CHIvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/sqy9R6TYRw
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 17, 2023
Chicago struggled to respond until late in the fourth quarter, when Justin Fields led Chicago 90 yards down the field, capped by a 20-yard laser to Chase Claypool in the endzone. After the Bucs’ subsequent drive fizzled at midfield, Shaq Barrett’s pick-six slammed the door shut on a Bears’ comeback:
Shaq Barrett pick-six! Huge play for the @Buccaneers
📺: #CHIvsTB on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/06xXbLoBGl
— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2023
The biggest issue for Tampa Bay was penalties. They committed seven penalties for 54 yards. Four penalties came against the Bucs’ offensive line, which killed two drives and held another to just a field goal.
Tampa again won the turnover battle, committing none on offense and forcing two interceptions. The defense should have had a third from Zyon McCollum late in the third quarter, but the referee concluded he did not have possession as he went out of bounds.
With the defense looking like a top-10 unit, the Bucs are looking feisty in the NFC South. Though the offense is still working out the kinks, so far they have minimized any catastrophic mistakes and are taking opportunities as they come.
