The Chicago Bears will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Chicago is looking to bounce back following a brutal Week 1 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Now, Chicago’s facing what many consider to be a must-win game in Week 2 against a talented Tampa Bay team that upset the Minnesota Vikings in the season opener.
Buy Bears TicketsThe Bears are 2.5-point road underdogs against the Bucs in Week 2, according to BetMGM. The over/under is set at 40.5.
Can Chicago snap their 11-game losing streak with a win over Tampa Bay? Our Bears Wire staff share their game picks for Sunday’s matchup.
Alyssa Barbieri (0-1): Bucs 24, Bears 20
Things can’t get much worse for the Bears than the thrashing that was the Week 1 loss to the Packers, right? The good news, it was only one game. The bad news, there’s a talented Bucs team waiting to beat them down in Tampa.
While the Bucs game looks winnable on paper, this matchup has the recipe for another disaster. The hope is that doesn’t happen. The hope is Matt Eberflus, Luke Getsy, Alan Williams, Justin Fields, Chase Claypool (the list goes on) learned from their Week 1 mistakes – even if they’re not all taking accountability for their shortcomings against the Packers. Show it on the field. Now’s the time to shoot back at the critics – show the NFL world you’re not a complete joke of an NFL team.
With that said, I have a hard time picking the Bears to win this game. I don’t anticipate another disaster (then we’re talking about coaches losing jobs), but I also don’t have faith in this coaching staff to turn things around this quickly against an ascending Bucs team.
My biggest fear is Tampa Bay’s vaunted defense, which blitzed the heck out of Kirk Cousins in Week 1. We saw how well that went against the Packers with Justin Fields being pressured on more than 65 percent of his dropbacks, and it’s going to be the same offensive line out on the field Sunday against the Bucs. Getsy needs to roll Fields out, get some early, quick completions and utilize those designed QB runs. We all know Fields doesn’t trust his offensive line, so it’s about putting him in a position where he feels comfortable and can make things happen.
On defense, they need to get after Baker Mayfield. And I’m not talking about consistently rushing four and hoping that works (we saw that last week against Jordan Love, who made his second career NFL start). I’m talking about actually blitzing the quarterback (you hear me, Williams?) Mayfield isn’t a world-beater, but he did enough (and played a clean game) to lead his team to an upset over the Vikings. Chicago needs to pressure Mayfield up front, otherwise he’ll carve up the secondary with his top wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, which is a recipe for disaster.
I would love to pick the Bears to bounce back this week against the Bucs. But logic is telling me otherwise. Please, Bears, I’m begging you to prove me wrong.
Brendan Sugrue (0-1): Bears 23, Bucs 21
Before the season began, I had already chalked this game up as a loss. I figured the Bears would have a galvanizing victory over the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 and have reality hit them in the face while playing in the suffocating Tampa heat and humidity. It turns out reality came sooner than expected with the beatdown last weekend, so the Bears can only go up from here, right?
This team isn’t in panic mode yet, but they’ve likely realized talk is cheap and they need to perform on the field before proclaiming a new era is here. With everything that has gone on this week, the Bears will come together and pull a victory out of the thick and soupy, humid Tampa air this Sunday. But it won’t be easy.
The Buccaneers are known for bringing the heat, and the Bears, with quarterback Justin Fields, have difficulty adjusting to the extra pressure. They’ll need to be prepared for an onslaught of defenders crashing the pocket with extra protection and quick passes (ideally past the line of scrimmage). If Fields and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy can work together to combat the pressure, things might be okay.
On the other side of the ball, the defense needs to be more creative in trying to take down the quarterback. Baker Mayfield can be forced into making mistakes, and the right side of the offensive line with tackle Luke Goedeke and rookie guard Cody Mauch could be vulnerable if the pass rush can get going. If not, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin could have an easy time moving the chains. The Bears are also down nickel corner Kyler Gordon, which is a huge loss for a defense that needs as many playmakers as possible.
Finally, it’s going to be a hot and humid day in the Bay. Chicago needs to put points on the board early and give themselves some cushion. I believe after the last few days everyone has endured; they’ll be ready to go when the ball is kicked off. It’s when the second half gets underway that makes me nervous. But they’ll have enough points to hold off a late comeback and get their first win of the year.
Lucas Hunt (0-1): Bucs 24, Bears 17
With the nightmare fuel that was Week 1 in the rearview mirror, the Bears look ahead to a winnable matchup against the Buccaneers. A Tom Brady-less Tampa Bay squad proved themselves to be a competitive team in Week 1, going into Minnesota and upsetting the high-octane Vikings 20-17. The surprise win serves as a reminder that the Bucs have talent at key positions that the Bears cannot overlook in Week 2.
I think the offense will be in for another rough four quarters of football on Sunday. Tampa Bay has a fearsome defensive front that harbors the likes of defensive tackle Vita Vea and linebacker Shaquil Barrett; a duo that will surely complicate matters on the offensive line. The Bucs’ D-line are every bit as talented as the Packers’ line, if not more, so it’s likely that QB Justin Fields will not have much time to throw. It can be assumed the running attack will suffer as well, as defensive studs like Lavonte David and Devin White will fill the small gaps the offensive line may be able to open.
Much to the dismay of the fanbase, I think the offensive gameplan will be more quick passes and screens as offensive coordinator Luke Getsy attempts to limit how effective the Bucs’ pass rush can be. I do have faith, however, that Getsy and Fields will correct their respective mistakes from Week 1 and bring a bit more production on offense.
The Bears’ defense has a much better chance of bouncing back in Week 2. Chicago’s secondary has a tall task in covering Tampa Bay’s two elite receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but the lack of a competent run game will allow Chicago’s linebackers and safeties to help the corners. The Bears’ front seven has a shot at redemption when it comes to getting to QB Baker Mayfield. The Bucs do not have the same dynamic backfield that the Packers had, so overcompensating for the run shouldn’t be a factor here. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams will have the opportunity to make up for his stagnation in Week 1 by leaning on the blitz to get in the face of Mayfield, who has proven to be reckless with the ball over his career.
All that being said, I do think the Bears lose the game 24-17. The offense is just outmatched talent wise by the Bucs’ defense, and the Bucs’ offense is just good enough to overcome what should be a much more disciplined Chicago defense. I think we’ll come away thinking “Fields was running for his life out there, but he played a lot better than he did in Week 1” and we’ll collectively feel a bit better about Fields’ going forward.
Ryan Fedrau (0-1): Bucs 31, Bears 17
Until the Bears offense can win multiple games, I have no faith in their ability. The Packers game was atrocious on both sides of the ball, and I’m unsure if Chicago’s coaching staff can make the correct adjustments to fix things within 7 days. With that being said, I’m picking Tampa on Sunday.
Nate Atkins (0-1): Bucs 24, Bears 21
Here’s the thing: To even have a shot against Tampa, Chicago’s defense is gonna have to pressure the QB and put the clamps on both Evans and Godwin. That’s a tall order, especially considering they couldn’t pressure Jordan Love last week.
Offensively, the Bears can’t afford long third downs when up against a Bucs defense that thrives on sending blitz packages. Now, I won’t write off my hometown team. Maybe, just maybe, they dig deep, find that Chicago grit, and stun everyone with an upset. But I’m not picking them to win.
