Tag: Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Justin Fields is first Ohio State quarterback Tom Brady will face in his career

There’s a first in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry as Tom Brady faces an OSU quarterback in the NFL for the first time in his career.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbve7kb6he6scwe player_id=none image=https://bearswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Bucs quarterback Tom Brady has been pretty quippy ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Bears.

Maybe it’s all in game week fun or perhaps he’s still a tad salty about last year’s game, where Chicago pulled off a 20-19 upset over Tampa Bay and made a mockery of Brady, whose four fingers became a meme.

Not only did Brady congratulate Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on owning the Bears, following Green Bay’s win last week, but now Brady is making a subtle jab at rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Or rather his alma mater.

Considering Brady has played a lot of years and a lot of quarterbacks in the NFL, it’s surprising that Fields will be the first quarterback from Ohio State that Brady, a Michigan alum, will face as a starter.

“That’s interesting, why is there not a lot of Ohio State quarterbacks in the pros?” Brady said. “A lot of Michigan guys over the years.”

Granted, Brady’s jab was more about Ohio State than Fields. But it’s hard to miss Brady’s ease and confidence heading into Sunday’s contest against the Bears.

While Brady is 5-1 against the Bears in his career, perhaps Fields can find a way to do what he did best at Ohio State — beat a Michigan quarterback.

[listicle id=486610]

Bears injury report: Good news, bad news from Thursday’s practice

Here’s the Bears’ injury report from Thursday’s practice, which included updates on Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and Allen Robinson.

The Chicago Bears released their second injury report ahead of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which featured the return of one prominent starter.

Here’s a look at the full injury report from Thursday’s practice, which included updates on outside linebacker Khalil Mack, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, receiver Allen Robinson and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols.

Throwback Thursday: Bears defeat Tom Brady for the first time

In this week’s Throwback Thursday, we’re going back to last season when the Bears defeated the Bucs as Tom Brady lost track of downs.

Every Thursday throughout the 2021 regular season, Bears Wire will take a look back at some of the most memorable moments in Chicago Bears history that occurred on or near that given day.

October 8th, 2020: Bears defeat Tampa Bay Buccaneers as Tom Brady loses track of downs.

You won’t have to go too far in the past for this throwback. It’s been just over a year since the Bears got their first victory against Tom Brady during his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now that the two teams are meeting once again this weekend, let’s relive that thrilling, yet confusing game.

The Bucs visited the Bears on Thursday Night Football as heavy favorites, despite missing some of their key offensive personnel. Brady got things started early on a promising opening drive that ended with three points. An interceptions by Nick Foles led to a Tampa touchdown to make it 10-0, followed by another field goal. The Buccaneers were on their way to a blowout before the Bears caught fire.

On the ensuing drive, Foles utilized running backs David Montgomery and Cordarrelle Patterson to move 75 yards down the field. The drive was capped off with a Montgomery run for a touchdown, but the momentum didn’t end there. Tampa Bay’s next drive was thwarted by a forced fumble from cornerback Kyle Fuller at their own 26-yard line. The Bears recovered, setting up a touchdown pass from Foles to Jimmy Graham. All of a sudden it was 14-13 Bears at the half.

The second half admittedly wasn’t as exciting, with both teams trading field goals. Each team’s defense clamped down on the opposing offense, but it was the Bears who got the last strike. After getting the ball back from the Buccaneers with just 2:21 to go and down 19-17, Foles manufactured a game-winning drive that featured a clutch catch by Anthony Miller on third and long, as well as a quick wheel route from Montgomery to put the Bears in field goal range. With 1:13 left in the game, Cairo Santos made a 38-yard kick to take the 20-19 lead. But did Brady have too much time on the clock?

The future Hall of Fame quarterback set out to do what he’s done many times over the course of his storied career and lead a comeback victory. But on fourth down, Brady took a shot downfield and missed his target, believing he still had another down to work with. Confused and holding up four fingers, Brady trotted off the field, losing 20-19. He hasn’t forgotten that gaffe and will likely want to make a statement this Sunday when he faces the Bears for the first time since the loss.

[listicle id=486323]

Bears injury updates on Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Allen Robinson from Wednesday’s practice

Here’s the Bears’ injury report from Wednesday’s practice, which includes updates on Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and Allen Robinson.

The Chicago Bears released their first injury report ahead of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which featured some prominent starters not practicing.

Here’s a look at the full injury report from Wednesday’s practice, which included updates on outside linebacker Khalil Mack, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and wide receiver Allen Robinson.

Justin Fields, Tom Brady will set new NFL record for largest age gap between starting QBs

When the Bears and Buccaneers face off on Sunday, NFL history will be made with Justin Fields and Tom Brady.

When the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off on Sunday, NFL history will be made with both starting quarterbacks.

Bears rookie Justin Fields and Buccaneers veteran Tom Brady will set a new NFL record for the largest age gap between starting quarterbacks. Fields is 22 years old while Brady is a young 44 years old.

That breaks a previous record set by Brady and Patriots rookie Mac Jones, who played each other just three weeks ago. It also broke the record for Brady vs. the Chargers’ Justin Herbert last season.

Sunday’s game presents a challenge for the Bears, who are 5-1 against Brady, who’s also averaged a 105.3 passer rating in those games. Brady’s lone loss to Chicago came last season, when the Bears pulled out a 20-19 upset on Thursday Night Football. While Chicago was able to upset Tampa Bay last season with Nick Foles, who is 2-0 against Brady, this is a different Buccaneers team since then.

If Chicago’s going to have any chance in pulling off a huge upset over the reigning Super Bowl champions, they’re going to need their offense to score more points. That in itself has been a difficult task this season, as the Bears are averaging just 16.3 points per game, third worst in the league.

As Fields prepares to face another future Hall of Fame quarterback in his second straight game, all eyes will be on Fields as he continues his development in his fifth NFL start.

[listicle id=486323]

Bears open as 13.5-point road underdogs vs. Buccaneers in Week 7

The Bears have opened as huge road underdogs against the Buccaneers.

The Chicago Bears will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, where Chicago will be looking to rebound following a frustrating loss to the Green Bay Packers. But it won’t be easy against the reigning Super Bowl champions.

The Bears have opened as 13.5-point road underdogs against the Buccaneers, according to Tipico Sportsbook. The over/under is set at 47.5 points.

It’s not a surprise that Chicago are big underdogs, especially after a brutal loss to the Packers. Tampa Bay has cruised to a 5-1 start, where they’re averaging 32.5 points per game. Not only does that present a challenge for the Bears defense to contain another high-powered offense, but Chicago’s offense needs to score points if they stand even a slight chance in this game.

Chicago has been underdogs four other times this season against the Rams, Browns, Raiders and Packers. The Bears have been favorites in Week 2 against the Bengals and Week 4 against the Lions this season.

Can the Bears shock everyone with an upset over the Buccaneers? Or will Tampa Bay continue its dominance this season? We’ll see when the Bears and Buccaneers kick things off Sunday at 3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

[listicle id=486325]

[listicle id=486387]

Instant analysis of Bears’ 20-19 win vs. the Bucs in Week 5

It was another ugly start, but the Bears outlasted the Bucs to improve to 4-1 on the season.

It started to look ugly for the Chicago Bears as they trailed 13-0 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half. But all of a sudden, the Bears got hot and scored 14 unanswered points to end the first half. They carried that momentum over into the fourth quarter, where they were able to outlast the Bucs for a 20-19 win to improve to 4-1 on the season for the first time since 2012.

The first half looked like the Bears were feeling good, confident and had all the momentum, but to start the second half the Bears went three and out. The Buccaneers would capitalize and take a 16-14 lead. Heading into this matchup the Bears haven’t scored any points in the third quarter and it will stay that way for another week.

The Bears get most of their points in the fourth quarter and they opened that up with a 47-yard field goal from Cairos Santos to take a 17-16 lead. The Buccaneers would drive down the field on the next possession and settled for three points for a 19-17 lead.

Down by two, the Bears got the ball back with 4:49 remaining in the game, but couldn’t do anything as they punted the ball to Brady with 2:48 left. The Bears defense would stand tall and force a three and out.

The Bears would get the ball near midfield with 2:21 and the Bears have to be careful – you need three points to win, but you don’t want to give Brady the ball back with time on the lock.

The Buccaneers defense was able to force a third down, but the Bears were able to convert for a first down on a 10-yard reception from Darnell Mooney. The Bears would connect on a 38-yard field goal to take a 20-19 lead, but would leave 1:13 for Brady.

The future first ballot Hall-of-Famer got to work. On the first play Brady was able to connect with Mike Evans for the first down, but that was the only time the Bucs would be able to move the chains. The Bears defense held up and forced a turnover on downs as Brady seemed to be confused rather if it was third or fourth down.

It was a big day for Khalil Mack as he bullied the Buccaneers offensive line. Mack totaled three QB hits, three tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and a pass deflection. The Bears defense caused frustration for Brady as he finished 25-for-41 for 253 yards and one touchdown.

Nick Foles was a bit better than Brady tonight as he finished 30-for-44 for 243 yards with one touchdown, one interception and the game winning drive. The Bears were able to score their first rushing touchdown of the year as David Montgomery found the end-zone in the second quarter.

After a tough loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Bears bounce back and have a long break until they face the Carolina Panthers in Week 6.

WATCH: Khalil Mack sacks Tom Brady, then throws down RT Tristan Wirfs

In case you needed a reminder that Bears OLB Khalil Mack is an absolute beast, watch this play where he sacks two Bucs players.

In case you needed a reminder that Chicago Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack is an absolute beast, look no further than this third-quarter play where Mack sacked not one, but two players.

Mack sacked Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady early in the third quarter, which would’ve been impressive enough. Then he slung right tackle Tristan Wirfs to the ground with one arm.

Welcome to the NFL, rookie.

The Bears trail the Bucs 16-14 in the third quarter.

WATCH: David Montgomery scores Bears’ first rushing TD this season

The Bears got their first rushing touchdown of the season – and it only took 18 quarters to get it.

The Chicago Bears finally have their first rushing touchdown of the season. And it only took 18 quarters to get it.

With the Bears trailing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13-0 in the second quarter, they orchestrated a 10-play, 75-yard drive that milked 5:15 off the clock and resulted in the Bears’ first points of the game.

On second-and-goal from the 3-yard line, running back David Montgomery punched it in for his second touchdown — his first rushing touchdown — of the season.

The Bears lead the Bucs 14-13 at halftime.

Bears final injury report: Deon Bush ruled out, Darnell Mooney questionable vs. Bucs

The Chicago Bears released their final injury report ahead of their Thursday Night Football contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Chicago Bears released their final injury report ahead of their Thursday Night Football contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Safety Deon Bush, who suffered a hamstring injury last Sunday, has been ruled out for Thursday’s game. Meanwhile, safety and special teams ace Sherrick McManis has been ruled doubtful against the Bucs. That leaves the Bears down two reserve safeties for this game.

One of the shocking names on the injury report is rookie receiver Darnell Mooney, who has been declared questionable for Thursday’s game with a shoulder injury. Mooney was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s walkthrough practice.

For the first time this season, outside linebacker Khalil Mack was a full participant in practice. He had been limited in every practice so far this season and ruled questionable in the first four games. This is the first week where he’s full-go, and on a short week, no less.

The Bears and Bucs kick things off at 7:20 p.m. CT on FOX, NFL Network and Amazon Prime.