Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears: Week 7 Game Preview

The Bucs are missing some key players heading into their Week 7 contest with the Bears.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) host the Chicago Bears (3-3) in hopes of starting 6-1 for the first time in franchise history. The Bucs know they have a tough opponent coming up in the Bears, especially when it comes to Chicago's defense. The Bears defense was a big reason as to why the Bucs left Chicago as losers in last year's 20-19 contest.

But that was last year and as any head coach or player would tell you: The Bucs have moved on with their lives.

So how will this year's matchup play out? Let's dive into this week's preview.

Overview

• All-time series: The Bears lead the all-time series, 40-20.
• Longest win streak: Chicago won 12 in a row from 1983-1988.
• Largest margin of victory: The Bucs trounced the Bears, 41-0, in 2000.
• 2021 offensive and defensive rankings: The Bucs average the third-most yards per game on offense (1st pass, 28th run) and the ninth-ranked defense (27th pass, 1st run). Tampa Bay averages 32.5 points per game on offense (3rd) and has allowed 24.0 points per game on defense (t-17th). The Bears currently have the NFL's worst offense (32nd pass, 7th run) and the seventh-ranked defense (9th pass, 16th run). Chicago averages 16.3 points per game (30th) on offense, while allowing 20.7 points per game on defense (8th).

Tom Brady is on fire through the first six games of the year. Photo credit: John A. Babiak/@Photog_JohnB

What To Watch For

• The Bucs offensive line vs. the Bears pass rush: The Bears are tied with the Vikings for the league's most sacks and have the NFL's highest adjusted sack rate. This is scary considering the fact they have the fourth-lowest blitz rate in the NFL. The Bucs offensive line is one of the league's best units when it comes to pass protection and it will need to be at the top of its game this week.
• Containing Justin Fields: The Bucs did a really job of containing Jalen Hurts last week, which bodes well for this game. Fields is faster and more athletic, however, so it'll present a different challenge for the Bucs defense. Regardless, Tampa Bay has to keep Fields from making out-of-structure plays. Making the rookie create plays from inside the pocket will go a long way in stalling the Bears offense, so the Bucs must make sure they contain Fields this week.
• The Bucs run defense vs. the Bears rushing attack: The Bears employ a steady rushing attack, which really helps take pressure off of Fields. The Bucs are on the verge of NFL history when it comes to their run defense, so it will be interesting to see how these two units square up against each other once the game kicks off.
• Who steps up in place of Antonio Brown: The Bucs still have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, so it's not like they're hurting at receiver without AB in the lineup, but the offense can't rely on those two guys for the entire game. Names like Tyler Johnson, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate -even a Jaelon Darden- need to step up against the Bears.
• Chicago's red zone defense: The Bears defense is holding opponents to a 45% touchdown rate once they enter the red area, which is the third-lowest rate in the NFL. The Bucs are going to have to make sure they score touchdowns in the red zone because the last thing they want to do is give a rookie quarterback and a scrappy team any extra confidence by letting them hang around.

Impact Players

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Ts Tristan Wirfs and Donovan Smith: The Bears defense thrives on its ability to get pressure off the edge. How much pressure they garner will be dictated by Wirfs and Smith.
• RB Leonard Fournette: The Bears defense is susceptible to a good rushing attack,
• WR Tyler Johnson: He'll take over for Brown and will need to make plays when his number is called.
• DL Ndamukong Suh: The veteran defensive lineman will win some of his 1-v-1s today, which will be key in keeping Fields contained.
• OLB Shaquil Barrett: He's in the top-5 when it comes to total pressures and has 4.5 sacks through the first six games. Barrett has another favorable matchup this week in Elijah Wilkinson.
• S Antoine Winfield Jr.: The return of Winfield Jr. is a major boost to the Bucs secondary.

Chicago Bears

• QB Justin Fields: How will the rookie quarterback handle Todd Bowles' defense?
• RB Damien Williams: Fresh off the COVID-19 list, Williams will have a tough test against the Bucs run defense.
• WR Allen Robinson: The veteran receiver hasn't had many big games this year, but that could easily change against a depleted Bucs secondary.
• DL Bilal Nichols: Akiem Hicks has been ruled out, therefore it's up to Nichols to create that interior disruption Hicks is so well-known for.
• EDGE Khalil Mack: Mack is still one of the best EDGE rushers in the game and leads the team with 6.0 sacks.
• S Eddie Jackson: Jackson and Winfield Jr. are very similar, meaning Jackson is always moving around the defense. The Bucs will have to account for him on every play.

Cool Stats

• Since the start of the 2020 season, Tampa Bay ranks second in sacks allowed per pass attempt (3.3%) and leads the NFL in most games without allowing a sack (7).
• Since Evans entered the league in 2014, he and Brown both rank in the top five in both 100-yard receiving games and multi-touchdown performances.
• The Bucs are just 1 of 2 teams with 250+ net a yards in all six games this season. The Chiefs are the other team.
• Fournette has now recorded 100+ yards from scrimmage in three consecutive games for the first time since Weeks 4-8 of the 2019 season when he did so in five consecutive games. 

*Stats provided by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Communications Department

Antoine Winfield Jr.'s return is a big deal for the Bucs defense.

Game Outlook

The Bucs are going to be without some big names this week and when you think about said names' roles on the team, there's reason to be concerned for the Bucs going into this game. 

But Tampa Bay still matches up with Chicago really well in a few areas. The Bucs' front seven should have a good day against the Bears' front five, the Bucs receivers match up well with the Bears secondary, and of course, the Bucs are much better suited at quarterback than the Bears. 

I normally don't buy into revenge games, but last year's matchup in Chicago gets brought pretty often when it comes to talking about last year and the changes the team made after the 20-19 loss. The Bucs know they let one go last year and they'll look to make that right this week.

"That was a tough loss and I think we learned a lot from that loss last year," Tom Brady told reporters Thursday. "There [were] a lot of self-inflicted issues, there [were] a lot of penalties, there was a lot of miscommunication, there [were] a lot of things that weren't clean. And then ultimately, we have a chance to win the game in two-minute by going down and kicking a field goal, and we don't get the job done. So, penalties, not coming through in critical situations – I think that's something that we've come through in critical situations. We've cut down on the penalties, but we've got to stress that and continue to stress that all the time. It's not like that's ever a finished subject, either. You've got to work at it every day. You've got to sharpen your skills. You take nothing for granted.

As a result, the Bucs win a close one and move to 6-1 for the first time in franchise history on Sunday.

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