Game Preview: Buccaneers Look to Remain Undefeated While Facing the Chicago Bears

Following an ugly win on the road at Minnesota to open the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will compete in their first game of 2023 at Raymond James Stadium, as they play host to the Chicago Bears.

With the NFC still at a point of flux — especially when compared to the AFC — a number of prognosticators expect to see a solid improvement from the Chicago Bears this season.

At the same time, there's no denying that Bears' GM, Ryan Poles, still has plenty of work to do when it comes to building out a more well-rounded and competitive roster. The Bears have some pieces, no doubt. But they've also got some pretty big holes.

In their week one loss at home to Green Bay — where the Packers prevailed by a score of 37-20 — the Bears struggled to generate any type of production through the air. This stems from a few things.

First of all, the Bears' offensive line is still a major work in progress. Back in April, Chicago drafted Darnell Wright — who was my top-rated tackle in the draft — in the first round. That said, Wright is a rookie starting at right tackle, so it's fair to expect some growing pains this year. Beyond that, the talent just isn't there up front for the Bears. Their starting left tackle, Braxton Jones, is a former 5th-round pick, and their center, Lukas Patrick, was a UDFA.

A lack of experience and top-tier talent along the offensive line is troublesome on its own. But that issue is magnified further when you consider the lack of game-breaking talent that they have at the skill positions. Don't get me wrong, D.J. Moore is very talented. But if you ask me, there isn't a lot of diversity among the Bears' playmakers. Moore's talent won't be fully unleashed until he has a bigger-bodied wide receiver — that opposing defenses also have to worry about — to play alongside him.

Chase Claypool — who is already much closer to entering Matt Eberflus' doghouse than he was in the endzone in week 1 — is proving to be a major waste of draft capital. It was just last season that GM, Ryan Poles, traded a top-32 pick to the Steelers in exchange for Claypool's services.

Although I am a believer in Justin Fields' talent, his production as a passer at the NFL level has been disappointing. Although I blame a lot of that on Matt Nagy's coaching, the proof is in the pudding.

Defensively, the Bears are rebuilding. After trading away Roquan Smith, and bypassing the opportunity to draft Jalen Carter, there's no question that they are also lacking talent and depth on the defensive side of the field.

This isn't meant to be an indictment on the Bears roster, but it needs to be acknowledged that this football team — despite some optimism for this season — is still very much in the thick of their rebuilding process.

For the Buccaneers, there's definitely room for optimism as they enter this week 2 contest. Most people (myself included), picked the Buccaneers' to drop their season opener on the road at Minnesota. But instead they generated turnovers on defense, avoided turnovers on offense, and played smart football down the stretch in a very hostile environment.

It was an encouraging performance, especially considering the fact that it was Baker Mayfield's first game as a Buccaneer. He was poised, and he played smart football. If he can carry that momentum forward, I expect many more yards to be gained through the air in this matchup.

Defensively, the Buccaneers are set up well to defend Justin Fields and the Bears. With arguably the league's most dynamic duo at the linebacker position (yeah, I said it), I think spying Justin Fields with either White or David, is likely the play. Not only that, but Todd Bowles has a big bag of tricks in his pocket, which I'm sure he's salivating at the thought of unleashing on an inexperienced Bears offense.

If the Bucs can contain Justin Fields on the ground, I believe they have what it takes to clamp down on the Bears' passing attack — if you can call it that? — even without Carlton Davis, should he be unable to go.

Based on how these two teams match up, it would be a big disappointment if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are unable to secure a win at home vs. the Chicago Bears.

The Bucs need to continue to build off the early momentum they established from their week 1 victory in Minnesota. I expect them to do that on Sunday.

You can follow Collin Haalboom on X.

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