Game 4

Bucs (2-1) at Bears (2-1)

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

TV: WTVT-TV Channel 13, DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Channel 709. 

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (WXTB-FM 97.9 in the Tampa-St.Petersburg region; 97.9 FM ESPN Radio in Tallahassee); Spanish language broadcasts on WTMP-FM 96.1 and WMGG-AM 1470 in Tampa; SiriusXM Channel 127.

Weather: Looks to be a crummy day on the banks of Lake Michigan. Per AccuWeather.com, there will be rain leading up to kickoff throughout the morning. Midway through the first half, the rain should subside until after the game. Tailgaters will tolerate temperatures in the upper-50s. Kickoff temperature is expected to be 63 and will gradually rise to 67.

Odds: Per FootballLocks.com, Bears -3.

Outlook: Is this the week Fitzmagic turns into a pumpkin? Until Joe hears otherwise, he will stick with Jay Glazer’s report on FOX Sports last week. Glazer’s sources told him Fitz would start. But with the Bears having one of the best defenses in the NFL, is this when the cold slap of reality comes through? If the Bucs can give Fitz time, Joe is intrigued to see if he can slice up the Bears defense. On the other side of the line of scrimmage is Mitch Trubisky. The second-year Bears quarterback has yet to throw for 300 yards in a game in the now exploding, pass-happy league. He also has more picks than touchdown passes. If Trubisky lights up the Bucs’ secondary, which is allowing league-worst passing yards, then Joe might suggest a group of folks at One Buc Palace need to have an intervention with defensive coordinator Mike Smith later in the week.

Trinkets: The Bears rank fifth in the NFL in yards allowed per game and second in rushing yards allowed per game. On offense, the Bears are No. 26 yards per game. … QB Mitch Trubisky aims for 3rd game in row with 200+ pass yards. … RB Jordan Howard has 3 rush touchdowns in his past four games at home. Since 2016, he ranks 2nd in NFL with 2,613 rushing yards. RB Tarik Cohen has a rushing touchdown and a touchdown receiving. He has had a touchdown in each of his four games against an NFC South foe. …  WR Allen Robinson has two touchdowns. … LB Khalil Mack had 5 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble last week. In three games with the Bears, Mack has 4 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pick-six. Since 2015, Mack is the only NFL player with 40+ sacks (40.5) and 200+ tackles (241). …  DT Eddie Goldman had a sack in the last Bucs-Bears game and had an interception and his first career sack last week. … The Bucs lead the NFL in passing and total offense but are dead last in passing yards allowed. … QB Ryan Fitzpatrick passed for 411 yards with 3 touchdowns and three picks last week against the Steelers. Fitz became the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 400 passing yards in three straight games. He leads the NFL with 1,230 passing yards and ranks second with 11 touchdown passes. … RB Peyton Barber has averaged 103 yards a game in his past two contests against an NFC North team. … WR Mike Evans had 6 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown last week. He had 7 receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown in his last game against the Bears. In his past three games, Evans has 23 catches for 367 yards (122.3 per game) and three touchdowns. He looks to have his fourth straight game with a touchdown catch. His 367 receiving yards rank second in the NFL. …  DT Gerald McCoy has 2.5 sacks and a forced fumble in four career meetings with the Bears. He has 41 sacks since 2013, tied with Geno Atkins for most by an NFL defensive tackle. … DE Jason Pierre-Paul had two sacks and a forced fumble last week. He had 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a pass defended in his last game against the Bears. JPP is on pace for 16 sacks this season. … LB Lavonte David had nine tackles and three tackles for loss last week. Looks to have his fourth straight game of at least nine tackles. He had nine tackles and a forced fumble in last game against the Bears. … S Justin Evans had a pick last week. He is looking for his third game in a row with at least six tackles and a pass defended.

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