Game 9

Bucs at Bears

Kickoff: 8:20 p.m.

TV: NBC (WFLA-TV Channel 8, locally) with Mike Tirico and Mrs. Mahomes, Cris Collinsworth.

Streaming: Peacock, NFL+. (Geographic restrictions may apply; subscription may be required).

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network WXTB-FM 97.9 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region with Tony Castricone, Dave Moore and Jay Recher. (Transmisiones de radio en español en WTMP-FM 96.1 y WMGG-AM 1470 en Tampa, con Santiago Gramática y Martin Gramática.). Additional stations throughout Florida carrying the game on the Buccaneers Radio Network can be found here. The game will also be broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 193 (Buccaneers Radio Network feed). The Westwood One national radio call can be heard on SiriusXM NFL Radio Channel 88.

Weather: By Chicago standards in early November, this will be toasty warm. But as always, it will be windy along the shores of Lake Michigan. Who says? Why, the good people of AccuWeather.com, that’s who. Sunday afternoon will be sweatshirt weather in downtown Chicago for tailgaters, with the temperature pushing near 60. That will drop as the sun sets, with a temperature of 52 expected at kickoff. That will, surprisingly for Chicago, be rather steady, as it is expected to be only 49 by the end of the game. Wind will be an issue with gusts up to 17 mph.

Odds: Per Hard Rock Bet, as of midnight, Bucs +6 (-110); over/under 47.5.

Referees: Ron Torbert and his gang will work tonight’s game. Per League Station, Torbert’s outfit averages three penalties a quarter and 107 penalty yards a game. Torbert and his posse are pretty down the middle, averaging six penalties for each team per game.

Injuries:

Outlook: Joe guesses folks have to hype up games. And Joe isn’t buying the hype but hopes the hype is right. And you know what Joe thinks about the word “hope.” Joe isn’t buying the Bears are the 1984 49ers or the 1999 Rams. The Bears are good, damn good, and they look better than the Bucs. Hey, the Bucs defense is playing really well. But at some point you have to score points. Joe loved how Bucs coach Todd Bowles has turned his offense into a 2026 version of Woody Hayes ball. Bowles likely ordered this, in part, because the Bucs’ passing attack is such a meirda de pollo offense. The Bucs can at least score by pounding the ball. But will it be enough to outplay maybe the next NFL superstar quarterback, Caleb Williams? Joe doesn’t believe so. And that is the problem. Baker Mayfield, aside from his starring role alongside comely Kay Adams in a burger commercial, has been in a massive slump. Joe will ask again: When was the last time Mayfield had a good game in a Bucs win? Joe thinks it was the win over San Francisco last October when he put the Bucs on his back and carried the team to victory. Since, Mayfield has been meh. Throw Mayfield and Bowles have truly rotten records in night games, and the Bucs having a terrible history at Soldier Field, Joe has very, very little faith the Bucs can pull out a win tonight. *IF* the Bucs somehow win, Joe will be a full-blown believer this team is going to the playoffs. They still could with a loss, but it sure would be nice to see a night win on the road against one of the NFL’s better teams.

Fun facts: … Bucs QB Baker Mayfield has a touchdown pass in 3 of his past 4. Aims for 19th in a row in primetime with a touchdown pass. Passed for 317 yards and a touchdown in the last meeting with the Bears and aims for a third in a row against Chicago with 240+ pass yards and a touchdown. … RB Bucky Irving rushed for a season-high 170 yards and a touchdown in Week 8. … RB Kenny Gainwell rushed for a season-high 140 yards last week. He and Bucky became the first pair of teammates in 50 seasons and the fourth pair of teammates in NFL history, each with 20+ rush attempts and 125+ rushing yards in the same game. … WR Chris Godwin ranks sixth among active receivers since 2017 with 639 receptions. Aims for his third straight against the Bears with at least five catches and 55 receiving yards. … WR Tez Johnson has a touchdown catch in 2 of his past 3 night games. … NT Vita Vea had 1.5 sacks in last meeting against Chicago. … ILB Alex Anzalone had 6 tackles, a tackle for loss and two picks last week, one of two LBs (Devin Lloyd) with two interceptions in a single game this season. Aims for a third straight game with a pass defended. Has 67 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and three passes defended in eight career games against the Bears. … ILB Josiah Trotter had five tackles last week. Trotter ranks third among rookies with 62 tackles. Looks for his eighth straight with at least five tackles. he has a pass defensed in two of his last three games. … CB Jacob Parrish had 7 tackles, a tackle for loss, two passes defensed and a pick last week in the Mud Bowl against the Dixie Chicks. Parrish has at least two passes defensed in his last five games, the longest active streak in the NFL. In his last night game against the Cowboys this season, Parrish had a career-high four passes defensed. … CB Zyon McCollum had an interception last week. Looks for his third game in a row with an interception. … Bears QB Caleb Williams completed 24 of 34 attempts (70.6 percent) for 247 yards and a touchdown in Week 8. Aims for a fourth game in a row with a touchdown pass. Looks for his seventh consecutive primetime with a touchdown pass. Williams has 300+ passing yards in 2 of his past 3 night games. … RB D’Andre Swift led the Bears with 69 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground last week. Aims for his ninth-straight game with 70+ scrimmage yards and his fifth game in a row with a touchdown. Swift had 130 rushing yards in his last game against the Bucs in September 2023 while playing for the Eagles. … WR Luther Burden had a touchdown catch last week. He has 95+ receiving yards in 2 of his past. … WR Rome Odunze led the Bears with 87 receiving yards in a win over Seattle. Looks for his third straight with 65+ receiving yards. … TE Colston Loveland had 7 receptions for 65 yards last week. Aims for a fourth straight with six or more catches for 65 or more yards. He has a touchdown catch in 2 of his past 3 games. … DL Jeffery Simmons co-led the Bears with 6 tackles and had a sack and a pass defensed in his Bears debut at Seattle. Simmons has a sack in two of his last three games. … LB Deven Bush co-led the team with 6 tackles and had a sack at Seattle. Has 6+ tackles in 3 of his past 4 games. Has a tackle for loss in 3 of his past 4 night games. … DL Montez Sweat had a sack at Seattle and has a sack in three of his last four night games.

"I don't think it's hyperbole to say the [Bucs defense] is a step up from the Seahawks' defense for the Bears offense."@whale_capper and @croucherJD preview SNF between the Bears (-6) and Buccaneers: pic.twitter.com/fibgBRSkjx

— Rotoworld by NBC Sports (@rotoworld) November 6, 2026

The Kelce brothers were LOVING watching Baker’s block into the mud 🗣😂

🎥: @newheightshow
🔜: #TBvsCHI Nov. 8 @ 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC pic.twitter.com/y87iZbRx9G

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) November 6, 2026