Big Baker Mayfield game loading.

The NFL it-girl (and a Polski from Chicago, no less) is betting on a big night from Baker Mayfield along Lakeshore Drive.

Kay Adams took to her platform yesterday, “Up and Adams,” and made no bones about it. Mayfield has been in the shadows for far too long and is due for a massive blow-up.

Having thrown a grand total of seven passes since he dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand against Minnesota, Mayfield, Adams said, is overdue to light up a scoreboard.

Despite the Bucs being one of the best (maybe the best?) running team in the NFL, Adams instead believes the Bears will overpursue the Bucs’ running backs. With Chicago being soft against the pass, Adams said tomorrow night’s game is a perfect setup for Mayfield to go off on national television.

“This has to be and will be the game that we see Baker Mayfield shine again,” Adams said. “I think that’s what happens.

“The Bucs have been running their way — No. 1 run offense right now. Can [Jeffery] Simmons stop it? It’ll be very interesting to see.

“But the opportunities to beat Chicago, they will come through the air. They will, on the perimeter. Like you could take your shots [at] the corners, all of that.

“The Bears are giving up the third-most yards per attempt of any team in the league. Second-most yards per [passing] play. You can throw on this team.”

Joe loves ya’ Kay, but this ain’t the passing team to be able to take advantage of the Bears’ long-pass weakness, if it is a weakness.

The stars are not aligned, sadly, Joe believes. The Bucs have a rotten record in Soldier Field. The last time the Bucs had a decent game up there (where they won convincingly) was in 1998, when Trent Dilfer (!) led the Bucs to a 31-17 win by tossing three touchdown passes.

(In 2002, when the Bucs won the Super Bowl and shut out the Bears on the road, the Bucs did not play in Chicago that year; they instead played in Champaign at the University of Illinois. Soldier Field was undergoing a major renovation.)

This century, the Bucs are 2-6 at Soldier Field. And we all know how badly KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles (6-14 as Bucs coach) and Mayfield (2-10 with Bucs) are in primetime games, including playoff games.

Besides, the Bucs’ passing attack has been atrocious this season. Horrible! It’s Week 9 and the Bucs rank No. 30 in explosive play rate in the passing game. (In the run game, the Bucs are the No. 5 team in explosive plays.)

In successful play rate in the passing game, the Bucs ranks No. 29.

(Explosive play and successful play stats from data analyst Sam Hoppen’s Substack.)

Why would any thinking person like Adams believe the Bucs will magically demonstrate they can win by passing? If anything, the Bucs have put the forward pass on ice, as they should, as bad as their passing attack has been.

Everything about this game suggests the Bucs will find out the hard way what it’s like playing the big boys of the NFL.

But if the Bucs somehow pull off this upset, Joe would be so damn happy, Joe just might throw down a Goose Island 312 or a Green Line.

Baker Mayfield game Sunday in Chicago.

Got to. pic.twitter.com/YqOej5L5mv

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) November 6, 2026