Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 2 Prediction

You never want to say it’s desperation time after only one week of football. The Chicago Bears have 16 games left. One loss shouldn’t define their season. Still, people with common sense can see the danger. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just got done beating Minnesota, a team many feel is superior to the Bears. Now they return home to the Florida heat. If Chicago doesn’t pull this one out, they have Kansas City on deck. That virtually guarantees a 0-3 start to the season.

Teams rarely climb out of holes that steep. So yeah. This is a game the Bears can’t afford to drop. They probably know that. One should expect they will arrive with a sense of purpose. Whether it’s enough to overcome their own mistakes remains to be seen.

Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers breakdown

Backstory:

Last year, the Bears won in upset fashion over San Francisco, and everybody was ready to believe they could have a winning season. The following week, they were thumped by Green Bay, giving signs of who they really were. Fans will likely have a good idea of who this Bears team is in Tampa Bay on Sunday. If they look like the team that flopped at Soldier Field last weekend, that is probably who they will be for the rest of the year. Nobody is under greater pressure to rebound than the coaching staff. Matt Eberflus and his coordinator must deliver a competent game plan on both sides of the ball.

Injuries:

Lavonte David (concussion) – The ageless star linebacker remains a key part of Tampa Bay’s run defense. He was a big presence against Minnesota. Not having him on Sunday would be a considerable loss for the Bucs, both in his experience and his leadership. Their linebackers will have the primary task of corralling Fields. David has a long track record of playing mobile quarterbacks.

Kyler Gordon (hand) – It was a bad sign when the promising second-year cornerback left the game and was immediately declared out. There are rumblings Gordon suffered a broken hand. If that is true and bypasses surgery, he’s looking at a recovery time of three weeks. There is an outside chance he tries to play with a cast. Smart money says he’s going to miss a few games.

Key matchups:

Jaylon Johnson vs. Mike Evans – Quarterback Baker Mayfield leaned heavily on Evans in the opening game against Minnesota, targeting him ten times. That figures to continue again this week. Johnson is usually the one drawing the primary matchup. He’ll have to be ready because Evans abused him for 57 yards and two touchdowns in their last meeting two years ago. Containing him is a must for the Chicago Bears’ defense.

Calijah Kancey vs. Nate Davis – Davis barely practiced in training camp and didn’t play in the preseason. So it shouldn’t have been a surprise he was rusty against Green Bay. Yet to give up nine pressures? That is rough. Interior protection remains a big issue for the Bears. It will be tested again by Tampa Bay, specifically their 1st round pick Calijah Kancey, who’s known for his explosiveness up the middle. Davis has to be ready for it.

X-factors:

Antoine Winfield Jr. – The former Pro Bowl safety is the Swiss army knife of Todd Bowles’ defense. He’s used in a variety of different ways but is especially deadly as a blitzer. He sacked Fields in the last meeting and hit him another team. He also had a forced fumble. This is a guy the Bears must account for on every snap. Tampa Bay is going to move him everywhere and almost definitely blitz him.

D.J. Moore – The Buccaneers defense was gashed through the air by Minnesota for 344 yards. Their cornerbacks are vulnerable. Nobody knows this better than Moore. He faced them twice last year and combined for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Tampa rarely has answers for him. It comes down to Fields getting him the football. Two targets won’t cut it. The Bears should go his way early and often.

Prediction: Bears win 21-17

This has the makings of another messy game. For Chicago, everything hinges on Fields. Tampa Bay has a stout run defense. So this isn’t one they’re likely to win on the ground. The Bears need their quarterback to perform. One piece of good news? He was actually quite effective against the blitz last week, going 9-of-11 for 96 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers blitzed on 44.7% of their snaps last week. Bowles will bring the heat. If Fields can weather the storm, he’ll have opportunities for big plays.