Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Everything you need to know about the Week 9 game before kickoff
The 6-2 Chicago Bears will play the 3-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field in a Week 9 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (7:20 p.m., NBC-5).
5 things to watch — plus our Week 9 predictions
The Bears finish a slate of three consecutive primetime games with a “Sunday Night Football” matchup against the Buccaneers. The Bears are riding a three-game winning streak, while the Bucs have won three of four. Both have a bye in Week 10.
The Bucs won the previous two meetings, including a 27-17 home win on Sept. 17, 2023, the most recent matchup. But the Bears have won the last three at Soldier Field. Read more here.
Caleb Williams didn’t just black out his cleats’ logo. The Bears QB blocked a growing controversy.
Thankfully, Chicago Bears fans, you didn’t have to wait for the other shoe to drop.
On Monday night, Caleb Williams averted a potential Cleat Crisis — escalating a battle of wills between himself and the NFL — by covering the unauthorized logo of the Caddix cleats he has been wearing since at least the preseason.
“Yeah, just to calm things down, man,” Williams said. Read more here.
Kalif Raymond arrived as ‘the greatest teammate’ and a playmaker. The Bears are seeing why.
Kalif Raymond began the season on a tear. The Bears receiver caught a career-high eight passes for 84 yards in the Week 1 road victory against the Panthers. After three games, he led the team with 19 receptions for 214 yards.
Raymond has settled into the No. 3 role he was signed to fill in free agency. Still, the 32-year-old veteran in his 11th season is on pace for a career year. He has 28 receptions for 258 yards and one touchdown and needs just 20 more catches to match his career high from 2021, the season Ben Johnson was the passing game coordinator for the Lions. Read more here.
How Jeffery Simmons changes everything — in ways both obvious and subtle
The Bears traded for Jeffery Simmons because he affects the game in so many ways, both the obvious and the more subtle. Both were on display Monday in Seattle. The results were there almost immediately, and they changed everything for the Bears defense.
“He raises the level of everybody on the field,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. Read more here.
The final nail in the coffin was an interception by Bears defensive tackle James Lynch. Defensive end Austin Booker swatted a pass by Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, and Lynch came down with the football for his first NFL pick.
On a Monday night when the Bears defense stifled the Seahawks for much of the game, a takeaway was the only thing missing. Lynch’s interception changed that — and led to running back D’Andre Swift’s third touchdown.
The Bears won 34-17 on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions, improving to 6-2 on the season.