Sunday Night Football has a banger in store for us when Tampa Bay (3-5) goes to Soldier Field for a showdown with the Chicago Bears (6-2). Both teams are running hot. Chicago has won three straight, and Tampa Bay the past two, plus three of the past four games. The Bears are listed as -6.5 point favorites after the line was -3.5 last Sunday.
Tampa Bay made history as they became the first team since September 29, 1974, to have zero completions in a game! Baker Mayfield went 0-of-3, and the Bucs beat the Falcons 16-0 in a monsoon of a game. The Buccaneers have run the ball 105 times in the last two games versus 14 passes! Bucky Irving had 106 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries versus Carolina, then a season-high 170 yards and a score on 27 attempts against Atlanta. In those same games, Kenneth Gainwell posted season-highs of 88 and 140 rushing yards on 14 and 25 carries. Mayfield has had it easy, but that won’t be the case Sunday Night when Tampa Bay hits the road to Chicago.
Chicago’s defense has held six out of eight teams to 24 or fewer points, including the past three. The Bears rank top 10 in blitz rate (34.6%) and have the second-fewest light box rate in the NFL (32.4%). Chicago did start the year struggling to stop the run, but they’ve come around during the three-game winning streak. Offensively, Chicago looks like a juggernaut when Caleb Williams is on the field. In his three games back from injury, Chicago has scored 31, 30, and 34 points, and he’s completed 73% of his passes with a 4:0 TD-to-INT ratio. D’Andre Swift is coming off his second three rushing touchdown game of the season and now has seven of his NFL-leading 10 rushing touchdowns in the last four games. To keep up with Chicago’s offense, Baker and the boys better be ready on primetime!
Let’s dive into the numbers and see if we can’t find an additional sweat or two.
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Game details and how to watch Bears vs Buccaneers
· Date: Sunday, November 8, 2026
· Time: 8:20 PM ET
· Site: Soldier Field
· City: Chicago, IL
· TV/Streaming: NBC | Peacock
NBC Sports is your home for all the latest updates on this matchup, featuring live odds, player news, expert analysis, and predictions.
Latest Game Odds for Buccaneers at Bears
The latest odds courtesy of DraftKings:
· Moneyline: Chicago Bears (-290), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+235)
· Spread: Bears -6 (-112)
· Total: 47.5
The look ahead spread for this game was Bears -3.5 with a total of 48.5. After Chicago’s win against Seattle, the market has supported them to -6.
NBC Sports Bet Best Bets
Expert picks & predictions for Bears vs Buccaneers
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes Baker Mayfield to go Over his passing attempts prop:
“Baker Mayfield and the Bucs became the first quarterback/team to not complete a pass since September 29, 1974! Mayfield went 0-for-3, and that was after he went 7-of-11 in a blowout win over Carolina the week prior; both at home. This is the spot where Mayfield will have to throw on the road, and given how efficient Chicago and Ben Johnson‘s offense is, Tampa will have to match that and go score for score. I like Mayfield to go over his passing attempts prop and think that will be a good bet for the next few weeks.”
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Buccaneers vs Bears betting trends and stats
Buccaneers betting trends
- Tampa Bay is 3-5 ATS, ranking sixth-worst
- Tampa Bay is 4-4 to the Over
- Tampa Bay is 2-3 ATS and 3-2 to the Over as an underdog
- Tampa Bay is 2-1 ATS and 2-1 to the Over on the road
- Tampa Bay is 15-9 ATS as a road underdog since 2022, ranking fifth-best
- Tampa Bay is 11-13 on the ML as a road underdog since 2022, ranking fifth-best
- Tampa Bay is 14-10 to the Over as a road underdog since 2022, ranking seventh-best
Bears betting trends
- Chicago is an NFL-best 6-2 ATS
- Chicago is 4-4 to the Over
- Chicago is 4-2 ATS as a favorite and 3-3 to the Over
- Chicago is 3-1 to the Under at home
- Chicago is 2-1 ATS as a home favorite and 2-1 to the Under
- Chicago is an NFL-best 6-0 ATS versus non-divisional opponents
- Chicago is 4-2 to the Over versus non-divisional opponents
- Chicago is an NFL-best 18-9 ATS since the start of 2025
- Chicago is 6-3 ATS as a home favorite since the start of 2025
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Quarterback matchup for Bears vs Bucs
· Tampa Bay: Baker Mayfield – Baker Mayfield has had the easiest job in football over the last two weeks. Tampa Bay has run the ball 105 times, and Mayfield has thrown 14 passes! He just became the first quarterback/team since 1974 to not complete a pass in a game, and they won 16-0! The weather for this game will be much better (not a monsoon), and we’ll see how Mayfield looks since his injury.
· Chicago: Caleb Williams – In his three games back, Caleb Williams and Chicago have scored at least 30 points in all three, and he’s thrown four touchdowns, no interceptions, and has a 73.7% completion percentage (76/103). He is now a top-five favorite for MVP (+500), and Chicago is a top-three favorite for the Super Bowl (+780). While the numbers may not scream MVP, the eye test has. Williams has been phenomenal outside the rainstorm against Minnesota in Week 2 when he was sequentially injured late. When pressured this season, Williams has a 65.4% completion percentage and ranks No. 1 in the NFL with an 83% true completion percentage overall. In a clean pocket, he’s been the best quarterback in the NFL statistically, so I’d expect Tampa Bay to up their fifth-ranked blitz rate (39.2%) in an attempt to make Williams uneasy.
Bears vs Buccaneers Injury Update
Bears injuries
- RB Kyle Monangai (thumb) is questionable
- DT Grady Jarrett (groin) is questionable
- CB Malik Muhamed II (toe) is questionable
Buccaneers injuries
- WR Emeka Egbuka (foot) is questionable
- LB Yaya Diaby (knee) is out
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