The Bucs opened up their 2023 regular season on Sunday with a road upset win over the Vikings, winning 20-17 thanks to a strong day from the defense, a turnover-free performance from the offense and a 57-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin. Now, Tampa Bay returns to Raymond James Stadium this Sunday looking to turn 1-0 into 2-0. The Chicago Bears will be in town for the Bucs’ home opener, and it’s a game that sees Todd Bowles’ team entering as the favorite.

The Last Time…

Bucs S Antoine Winfield, Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs and Bears last met in 2021, with Tampa Bay cruising to a 38-3 victory at Raymond James Stadium. Things started fast for Tom Brady and Co., with a Leonard Fournette touchdown and two Brady passing scores (one to Chris Godwin, one to Mike Evans) getting the home team off to a 21-0 start by the end of the first quarter.

The second of those touchdown tosses was Brady’s 600th career passing touchdown, and Evans infamously launched the ball into the stands after scoring (though the ball eventually made its way back). Evans went on to catch two more touchdowns in the second half to complete the blowout win.

The Bucs defense sacked Justin Fields — then a rookie — four times and forced five turnovers (including three interceptions) in the win. There’s been plenty of turnover on the Tampa Bay offense since that game, but this is largely the same defense that will be looking for a repeat performance against Fields and Chicago.

How The Bucs And Bears Are Trending

The Bucs are coming off a big road win to open their season, having fallen behind early before coming back to beat the Vikings in a tough environment. It was an upset victory for Tampa Bay, which was at one time a 6.5-point underdog against the defending NFC North champions.

The win not only got Todd Bowles’ team to 1-0, but it could come back and be a huge help in playoff tiebreaker scenarios way down the line. Not to get too far ahead, though. As far as what’s immediately in front of them, the Bucs have a chance to get to 2-0 this weekend for the third straight season. They’ll also surely be looking to right the wrongs of 2022, when they failed to win their first game in front of the home fans in Tampa.

As for the Bears, things didn’t start off nearly as well for them in Week 1. With Aaron Rodgers no longer in Green Bay and Jordan Love taking over under center for the Packers, there was a chance for things to be different between the two sides. Instead, that wasn’t the case as Love and the Packers thoroughly beat the Bears, 38-20.

Justin Fields was sacked four times, threw a pick-six and fumbled once. Fields and Co. were just 3-of-13 on third downs and appeared to undo some of the hype and hope there might’ve been surrounding the team ahead of Week 1. Now, they’ll look to win on the road in Tampa to recapture some feelings of optimism heading into a big road game against the Chiefs next week.

What Might Decide This Bucs-Bears Matchup?

Bucs S Antoine Winfield, Jr. and OLB Shaquil Barrett – Photo by: USA Today

What this game ultimately boils down to – at least for Todd Bowles’ defense – is limiting what Justin Fields can do with his legs. Now in his third season, Fields is still developing as a quarterback. His decision-making in the pocket still needs some work, and he was less-than-impressive through the air against Green Bay in Week 1.

Even in 2022, when the former Ohio State star showed some promise, he threw 11 interceptions and was a bigger threat on the ground. Fields ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns last year, and he can do damage on both designed runs and out-of-structure plays.

So, knowing Fields’ obvious strengths and the weaknesses he’s still looking to correct, the Bucs have to do everything they can to confine him to the pocket. Yes, the Bears will likely look to establish their ground game not only with Fields, but also with Khalil Herbert, D’Onta Foreman and Roschon Johnson.

But if Tampa Bay sticks to its assignments and stops the run the way it did in Week 1, it will force Chicago into obvious passing situations. If and when that happens, Carlton Davis and/or Jamel Dean – as well as Christian Izien (if healthy) – will have to be up to the task of stopping receivers D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet.

In those passing situations, though, the real key will be to make sure that Fields can’t improvise. Perhaps the Bucs will employ Devin White as a quarterback spy, much like Monte Kiffin did with Derrick Brooks back when Tampa Bay faced the challenge of stopping Michael Vick in his time with the Falcons. Whether it’s that or getting to Fields with heavy blitzes and/or exotic pressures (or a combination of both), priority No. 1 will be to limit what the Bears’ dual-threat signal-caller can do in the run game.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and WR Trey Palmer – Photo by: USA Today

Offensively, the decider for the Bucs may be what kind of start they get out to. Of course, they just proved in Week 1 that they could win a tough game without getting off to the best start. Baker Mayfield and the offense had just one first down before their final drive of the first half. But with a big-time drive to close the first half, a game-changing interception from Izien, a long, clock-killing drive to open the second half and a heck of a field goal by Chase McLaughlin, the Bucs overcame their bad start.

Getting out to a better start against the Bears would really go a long way in setting the Bucs up for success and get them in prime position to improve to 2-0. If the offense can put some points on the board early and build a lead – maybe by a couple of possessions – that could allow the defense to do its thing. A sizable lead for Tampa Bay would force Chicago to get back in the game by throwing the ball, and as the visitors try to do that, it would give Bowles a chance to send loads of pressure and create more of an opportunity for turnovers.

But how can this offense start the game better in Week 2? Getting Rachaad White into a rhythm early on would help a lot, and it would be wise for offensive coordinator Dave Canales to get Mike Evans and Chris Godwin involved as early as possible. There probably shouldn’t be a world where Ko Kieft is getting the lion’s share of targets early in a game, even if those plays were arguably open. With better execution off the bat and early-and-often involvement from their playmakers on offense, the Bucs could set themselves up to cruise to a win.

Key Players To Watch

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As important as it will be for the Bucs to get the ball to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, second-year tight end Cade Otton may be one to keep an eye on against Chicago. He only had three targets in Week 1, catching two of them for 19 yards. But he was heavily involved in training camp and the preseason, so seeing him forge a larger presence wouldn’t be much of a surprise. The matchup could help, too. Last week, the Bears allowed rookie tight end Luke Musgrave to post 50 yards on three catches, with leak concepts being a big problem for the Chicago defense.

For the Bucs’ defense, Devin White deserves a whole lot of focus. He was utterly remarkable in Week 1 against the Vikings, flying to the ball and racking up a team-high 12 tackles. These weren’t just tackles down the field, either. He was coming up with some big-time run stops near the line of scrimmage and registered a tackle for loss. White, who is in a contract year, started off his 2023 campaign with a 90.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. With his speed, he can wreck this game against the Bears, especially if Justin Fields is his responsibility.

The Bears will need D.J. Moore to be a bigger part of the offense in Week 2. Chicago gave up the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft to get Moore and four draft picks. That’s why it was puzzling when the former Panther had just two catches for 25 yards on two targets last week against the Packers. As Fields looks to air it out a little more, he’ll need to establish a connection with his new No. 1 receiver. In 10 career games against Tampa Bay, Moore has caught 58 passes for 766 yards and three touchdowns, so there’s some prior success there to build on.

Yannick Ngakoue is perhaps the one Bears pass rusher that warrants some worry. He picked up a sack and two tackles for loss in Week 1, and he’ll be looking to get after Baker Mayfield on Sunday. The Buccaneer offensive line actually protected Mayfield well against the Vikings, ranking seventh in the league in pass protection based on aggregated measures. If Ngakoue is neutralized by the Tampa Bay offensive line, Chicago’s defense may not have too much else to throw at Mayfield.

Bucs vs. Bears Game Information

When: Sunday, Sept. 17
Where: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: FOX – Joe Davis (Play by Play), Daryl Johnston (Analyst), Pam Oliver (Reporter)
Bucs Radio: 98Rock – Gene Deckerhoff (Play by Play), Dave Moore (Color), T.J. Rives (Reporter)
Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente – Carlos Bohorquez (Play by Play), Martín Gramática (Analyst)