Buccaneers at Bears: NFL's top two rushing offenses meet in Chicago

The Buccaneers arrive in Chicago carrying a historic stat line and an open question. Last Sunday they beat Atlanta 16-0 in a rainstorm in Tampa with 324 rushing yards and not a single completion: Baker Mayfield attempted three passes and completed none. It was the first time since 1974 that an NFL team won without completing a pass. The Bears, by contrast, come off a 34-17 win in Seattle with a balanced offense and a quarterback, Caleb Williams, who has not thrown an interception since returning from his hamstring injury. Sunday Night Football will test how far Tampa Bay can carry its formula on the road, against a defense that leads the NFL in preventing third-down conversions.

• Competition: NFL 2026 regular season, Week 9.
• Matchup: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) at Chicago Bears (6-2).
• Kickoff: Sunday, November 8, 7:20 p.m. CST in Chicago (8:20 p.m. ET); Monday, November 9, 01:20 UTC.
• Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois.

Tampa Bay ran its way out of a hole

The Buccaneers opened 0-4. They have since won three of four, including the last two, and sit second in the NFC South, a division in which none of the four teams is above .500. The turnaround rests mainly on the run game: Tampa Bay leads the league at 168.6 rushing yards per game and has piled up 925 over its last four games, the most in any four-game span in franchise history, according to figures Chicago published in its preview.

Bucky Irving drives that offense. He has 728 yards on 147 carries and has topped 100 in three of the last four games; against Atlanta he ran for a career-high 170 and scored the game’s only touchdown. Kenny Gainwell added 140, making them the first teammates since 2008 to each rush for 140-plus yards in the same game.

The flip side is the passing game. Tampa Bay ranks last in the NFL at 131.4 passing yards per game and has no receiver with 250 yards this season. Mayfield missed three starts with a dislocated right thumb on his throwing hand, and last Sunday the rain limited him to three attempts. The club’s report lists him as a full participant in all three practices this week, with no game designation.

Todd Bowles’ defense has kept pace with the recovery. It has allowed 13.8 points per game and forced 12 takeaways over the last four games, compared with 24 points and four takeaways in the first four. No opponent has reached 100 rushing yards in the last seven games. Alex Anzalone, with three interceptions, two of them off Michael Penix Jr. on Sunday, leads a unit that is first in the league in interceptions.

Chicago found its rhythm with Williams

The Bears are second in the NFC North, a division in which all four teams have winning records. They are chasing a fourth straight win after beating Atlanta, New England (30-24) and Seattle, scoring 30 or more each time. In three games since his return, Williams has completed 73.8 percent of his passes for 860 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. In Seattle he went 24 of 34 for 247 yards.

D’Andre Swift leads the NFL with 10 rushing touchdowns, three of them against the Seahawks, and Chicago has 17 as a team, its most through eight games since 1956. That efficiency near the goal line contrasts with a less visible trend: the Bears are averaging 105.3 rushing yards over the last four games, after 196.2 in the first four. The offense has leaned more on the pass, with Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze and tight end Colston Loveland sharing the catches.

On defense, Chicago leads the league on third down: opponents have converted just 19 of 80 (23.8 percent). Montez Sweat returned from a two-game suspension in Seattle with a sack, and Jeffery Simmons, acquired in a trade with Tennessee the previous week, also debuted with a sack and two tackles for loss.

Injuries and availability

Final reports from both clubs, Friday, November 6. “Questionable” is the official category; it confirms neither an absence nor participation.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Yaya Diaby: out — knee; did not practice all week.
• Emeka Egbuka: questionable — foot; full participant Thursday and Friday.
• Tristan Wirfs: no game designation — toe; did not practice Thursday and was limited Friday.
• Baker Mayfield: no game designation — right thumb; full participant all week.

Chicago Bears

• Kyle Monangai: questionable — toe and thumb; returned to practice on a limited basis Friday for the first time since Week 4.
• Tyrique Stevenson: questionable — thumb; limited Friday.
• Malik Muhammad II: questionable — toe; limited in all three practices.
• Theo Benedet and Grady Jarrett: no game designation — shoulder and groin, respectively; full participants Friday.

Diaby’s absence takes one of Tampa Bay’s edge rushers away from the pressure on Williams. In Chicago, the doubts over Stevenson and Muhammad touch the secondary; Ben Johnson called toe injuries “fickle” when explaining Monangai’s progress.

What will decide it

Run against run. Tampa Bay ranks first in rushing yards and second in run defense; Chicago ranks second and fourth in the same categories. “They’re running the ball better than anybody else in the league right now,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. If Chicago can stop Irving on first down, Tampa Bay would face long third downs that put its struggling passing attack under pressure.

Sweat against Goedeke. Chicago’s preview singled out the matchup between its edge rusher and right tackle Luke Goedeke. With Wirfs limited this week, Mayfield’s protection on the edges would become decisive if the game forces Tampa Bay to pass.

Loveland against Anzalone. Chicago’s tight end has topped 65 yards in each of the last three games. Johnson praised the opposing linebacker: “Hard to get anything past him.” A Williams mistake against a defense that thrives on interceptions would hand Tampa Bay a short field, exactly what an offense that barely throws needs most.

It is also the first meeting between Mayfield and Williams, both No. 1 overall picks (2018 and 2024).

How to watch Buccaneers at Bears

• Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago.
• Date and kickoff: Sunday, November 8, 8:20 p.m. ET / 7:20 p.m. CST.

NBC carries the game in the United States, with Peacock streaming it live; Football Night in America starts at 7 p.m. ET. For viewers outside the U.S., the Buccaneers’ guide points to NFL Game Pass International on DAZN, a separate package with territorial conditions worth checking before subscribing.

United States — Sunday, November 8, 8:20 p.m. ET / 5:20 p.m. PT

• TV: NBC, with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth on the call.
• Streaming: Peacock with a subscription; NBC.com and the NBC Sports app with a TV provider login; NFL+ on mobile devices within the local markets.

United Kingdom — Monday, November 9, 1:20 a.m. GMT

• TV: Sky Sports NFL and Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage from 1:10 a.m.
• Streaming: NFL Game Pass International on DAZN, subject to the package’s terms.

Australia — Monday, November 9, 12:20 p.m. AEDT (Sydney and Melbourne); 11:20 a.m. AEST (Brisbane); 9:20 a.m. AWST (Perth)

• TV: broadcast not yet announced for this game.
• Streaming: NFL Game Pass International on DAZN, subject to the package’s terms in Australia.

Chicago has the deeper set of weapons and the hotter streak; Tampa Bay has a clear identity and a defense that is forcing mistakes again. Sunday night will show whether the Buccaneers can win at Soldier Field by trusting almost everything to the run, or whether they will finally need Mayfield to throw.