Bears beat Buccaneers 27-24 despite Williams' four interceptions

The Chicago Bears beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24 on Sunday night at Soldier Field, winning a game in which Caleb Williams threw four interceptions.

Williams completed 22 of 37 passes for 279 yards and two touchdowns, but his four picks and a lost fumble gave the Bears five turnovers. They won anyway. The defense scored and held Baker Mayfield without a touchdown pass, ESPN reported.

The Bears are 7-2 and in the NFC playoff field. The Buccaneers are 3-6 and running out of season. Chicago won because its defense reached the end zone and held Tampa Bay to 24 points on a night the offense gave the ball away five times. The box score shows 349 yards and five giveaways for the Bears, 352 yards and two for the Bucs, and a three-point home win.

The Bears led 14-0 after the first quarter and 17-6 at halftime. A crowd of 60,470 saw Chicago’s defense find the end zone, and that score was the difference in a game the offense tried to give away. Tampa Bay scored 11 in the fourth quarter to pull within three, but ran out of time.

The 11-point fourth quarter was the only period in which the Bucs outscored the Bears. The comeback fell three points short, and the Bears ran out the clock with the lead. Tampa Bay had the ball for 32 minutes and 52 seconds and gained 352 yards. The Bucs outgained Chicago and lost.

Five turnovers and nine penalties for 74 yards. Outgained, barely, and beaten in time of possession by nearly six minutes. The Bears won anyway, because the defense scored and Mayfield could not. Chicago sacked him four times and intercepted him twice, and the Bucs converted 2 of 12 third downs.

The Buccaneers’ defense did its part. Tampa Bay intercepted Williams four times and recovered a fumble, giving the offense five extra possessions. The Bucs held the Bears to 72 rushing yards and 349 total yards. The defense played well enough to win. The offense did not.

Both teams struggled in the red zone. The Bears went 1 for 4 inside the 20, the Bucs 2 for 5. Chicago scored three touchdowns and two field goals, and one of those touchdowns came from the defense. The Bears’ offense managed two touchdowns on a night it committed five turnovers, and the defense made up the difference.

The Bears committed nine penalties for 74 yards. The Bucs were flagged eight times for 45 yards. Chicago’s penalty total was the higher number, and 74 yards is a lot to overcome in a three-point game. The Bears overcame it, along with the turnovers, because the defense kept the Bucs out of the end zone.

Mayfield completed 18 of 32 passes for 243 yards and no touchdowns. He threw two interceptions, and the Bucs moved the ball but could not finish drives. Tampa Bay ran 64 plays and gained 352 yards. The offense moved the ball between the 20s but stalled in the red zone, going 2 for 5 inside the 20.

Bucky Irving ran 20 times for 97 yards and both Buccaneers touchdowns. He was the only reliable piece of Tampa Bay’s offense. Tez Johnson caught two passes for 76 yards, and no other Buc had more receiving. The passing game produced 226 yards and no scores.

Mayfield was under pressure all night. The Bears sacked him four times for 17 yards. Williams was sacked once for two yards. The pass protection disparity was one reason Williams threw for 36 more yards than Mayfield, even though both quarterbacks turned the ball over.

Luther Burden III caught seven passes for 97 yards and a touchdown for Chicago. D’Andre Swift managed 31 yards on 12 carries, and the Bears’ running game was a nonfactor. Williams threw for 279 yards and two scores. He also threw four interceptions. The Bears won because the defense offset the damage.

Williams was the first pick in the 2024 draft, and his first two seasons were a struggle. In 2026, he has the Bears at 7-2, and his arm talent is obvious. So is his recklessness. Four interceptions in a win is not sustainable.

Mayfield was the first pick in the 2018 draft. He bounced from Cleveland to Carolina to the Rams before reviving his career in Tampa Bay in 2023, when he threw for 4,044 yards and led the Bucs to a playoff win. The Bucs are 3-6 in 2026, and Mayfield has 243 passing yards and no touchdowns in this game.

The NFC North is crowded at the top. The Bears are 7-2, and the Vikings were 6-1 before Monday night’s game against Buffalo. Chicago’s remaining schedule includes divisional games that will decide whether the Bears win the North or settle for a wild card.

The NFC South is winnable, but the Buccaneers are not in position to take it. At 3-6, they trail by four games with eight to play. To reach 9-7, Tampa Bay would need to win six of its last eight. The Bucs intercepted Williams four times in Chicago and still lost. They forced five turnovers and scored 24 points.

What I think

The Bears are a playoff team, but Williams needs to play smarter. Four interceptions is unacceptable, and the Bears will not keep winning with a minus-3 turnover differential. The defense is good enough to carry them through the regular season, but January football is different. If Williams turns the ball over like this in the playoffs, the Bears will lose.

The Buccaneers should be thinking about next year. Mayfield is not the answer, and the team has too many needs to waste Irving’s best years. The NFC South is weak, but 3-6 is 3-6, and the Bucs are not climbing out of it with this quarterback play.