Chicago
Bears
8-6
29
FINAL
35
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
5-9
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 16 showdown, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers outlasted the Chicago Bears with a final score of 35-29. With playoff implications on the line, both teams fought hard, but it was the Buccaneers who emerged victorious, solidifying their position in the postseason race.
Baker Mayfield was the star of the night for Tampa Bay, throwing for 381 yards and three touchdowns, showcasing his precision and poise under pressure. He connected frequently with Tetairoa McMillan, who had a standout performance with 152 receiving yards, making crucial catches to keep drives alive and put points on the board. Zavion Thomas of the Bears also had a strong showing on the ground, rushing for 88 yards, but it wasn't enough to secure the win.
Defensively, the Bears had some bright spots, including Cam Lewis, who led the team with five tackles, and Greg Rousseau, who contributed a sack. However, the turning point came late in the fourth quarter when the Buccaneers stifled a Bears drive, forcing a turnover on downs that ultimately sealed the game. Tampa Bay's ability to hold off Chicago's late-game surge was instrumental in their hard-fought victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 25 | 17 | 68% | 381 | 3 | 1 | 133.7 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 22 | 15 | 68% | 211 | 2 | 0 | 129.1 |
| Amare Thomas | WR | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 3 | 88 | 29.3 | 1 | 1 | 81 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 8 | 40 | 5.0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 10 | 11 | 1.1 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Kyle Monangai | HB | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 5 | 152 | 30.4 | 53 | 3 | 47 | 0 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | TE | 5 | 110 | 22.0 | 41 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 6 | 104 | 17.3 | 63 | 2 | 55 | 0 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 4 | 81 | 20.3 | 9 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 5 | 65 | 13.0 | 18 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Amare Thomas | WR | 2 | 58 | 29.0 | 50 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 2 | 31 | 15.5 | 12 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coby Bryant | FS | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Malik Muhammad | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Lewis | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Rousseau | LEDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dillon Thieneman | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Bush | MIKE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Herbig | REDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Vita Vea | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Zach Harrison | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Austin Romaine | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyler Gordon | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ethan Wesloski | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Montez Sweat | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| D'Marco Jackson | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrique Stevenson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Riq Woolen | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jimmy Ciarlo | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo Santos | K | 3 | 3 | 2 | 53 |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |

