Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
1-2
20
FINAL
48
Chicago
Bears
3-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a commanding performance, the Chicago Bears topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48-20 in their Wildcard Round matchup, advancing in the playoffs with a decisive victory. The Bears' offense was firing on all cylinders, with Caleb Williams leading the charge as he threw for an impressive 401 yards and five touchdowns, showcasing his ability to dominate the game.
Williams wasn’t the only standout in the passing game; Zavion Thomas emerged as a key target, racking up 163 receiving yards and proving to be a nightmare for the Buccaneers' secondary. On the ground, Tampa Bay's Bucky Irving managed to contribute with 56 rushing yards, but it was clear that Chicago's aerial attack was the primary weapon of choice.
Defensively, the Bears made critical plays that shifted momentum, highlighted by Dillon Thieneman's two interceptions, which stifled any potential Buccaneers comeback. T.J. Edwards led the Bears' defense with nine total tackles, ensuring that Tampa Bay's offense struggled to find rhythm. The turning point came early in the second half when Thieneman's second pick set up another quick score for Chicago, effectively sealing the game and sending the Bears into the next round of the playoffs.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Williams | QB | 27 | 18 | 401 | 5 | 2 | 118.4 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 40 | 21 | 235 | 2 | 3 | 55.7 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 14 | 56 | 4.0 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Kenny Gainwell | HB | 10 | 41 | 4.1 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Isaac Brown | HB | 11 | 29 | 2.6 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 6 | 24 | 4.0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Kyle Monangai | HB | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 3 | 17 | 5.7 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Sean Tucker | HB | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Jelani Woods | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Troy Franklin | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey'Dez Green | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 3 | 163 | 54.3 | 2 | 90 | 1 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 11 | 148 | 13.5 | 1 | 25 | 1 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 5 | 94 | 18.8 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Troy Franklin | WR | 1 | 62 | 62.0 | 1 | 62 | 1 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 5 | 57 | 11.4 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Trey'Dez Green | TE | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Cole Kmet | TE | 2 | 15 | 7.5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Isaac Brown | HB | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon Thieneman | SS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Edwards | WILL | 9 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brian Branch | SS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaylon Johnson | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jordan van den Berg | DT | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Vita Vea | DT | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zabien Brown | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| SirVocea Dennis | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Keon Sabb | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D'Marco Jackson | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrique Stevenson | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Montez Sweat | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Lewis | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr. | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Austin Booker | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shemar Turner | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Smith Vilbert | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rasheem Biles | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Roberts | DT | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo Santos | K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Spencer Shrader | K | 2 | 2 | 6 | 31 |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 2 | 2 | 2 | 56 |

