Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
5-3
33
FINAL
31
Chicago
Bears
4-4
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 9 matchup, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers narrowly defeated the Chicago Bears 33-31, keeping their playoff hopes alive in the 2026 season. Both teams battled fiercely, but the Buccaneers' late-game execution proved to be the difference-maker in this high-stakes contest.
Caleb Williams of the Bears put on a spectacular performance, throwing for 375 yards and three touchdowns, showcasing his arm strength and precision. Meanwhile, Bucky Irving led the Buccaneers' ground game with 65 rushing yards, while Ted Hurst III emerged as a standout receiver, racking up 171 yards through the air, making crucial catches when it mattered most.
Defensively, the Buccaneers made their mark with Calijah Kancey dominating the pass rush, recording an impressive 3.5 sacks that disrupted Chicago's rhythm. The game turned late in the fourth quarter when a crucial interception by T.J. Edwards gave the Bears a glimmer of hope, but Tampa Bay's defense held firm, sealing the victory and securing a vital win in their playoff pursuit.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Williams | QB | 20 | 16 | 375 | 3 | 1 | 137.5 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 26 | 17 | 310 | 2 | 1 | 115.8 |
| Trey Palmer | WR | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 10 | 65 | 6.5 | 1 | 12 | 0 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 5 | 25 | 5.0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 5 | 5 | 1.0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Luther Burden III | WR | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Hurst III | WR | 5 | 171 | 34.2 | 0 | 57 | 0 |
| Luther Burden III | WR | 4 | 113 | 28.3 | 1 | 67 | 0 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 3 | 113 | 37.7 | 1 | 53 | 0 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 4 | 95 | 23.8 | 1 | 37 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 2 | 76 | 38.0 | 1 | 60 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 5 | 40 | 8.0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 2 | 23 | 11.5 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Cole Kmet | TE | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Trey Palmer | WR | 1 | -2 | -2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 4 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | REDG | 1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Edwards | WILL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vita Vea | DT | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Montez Sweat | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grady Jarrett | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyler Gordon | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keyshaun Elliott | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dillon Thieneman | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jordan van den Berg | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A'Shawn Robinson | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Rozeboom | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shemar Turner | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Woods | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coby Bryant | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Austin Booker | LEDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrique Stevenson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaylon Johnson | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo Santos | K | 1 | 1 | 4 | 37 |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 32 |

