Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
3-5
33
FINAL
17
Chicago
Bears
2-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers secured a convincing 33-17 victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 9 of the 2026 season. With this win, the Buccaneers continue to solidify their playoff position, while the Bears struggle to find consistency as the season progresses.
Baker Mayfield was the standout performer for Tampa Bay, throwing for 259 yards and three touchdowns, showcasing his accuracy and command of the offense. Meanwhile, Dont'e Thornton Jr. had a remarkable game, racking up 173 receiving yards and proving to be a consistent target downfield. Ty Chandler led the Bears' ground attack with 53 rushing yards but was unable to make a significant impact in a losing effort.
Defensively, the Buccaneers were dominant, highlighted by Quay Walker's six tackles, Rueben Bain Jr.'s two sacks, and Tykee Smith's two interceptions. The turning point came in the second quarter when Smith picked off a pass, setting up Mayfield’s third touchdown of the game, which gave the Buccaneers a lead they would not relinquish. Tampa Bay's defensive prowess stifled Chicago's offense, effectively sealing the outcome.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | YDS | TD | INT | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 19 | 12 | 259 | 3 | 2 | 106.7 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 28 | 16 | 250 | 0 | 6 | 47.3 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 104.1 |
| Ty Chandler | HB | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ty Chandler | HB | 9 | 53 | 5.9 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 10 | 31 | 3.1 | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dont'e Thornton Jr | WR | 6 | 173 | 28.8 | 2 | 73 | 0 |
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 4 | 78 | 19.5 | 0 | 56 | 0 |
| Ty Chandler | HB | 4 | 61 | 15.3 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 3 | 57 | 19.0 | 0 | 26 | 0 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TE | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 1 | 25 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 2 | 26 | 13.0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 1 | 22 | 22.0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Jalen McMillan | WR | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Elijah Moore | WR | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Cole Kmet | TE | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Christian Kirk | WR | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quay Walker | WILL | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | SS | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Xavier Woods | SS | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Rueben Bain Jr. | LEDG | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coby Bryant | SS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Bush | MIKE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dillon Thieneman | FS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josiah Trotter | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kyler Gordon | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ifeatu Melifonwu | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gervon Dexter Sr | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Calijah Kancey | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rashad Wisdom | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Javin Wright | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylon Johnson | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SirVocea Dennis | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrique Stevenson | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Prater | K | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |

