Chicago
Bears
11-6
56
FINAL
35
Tampa Bay
Buccaneers
11-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Wildcard Round showdown, the Chicago Bears overcame the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a decisive 56-35 victory, securing their spot in the next phase of the playoffs. With both teams vying for postseason glory, the Bears showcased their offensive prowess, delivering a performance that will be remembered in franchise history.
Leading the charge for Chicago was quarterback Caleb Williams, who threw for an impressive 423 yards and an astonishing seven touchdowns, demonstrating pinpoint accuracy and a knack for finding his targets. Colston Loveland was the primary beneficiary of Williams' arm, racking up 107 receiving yards, while the Bears' offense operated with precision, putting points on the board consistently throughout the game.
Defensively, the Bears made critical plays that shifted momentum, particularly with Dillon Thieneman's two interceptions, which halted potential Buccaneers drives and turned the tide in favor of Chicago. Despite a strong rushing performance from Bucky Irving, who tallied 121 yards on the ground for Tampa Bay, the Bears' ability to create turnovers proved pivotal, ultimately leading to their commanding victory.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Williams | QB | 42 | 23 | 55% | 423 | 7 | 3 | 99.5 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 29 | 14 | 48% | 178 | 2 | 5 | 51.2 |
| Luther Burden III | WR | 0 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | HB | 9 | 121 | 13.4 | 38 | 3 | 79 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 5 | 83 | 16.6 | 8 | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 13 | 63 | 4.8 | 22 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Caleb Williams | QB | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | — | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen McMillan | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Luther Burden III | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Colston Loveland | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colston Loveland | TE | 4 | 107 | 26.8 | 30 | 1 | 37 | 0 |
| Zavion Thomas | WR | 4 | 99 | 24.8 | 40 | 2 | 46 | 0 |
| Chris Godwin Jr | WR | 3 | 83 | 27.7 | 43 | 1 | 68 | 1 |
| Luther Burden III | WR | 6 | 82 | 13.7 | 22 | 1 | 25 | 1 |
| D'Andre Swift | HB | 5 | 79 | 15.8 | 80 | 2 | 27 | 0 |
| Rome Odunze | WR | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 10 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Jonnu Smith | TE | 4 | 36 | 9.0 | 11 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Emeka Egbuka | WR | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | HB | 3 | 14 | 4.7 | 10 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Jalen McMillan | WR | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Kalif Raymond | WR | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dillon Thieneman | SS | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Devin Bush | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rueben Bain Jr. | LEDG | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Coby Bryant | FS | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Keionte Scott | CB | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Marshon Lattimore | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zyon McCollum | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Josiah Trotter | SAM | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jerome Baker | REDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jacob Parrish | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Alex Anzalone | WILL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Xavier Woods | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Montez Sweat | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jaylon Johnson | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Benjamin Morrison | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kyler Gordon | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yaya Diaby | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrel Dodson | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kentavius Street | DT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Geno Stone | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eric Kendricks | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo Santos | K | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Chase McLaughlin | K | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |

