Bears survive Buccaneers in chaotic primetime finish after Caleb Williams throws four interceptions
In an MVP-or-bust season for Caleb Williams, Sunday night delivered pure whiplash against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — called by emergency replacement Noah Eagle after Mike Tirico was sidelined by an undisclosed health issue.
Key points
- BUCCANEERS ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL After the Bears built an early 14-0 lead, the offense stalled, opening the door for Tampa Bay to pull even.
- But even in a messy performance, Caleb proved he can survive three quarters of disastrous football and still win.
- Williams' first career four-interception game nearly doomed Chicago.
BUCCANEERS COLLECT TWO FREAKISH FIRST-HALF SCORES TO DOMINATE PANTHERS – AND, OH, BAKER MAYFIELD IS BACK Yet when everything threatened to collapse after a late Tampa Bay surge, Williams rallied.
Additional details
- Just when a flat-footed Chicago squad looked completely stalled out late in the third quarter, cornerback Jaylon Johnson made Baker Mayfield pay for his recklessness, baiting the quarterback into a crushing 67-yard pick-six that kept momentum swinging like a pendulum.
- With 2:51 left and the game knotted at 24, he put together an eight-play, 49-yard drive — highlighted by a 38-yard strike to Colston Loveland — to set up Cairo Santos for the walk-off 38-yard field goal.
- With an upcoming bye week, the 7-2 Bears get two full weeks to let this five-turnover scare fade into the rearview mirror.
- Sacked four times with zero touchdowns, his 243-yard meltdown proved Tampa Bay's QB1 experiment is running on fumes.
- It was a win for the Bears, but turning the ball over five times is a brutal pill to swallow.
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