BucsGameday Staff Score Predictions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Chicago Bears

Our staff provides their predictions and analysis as the Buccaneers gear up for their home opener.

Well, how about that? The Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved everyone wrong last week, gritting and grinding their way to a comeback victory against the Minnesota Vikings. The performance on defense and special teams was spectacular, keeping the Buccaneers in the game. The offense struggled to get going, especially in the first half, but Baker Mayfield did enough in the fourth quarter to come out on top.

READ MORE: Baker Mayfield Listed on Buccaneers' Most Recent Injury Report

Tampa Bay returns to the Sunshine State for its home opener against the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon. The Bears are coming off a decisive defeat at the hands of the Green Bay Packers. Chicago was outscored 28-14 in the second half en route to a 38-20 loss to begin the year.

That has pressure building quickly for third-year quarterback Justin Fields and head coach Matt Eberflus. The Bears will be trying to rebound against a Buccaneers defense that forced three turnovers while holding the Vikings to 1/3 in red zone scoring and 6/14 on third-down attempts last week.

Our staff provides their predictions and analysis as the Buccaneers take on the Bears in their home opener.

Dustin Lewis (@DustinLewisNG)

Credit to the Buccaneers for proving everyone wrong last week, including our staff as seven of the eight people who selected the Vikings ended up eating some crow. In particular, I was extremely impressed by the effort on defense and on special teams. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and his unit still have work to do but they did enough to take down Minnesota.

That says a ton about the potential ceiling of this club as the Vikings were 13-4 last season and have the best wide receiver in the league. However, can the young Buccaneers keep taking steps in the right direction and generate more momentum in a home matchup with the Chicago Bears?

It looks somewhat easy on paper after the Bears were blown out by the Packers last week. With that being said, I think Chicago is going to come out desperate this weekend and Justin Fields could provide some problems with his legs. 

In the end, I've got the Buccaneers doing enough in the second half to advance to 2-0.

2023 Season Prediction Record: 0-1

Buccaneers 24, Bears 20

Logan Robinson (@LogansTwitty)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started off the season 1-0 and I can’t tell you how big that was to build confidence and momentum for this team. There were a lot of doubters, including me last weekend, but they were able to pull off an impressive upset on the road in a hostile environment. 

Can they do it again but at home with a pro-Tampa Bay audience? I believe they can as long as they can get their running game established and Baker Mayfield is able to continue to take care of the ball. The toughest task will be containing Justin Fields but I’d like to see Antoine Winfield Jr. come down and work as a spy somewhat with some blitz packages included from Todd Bowles. I’ve got the Buccaneers winning comfortably in the 4th quarter. 

2023 Season Prediction Record: 0-1

Buccaneers 28, Bears 17

David Harrison (@DHarrison82)

I needed a week to see the new-look Bucs in action to trust my own instinct after selling all off-season that Tampa Bay could and would beat Minnesota. That mistrust bit me in the end, but I’m not making the same mistake again. Tampa’s defense is alive and well and the offense with Baker Mayfield and Dave Canales is just getting started.

2023 Season Prediction Record: 0-1

Buccaneers 23, Bears 10

Collin Haalboom (@SI_Buccaneers)

On the surface, this game doesn't feel like a big one but I actually think it's a massive opportunity for the Buccaneers to gain some valuable momentum early in the year. They've already conquered a team that they weren't supposed to, in a hostile road environment. Now? It's time to take care of business at home against a team that I consider to be an inferior opponent.

Experience. Talent. Home field advantage. Everything is working in the Bucs' favor in Week 2. If Tampa Bay expects anyone outside of their own building to believe they're for real in 2023... then they need to come away with a decisive victory in this one. Which is exactly what I think happens on Sunday.

2023 Season Prediction Record: 0-1

Buccaneers 31, Bears 17

Caleb Skinner (@chsnole)

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came away with a statement victory in a week one road win against the Minnesota Vikings and now will face a Chicago Bears team that got handled by the Green Bay Packers. This will be an intriguing matchup as Bears’ QB Justin Fields poses multiple threats from the position. 

The Bucs should be able to move the ball at will on a lackluster Bears defense so it will once again be up to the defense to come away with key stops and takeaways to secure the victory. The defense should handle business once again in this one and the Bucs will walk away 2-0 after their home opener.

2023 Season Prediction Record: 0-1

Buccaneers 31, Bears 21

JC Allen (@JCAllenNFL)

After a thrilling Week 1 victory on the road against the Minnesota Vikings, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the Chicago Bears in their home opener. Chicago is coming off a brutal loss to the Green Bay Packers where they were exposed in coverage, especially at the linebacker level. Quarterback Justin Fields looked lost at times and missed several open receivers. Often reverting back to the use of his legs and rushing ability.

The Buccaneers defense has added speed and youth, which should help them when Fields decides to tuck it and run. Even without starting cornerback Carlton Davis in the lineup, the Bucs should be able to contain the Bears passing game. On offense, the Bucs will need to utilize a quick and short passing game to take advantage of Chicago’s porous tackling at the second and third levels.

If the Bucs can play like they did in the second half of the win against the Vikings this could get ugly for Fields and the Bears quickly. 

2023 Season Prediction Record: 1-0

Buccaneers 27, Bears 16

Kade Kimble (@kadekimble)

This should end up being a close one. Justin Fields could potentially see another leap in play this season, but the Buccaneers defense proved to be legit last week. On top of that, Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense may be just good enough to squeak by another team once again to get off to a 2-0 start.

2023 Season Prediction Record: 0-1

Buccaneers 23, Bears 21

Ben Meyerson (@ByBenMeyerson)

The Chicago Bears were the worst team in football last year and got rewarded with the number one pick in last year’s draft. They have an exciting young QB in Justin Fields and a brand-new wide receiver in DJ Moore, but in their week 1 matchup they looked like more of the same from 2022. Last year they had the worst run defense in the NFL, the worst pass rush in the NFL, and didn’t take steps to improve it. 

Last week against the Packers, the Bears only registered six pressures which ranked last in the league. The Buccaneers only allowed ten pressures last week which ranked among the best in all of Week 1. This game will be a defensive mismatch for the Bears and while the Bucs will be missing a few defenders they should still be able to keep the opposing offense in check. I predict the Bucs will dominate this matchup early and put the Bears away.

2023 Season Prediction Record: 0-1

Buccaneers 31, Bears 17

CONSENSUS: Buccaneers (8-0)

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