Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Battle for Ball Control | Bucs-Bears Tale of the Tape

The Bears and Buccaneers are two of the top teams in the NFL in terms of controlling the clock this season, due in part to the top two rushing attacks in the season, plus Chicago's stingy third-down defense and the Bucs' takeaways

Nov 06, 2026 at 06:52 AM

Senior Writer/Editor

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished up the second "quarter" of their season with a 3-1 record with a 16-0 blanking of the Atlanta Falcons in Week Eight, and in each its their three wins the offense produced at least 241 rushing yards. That outsized ground-game production, capped in Week with a team-record 324 yards against Atlanta, has propelled the Buccaneers to the top spot in the league's rushing rankings, with 168.6. Tampa Bay also ranks second in yards per carry at 5.07, but the team's passing attack is last in the NFL in both yards per game (131.4) and yards per play. Quarterback Baker Mayfield has played two games since his return from a dislocated right thumb but only threw 14 passes in those two games combined; Mayfield says he's confident the Bucs' aerial production will be available when they need it. Tampa Bay's defense has started creating turnovers in bunches with 12 in the last four weeks, and in that span they swung their differential of points allowed off turnovers from -30 to +3. Cornerback Zyon McCollum has had an interception in each of the last two games and linebacker Alex Anzalone snared his second and third of the season against the Falcons.

The Chicago Bears have emerged as prime playoff contenders with a three-game winning streak that coincides with the return of quarterback Caleb Williams after he missed time with a hamstring injury. That run includes consecutive convincing wins over last year's two Super Bowl teams, the Patriots and the Seahawks. In Week Eight, the Bears doubled up the defending champs, 34-17, as Williams completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards, a touchdown and no picks and running back D'Andre Swift scored three rushing touchdowns to increase his league-leading total to 10. Chicago's rushing attack, producing 150.8 yards per game, is second only to the Buccaneers' ground game through eight weeks. The Bears' made tight end Colston Loveland and wideout Luther Burden their first two picks in last year's draft, and that is looking like a good strategy as those two have emerged as Williams' most trusted targets. Their top pick this year was safety Dillon Thieneman and he has played all over the field, leading the team with 47 tackles while adding 1.5 sacks, an interception and five passes defensed. The Bears' defense has curiously allowed the seventh fewest net yards per game but the second most yards per play so far this season.

Here's how the Buccaneers and Bears stack up against each other for Sunday's battle under the lights:

When Tampa Bay Has the Ball:

Buccaneers Offense	Category	Bears Defense
25th (300.0)	Net Yards Per Game	7th (305.8)
25th (4.83)	Yards Per Play	31st (6.01)
20th (22.3)	Points Per Game	8th (20.0)
1st (168.6)	Rushing Yards Per Game	4th (86.8)
32nd (131.4)	Passing Yards Per Game	14th (219.0)
19th (38.4%)	Third Down Percentage	1st (23.8%)
30th (11.06%)	Sacks Per Pass Play	2nd (9.65%)
29th (3.37%)	Interception Percentage	15th (2.19%)
t-26th (50.0%)	Red Zone Touchdown Pct.	15th (57.1%)

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TAMPA, FL - November 04, 2026 - Running Backs Coach Skip Peete of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Running Back Bucky Irving #7 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during practice at AdventHealth Training Center. Photo By Josiah Trotter/Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Josiah Trotter/Tampa Bay Buccaneers/Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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TAMPA, FL - November 04, 2026 - Running Back Kenny Gainwell #1 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Wide Receiver Kameron Johnson #19 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during practice at AdventHealth Training Center. Photo By Tori Richman/Tampa Bay Buccaneers