The Chicago Bears beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24 on Sunday night, November 8, at Soldier Field, winning on a 38-yard Cairo Santos field goal as time expired, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The Bucs had erased a 14-point deficit and tied it 24-24 with 2:51 left, but Caleb Williams, who threw a career-high four interceptions, led one last drive to set up the kick.
That mix of a wild finish, five Chicago turnovers and a Sunday Night Football audience is why "buccaneers vs bears" is one of the most-searched phrases in the country today. Here is the full story: the score, how it happened, the player stats, what both coaches said and what comes next for each team.
Key Takeaways
- Final score: Bears 27, Buccaneers 24 (Week 9, Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock).
- Caleb Williams went 22 of 37 for 279 yards, 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, the most he has thrown in a game at any level, per NFL Research.
- Chicago won despite five turnovers; ESPN Research says the Bears are the third team in the past 20 seasons to win a game with 5+ turnovers without ever trailing.
- The Bears are 7-2 with four straight wins; the Bucs fell to 3-6. Both teams have a bye in Week 10.
Bears Score: How the Buccaneers vs Bears Game Unfolded
The Bears came out fast. Chicago scored touchdowns on its first two possessions: a 9-yard pass from Williams to Rome Odunze and a 56-yard catch-and-run by rookie Luther Burden III, who caught the ball a few yards past the line and broke three tackles, according to the Sun-Times. That made it 14-0 in the first quarter.
Then the interceptions started. Williams threw picks on three of his next four drives, NFL.com notes, and the Bears managed only one first down on their first six second-half drives. Tampa Bay, however, kept settling for field goals. Chase McLaughlin kicked from 27 and 21 yards around a 25-yard Santos field goal, and Chicago led 17-6 at halftime.
The Bucs opened the second half with a touchdown drive capped by a short Bucky Irving run to cut it to 17-13. Chicago answered with defense: cornerback Jaylon Johnson jumped a Baker Mayfield throw and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter, making it 24-13. A 35-yard McLaughlin field goal early in the fourth cut the lead to eight.
The game turned with under four minutes left. Burden fumbled a screen pass after a hit from Rueben Bain Jr., and Tampa Bay took over at the Chicago 17. Irving scored from 6 yards out and Mayfield scrambled in for the two-point conversion, tying the game 24-24 with 2:51 remaining, per the Sun-Times.
Williams then led an eight-play, 49-yard drive, OutKick reports. A third-and-4 conversion to Kalif Raymond kept it alive, and a 38-yard completion to tight end Colston Loveland with about 40 seconds left put Santos in range. His 38-yarder split the uprights as time expired.
Scoring summary
| Quarter | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Williams 9-yard TD pass to Rome Odunze | CHI 7-0 |
| 1st | Williams 56-yard TD pass to Luther Burden III | CHI 14-0 |
| 1st | Chase McLaughlin 27-yard FG | CHI 14-3 |
| 2nd | Cairo Santos 25-yard FG | CHI 17-3 |
| 2nd | McLaughlin 21-yard FG | CHI 17-6 |
| 3rd | Bucky Irving short TD run | CHI 17-13 |
| 3rd | Jaylon Johnson 67-yard interception return | CHI 24-13 |
| 4th | McLaughlin 35-yard FG | CHI 24-16 |
| 4th | Irving 6-yard TD run, Mayfield 2-point run | 24-24 |
| 4th | Santos 38-yard FG as time expired | CHI 27-24 |
Scoring sequence and field-goal distances per Buccaneers.com's postgame report and the CBS Sports live blog. Outlets differ on the length of Irving's first touchdown (1 or 2 yards).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Chicago Bears Match Player Stats
Box-score numbers below come from the outlets cited; where a stat was not reported in the coverage we read, it is left out rather than guessed.
| Player | Team | Key stats |
|---|---|---|
| Caleb Williams, QB | Bears | 22/37, 279 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT, 61.5 rating |
| Luther Burden III, WR | Bears | 56-yd TD catch; lost fumble |
| Rome Odunze, WR | Bears | 9-yd TD catch |
| Colston Loveland, TE | Bears | 38-yd catch on winning drive |
| Jaylon Johnson, CB | Bears | 67-yd pick-six |
| Cairo Santos, K | Bears | FGs of 25 and 38 (game-winner) |
| Baker Mayfield, QB | Buccaneers | 243 yds, 0 TD, 2 INT, sacked 4 times; 2-pt run |
| Bucky Irving, RB | Buccaneers | 20 carries, 97 yds, 2 TD |
| Tez Johnson, WR | Buccaneers | 2 catches, 76 yds (incl. a 57-yarder) |
| Emeka Egbuka, WR | Buccaneers | 3 catches, 38 yds |
| Alex Anzalone, LB | Buccaneers | 1 INT |
| Rueben Bain Jr., DL | Buccaneers | Forced fumble, 2 QB hits |
| Chase McLaughlin, K | Buccaneers | FGs of 27, 21 and 35 |
As a team, the Bucs went 2-of-12 on third down and 2-of-5 in the red zone, and Chicago held them to 6.3 yards per pass play, according to CBS Sports. CBS also noted Tez Johnson dropped two passes that would have converted third downs. That is the real story of the Bucs game: Tampa Bay forced five turnovers but turned them into just 10 points.
Caleb Williams' Four-Interception Night
Williams had been one of the league's most careful passers. He entered Week 9 with four interceptions in his previous 15 regular-season games, ESPN reports, and had 14 career picks on 1,288 attempts before kickoff, per CBS Sports.
Here is how the four interceptions happened, according to ESPN:
- No. 1: On his third possession, a goal-line throw for Odunze that safety Tykee Smith picked off near the Tampa Bay 3. Williams said he "got greedy."
- Nos. 2 and 3: Two in the second quarter, both on throws he was trying to put out of bounds.
- No. 4: In the third quarter, a pass for Burden that cornerback Jacob Parrish tipped and linebacker Alex Anzalone caught.
Tampa Bay's blitz was the cause. The Bucs blitzed Williams on 66% of his dropbacks, the third-highest rate of his career, and three of the four interceptions came against the blitz, per ESPN. NFL.com's breakdown shows how much it swung: 7-of-10 for 124 yards and both touchdowns against the blitz early, then 4-of-10 for 22 yards and three picks over his next nine drives, then 3-of-4 for 52 yards against the blitz on the winning drive.
NFL.com adds that four interceptions are the most by a quarterback in a win since Jared Goff threw five in Week 10 of 2024. Williams was defiant afterward. "I'm going to throw until I can't throw anymore," he said, and "I'm going to keep grippin' it, keep rippin' it," per NFL.com.
What Ben Johnson and Todd Bowles Said
Ben Johnson, Bears head coach
Johnson called the final drive his calmest of the night: "It was as calm as I felt on calling plays there that last drive as I was all game long," he said, per NFL.com. He also said there's "a lot of good in terms of building this team" that comes from a win like this. The Sun-Times reported Johnson pulled rookie receiver Zavion Thomas from the offense for the rest of the game after a facemask penalty in the red zone.
Todd Bowles, Buccaneers head coach
Bowles was blunt about Mayfield's pick-six. He said his quarterback "had his mind made up" and "should have thrown it somewhere else," adding that the Bucs "can't turn it over," Bucs Wire reports. He also told reporters, "We've got to be better on third downs on both sides of the ball," per Buccaneers.com. Mayfield put it simply: "It comes back to obviously the turnovers for us, the interceptions."
Chicago Bears: Streak, Records and NFC North Standings
The win moved the Chicago Bears to 7-2 and extended their winning streak to four games, Yahoo Sports reports. ESPN adds that Chicago has not trailed at any point in those four games and has won three straight primetime games. It was also the first time this season Williams needed a fourth-quarter game-winning drive, after six in 2025.
The NFC North is stacked. After Sunday night, The Sporting News listed the division standings as follows, with Minnesota still to play the Buffalo Bills on Monday night:
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-1 |
| Chicago Bears | 7-2 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-3 |
The Sporting News says the four teams are a combined 25-8, putting the division on pace to challenge the best divisional records in recent history.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Where the Bucs Go From Here
The loss dropped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to 3-6. Buccaneers.com notes they are still 2-0 in the NFC South, with Carolina and New Orleans tied atop the division at 3-5. Mayfield was playing his third game back from a dislocated right thumb, and Egbuka returned after missing two games with a foot injury, per the team's site.
The Bucs have a bye in Week 10 and then visit the Detroit Lions in Week 11, according to Buccaneers.com. That trip to Detroit is the next game on the Bucs schedule, and another test against an NFC North contender.
Is There a Bears Game Today? Bears Schedule and Injuries
No. If you searched "bears game today," the Bears vs Buccaneers matchup was played Sunday night, and Chicago now heads into its Week 10 bye, per the Sun-Times. None of the coverage we read confirmed the date of the next Bears game, so check the team's official schedule.
Injuries to watch during the bye:
- Luther Burden III (Bears) suffered a concussion on the helmet-to-helmet hit during his fumble, ESPN reports.
- Tyrique Stevenson (Bears) left at the end of the first half with an injury; Kyler Gordon replaced him, per CBS Sports.
- Antoine Winfield Jr. (Bucs) was ruled out for the rest of the game with an ankle injury, per CBS Sports.
- Baker Mayfield (Bucs) was seen limping after a hit late in the third quarter, Yahoo Sports noted, though he finished the game.
Bucs vs Bears: What This Game Means
For Chicago, the Bears-Bucs result is a strange kind of encouragement. NFL.com notes it was only the third time since 2000 the Bears have won with five or more turnovers, and the previous two came in 2006, the season they reached Super Bowl XLI. CBS Sports called it Chicago's first win since 2006 with a turnover margin of minus-3 or worse. A team that can lose the turnover battle that badly and still win is doing a lot right elsewhere, especially on defense, which sacked Mayfield four times and scored a touchdown.
For Tampa Bay, it was a missed chance. The Bucs never led, but they were handed five takeaways on the road in primetime and could not finish drives. Bowles summed up the night from his side: Tampa Bay "can't turn it over," and the Bucs have to be better on third down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Bears win last night?
Yes. The Chicago Bears beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24 on Sunday night, November 8, 2026, on a 38-yard Cairo Santos field goal as time expired.
What was the Bears vs Buccaneers score?
The final score was Bears 27, Buccaneers 24. Chicago led 14-0 and 17-6 at halftime before Tampa Bay tied it 24-24 with 2:51 left.
Where could you watch Buccaneers vs Bears?
The game aired as NBC's Sunday Night Football and streamed on Peacock, according to Yahoo Sports and OutKick.
How many interceptions did Caleb Williams throw against the Bucs?
Four, a career high. He finished 22 of 37 for 279 yards with two touchdown passes.
Who intercepted Caleb Williams for the Bucs?
Reported interceptions came from Tykee Smith near the goal line and Alex Anzalone on a ball tipped by Jacob Parrish; ESPN says two more came on second-quarter throws Williams was trying to put out of bounds.
What are the Bears and Bucs records now?
The Bears are 7-2 and the Buccaneers are 3-6. Both teams have a bye in Week 10.
Sources
- Bears survive Caleb Williams' 4 interceptions to beat Buccaneers 27-24 on Cairo Santos' late field goal (Chicago Sun-Times)
- Caleb Williams unfazed by 4 interceptions as Bears pull out win vs. Bucs (ESPN)
- Bears QB Caleb Williams undaunted by 4-INT night in win over Bucs (NFL.com)
- Bears overcome five turnovers to beat Buccaneers on walk-off field goal (CBS Sports)
- Buccaneers tie it late, but Caleb Williams hits big play to set up game-winning field goal for Bears (Yahoo Sports)
- Bucs Rally But Fall to Bears in Turnover-Riddled Prime-Time Affair (Buccaneers.com)
- Todd Bowles doesn't hold back on Baker Mayfield's pick-six in loss to Bears (Bucs Wire (via Yahoo Sports))
- Best division ever? How NFC North is on pace to make history in 2026 (The Sporting News (via Yahoo Sports))
- Bears survive Buccaneers in chaotic primetime finish after Caleb Williams throws four interceptions (OutKick)
How this story was put together
News Now Network built this explainer from the published news reports listed above, and credits facts to the outlets that reported them. It was drafted with AI help and checked against those sources. Spot an error? Leave a comment below and we will correct it. Read our editorial policy.
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