Five turnovers, nine penalties, not a single run of 10 or more yards and a blown 14-point lead.
Surely, that team lost, right?
Well, you wouldn’t be crazy to think that, considering only one team in NFL history has endured all of that and still managed to win. That team? The Chicago Bears, who somehow escaped with a 27-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.
An ugly win, but a win nonetheless.
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Let’s break down the good, the bad and the downright ugly from Sunday night’s victory.
The Good: Jaylon Johnson Delivered When the Bears Needed Him Most
Late in the third quarter, the Bears led 17-13. After forcing Tampa Bay to punt, Chicago took over at its own 29-yard line with an opportunity to extend its lead.
Caleb Williams had already thrown three interceptions, but surely things couldn’t get any worse, right?
Two plays later, Williams fired a bullet toward Luther Burden, only for the ball to be deflected into the air and intercepted by Tampa Bay’s Alex Anzalone.
Having attended the game, I can tell you that even after Williams’ first three interceptions, there still wasn’t much concern throughout Soldier Field. Sure, the mistakes were frustrating, but Chicago still looked like the superior team. It felt like only a matter of time before Williams and the offense broke through and pulled away.
That fourth interception changed everything.
For the first time all night, the sentiment completely shifted throughout Soldier Field.
But just two plays later, the emotional rollercoaster inside Soldier Field took another wild turn.
Baker Mayfield targeted tight end Cade Otton on a short hitch route, but Jaylon Johnson read it like a book, jumped the route and took the interception 67 yards to the house.
Soldier Field erupted, and just like that, the Bears had their breathing room back.
Not only was that a momentum-changing play for the game, but perhaps for Johnson’s season.
The 27-year-old has faced plenty of criticism for his underwhelming play this season. As one of the veteran leaders of Chicago’s secondary, he’s someone this defense needs to rely on.
One interception doesn’t erase his struggles, but a game-changing play like that could be exactly what Johnson needs to regain his confidence and start turning his season around.
After crossing the goal line, Johnson dropped to his knees and thanked the heavens. You could see just how much that moment meant to him, and it shouldn’t go underappreciated.
But Johnson wasn’t the only bright spot. The entire defense deserves credit for keeping the Bears afloat.
Despite repeatedly being put in difficult situations by Chicago’s turnover-prone offense, the defense forced two interceptions, held Tampa Bay to just 2-for-12 on third down and allowed touchdowns on only two of the Buccaneers’ five red-zone trips.
There are still issues to address, particularly against the run. Bucky Irving rushed for 97 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, averaging nearly five yards per attempt.
But it’s hard to fault the defense too much when the offense’s constant turnovers kept sending them back onto the field with little time to catch their breath. As the game wore on, the physical toll of constantly having to bail out the offense only grew.
Yet despite being put in one difficult position after another, the defense continued to answer the call.
The Bears’ offense nearly gave this game away, but their defense made sure it didn’t happen.
The Bad: Chicago’s Rushing Attack Has Gone Missing
Kyle Monangai can’t return soon enough.
I’ve written about the Bears’ rushing struggles without Monangai ad nauseam during his absence, but week after week, we continue to see just how important he is to this offense.
In Weeks 1–4, the Bears led the league in rushing yards per game (196.3) and ranked fourth in yards per carry (4.9).
From Weeks 5–9, the Bears averaged just 98.6 rushing yards per game at 3.4 yards per carry – nearly a 50% decline in their rushing production.
Sunday night’s effort was the worst of this stretch. D’Andre Swift averaged just 2.6 yards per carry, totaling 31 yards on 12 attempts. Salvon Ahmed chipped in 25 yards on five carries, while Caleb Williams added another 16 yards on five attempts. The Bears failed to record a single rush of 10 or more yards all night.
Tampa Bay entered Sunday night’s contest with one of the best run defenses in the league, ranking in the top three in both rush EPA and rush success rate allowed, and the Buccaneers lived up to the hype.
The glass-half-full perspective is that the Bears’ offense has still found ways to succeed despite these rushing struggles, and Monangai is expected to return for their Week 11 matchup at home against the New Orleans Saints.
The Ugly: Caleb Williams’ Night to Forget
It’s one thing to throw four interceptions. It’s another when three of them come on absolutely egregious decisions.
Throwing into double coverage in the end zone and attempting two fadeaway passes under pressure are inexcusable mistakes from Williams. The fourth interception was a bit unlucky, with the ball being tipped into the air.
But the previous three felt like Williams was trying to play hero ball a little too much. And look, we’ve gotten so accustomed to him pulling off miraculous plays that we almost expect him to make something out of nothing, rather than turn the ball over. He did exactly that earlier in the game.
Williams had never thrown four interceptions in a game from high school through the NFL. Heck, he’d thrown just four picks combined in his previous 15 games.
Perhaps the turnover tirade never would’ve spiraled had rookie receiver Zavion Thomas not committed an unnecessary roughness penalty with the Bears facing second-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ 5-yard line.
Without that penalty, Chicago would’ve had three more opportunities to punch it in from five yards out and potentially extend its lead to 24-3.
Instead, the moronic penalty pushed the Bears back 15 yards, and Williams followed it up with an ill-advised throw that resulted in his first interception.
That sequence completely changed the complexion of the game.
Outside of Williams, the Bears were fortunate that Kalif Raymond recovered his own muffed punt and that D’Andre Swift was ruled down before losing the football.
Luther Burden wasn’t as fortunate. His fourth-quarter fumble was caused by a dirty hit involving helmet-to-helmet contact that somehow went uncalled. Tampa Bay recovered and capitalized, tying the game at 24.
And let’s not forget the awful holding penalty that wiped out Zavion Thomas’ kickoff return touchdown, either.
The Bigger Picture: Winning Ugly Still Counts
Yet, in spite of all those errors and misfortunes, the Bears still found a way.
And that’s what winning teams do. They find ways to win, even when they’re nowhere near their best.
Chicago is now 7-2, riding a four-game winning streak and entering its bye week with an opportunity to get healthier, correct its mistakes and prepare for the final stretch of the season.
The Bears have shown they can win with explosive offense, timely defensive plays and, now, even when just about everything seems to go wrong.
But there’s a difference between surviving a game like Sunday night’s and making a habit of it.
With Kyle Monangai expected back and the NFC North title firmly within reach, the Bears have an opportunity to clean things up and come out of the bye looking more like the team we’ve seen at its best.
Because as ugly as Sunday night was, the only thing that matters in the standings is that Chicago found a way to win.
