I know we’re six games into the season already, but I’m introducing a NEW weekly segment that I’ll be doing for the rest of the year. I’ve been wanting to do something but couldn’t come up with any good ideas. That is until now. I already do a weekly POST–game analysis of every game, so I was trying to come up with a PRE–game column idea. This week, it hit me.

Some Bucs fans I know (You all know who you are!) like to say “You’re on the clock!” to whatever team the Buccaneers are playing next. So this NEW column will be named after that catchphrase. It will consist of everything you might want to know about the Bucs’ upcoming opponent like; injuries, team rankings, stats, players to watch for, or anything else pertinent about that team. This week, we have the Chicago Bears coming to town for a throwback matchup of old NFC Central foes, so let’s dig into them and see what the Bucs are up against.

BEARS OFFENSE

Chicago has struggled offensively this season, and head coach Matt Nagy has been back and forth with his starting quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Justin Fields. It looks as though he’s settled on Fields as the starter (for the moment), but they’re still having issues with offensive production. They’re currently dead last in the league in total yards averaging just 246 yards per game. On the flip side, the Bucs are 3rd highest in the league averaging 426 yards per game. The Bears are also one of the worst scoring offenses in the NFL, with just 11 total touchdowns in six games, while the Bucs rank #1, scoring 25 touchdowns. Bears’ QB’s have thrown for a league-low 902 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in six games, while Tom Brady has thrown for 2,064 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions.

However, they have had some success running the football despite multiple injuries in their backfield. Khalil Herbert is their current starting running back, and they’re still 7th in rushing, averaging 129 yards per game. Unfortunately for them, they’re about to face the #1 rushing defense in football that’s giving up just under 55 yards per game on the ground, which is 25 yards better than the next best team.

BEARS DEFENSE

Chicago usually has a pretty solid defense, and this year is no different. They are 7th in total defense, giving up just 331 total yards per game. With the Buccaneers’ offense averaging 426 yards per game, this should be a fun matchup to watch. Something has to give. The Bucs’ offensive line will have their hands full, with this Bears defensive front that consists of Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Bilal Nichols, Robert Quinn, and Khalil Mack. And if you’ll remember, Mack is the ONLY NFL player to beat Bucs right tackle Tristan Wirfs for a sack, so that should be a fun battle to watch.

WHO’S OUT, WHO’S IN!

The Bears are pretty banged up, especially in the backfield. Tariq Cohen is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform list. David Montgomery is on Injured Reserve. And Damien Williams is on the Reserve/COVID list. They also just added Jimmy Graham to that list as well, so he’s likely out for Sunday, and Robert Quinn is on the list too and in danger of missing the game. Tashaun Gipson has also officially been ruled out for the game. More bad news for the Bears is that three more of their starting defensive linemen are now “questionable” for Sunday, including Akiem Hicks, Bilal Nichols, and Khalil Mack have all been limited in practice all week with injuries.

The Bucs are getting a boost on defense as they welcome Antoine Winfield Jr. back from concussion protocol. Unfortunately, he’s the only one expected back. Rob Gronkowski (ribs), Lavonte David (ankle), Antonio Brown (ankle), and Richard Sherman (hamstring) have all been ruled out for Sunday. With Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting still out, the Bucs cornerback group will, once again, consist of backups. Luckily for them, they’re facing the Bears’ 32nd ranked passing offense. Jason Pierre-Paul didn’t practice all week, but he is expected to play despite the hand and shoulder injuries. And they did sign cornerback Rashard Robinson to the 53-man roster to help with the depth. They may be down five starters in this one, but if there was a good game for them to miss and the reserves to get some valuable playing time, then this is it.

BEARS OVERALL

The Bears have been struggling all season, and I don’t expect it to change when they come into Tampa to face the defending World Champs. Justin Fields has not been very good versus the blitz, so I suspect Todd Bowles is going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at him on Sunday. The strength of their offense lies in running the football, and I don’t think they’ll be able to do much of that against this Buccaneers front. Their offense is going to have to pull something special out, and their defense will have to play lights out for them to have any shot of winning this game.

GAME PREDICTION

The Bucs will be trying to get off to their best start in franchise history at 6-1 on Sunday, and the Bears are 1-15 as 12-point underdogs since 1980, which is what they are for this game. This is a game that the Buccaneers SHOULD win easily. It reminds me of their matchup with the Miami Dolphins a couple of weeks ago, and we all saw how that turned out. It was a 45-17 beat down in front of the home crowd. I’m expecting a similar outcome with this one, even with all of the injuries on the Bucs defense. They may not score 45 points on the Bears, but this won’t be a close game. I’m going with; Bucs 34 –  Bears 13 for a final score.

 You could look at this as a “trap game” for the Buccaneers. They’re coming off of a mini-bye week after winning three in a row. They’re at home against a weaker opponent that they should have no problem beating. And they have the division rival Saints next week in New Orleans before going on their actual bye week. It’s the perfect storm for most teams to have a lapse in concentration or focus. I don’t think it will happen to this team. Tom Brady won’t let that happen to this team. Bruce Arians won’t let that happen to this team. And don’t think that this team doesn’t remember what happened to them in Chicago last season against the Bears. They want some revenge.

So now that you know all you need to know…

CHICAGO BEARS, YOUR ASS IS ON THE CLOCK!