Buccaneers vs. Bears: Bold predictions for Week 7

Bucs Nation goes bold for this week’s game.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) are coming off their fifth win of the season following last week’s win over the Eagles on Thursday night. The Bears are riding behind the arm of rookie quarterback Justin Fields sitting at .500. Will the Bucs be able to contain Fields’ explosive potential?

Check out which Bucs Nation staff writer makes the boldest claim for this week’s game below!

Bailey: Bold predictions are supposed to be bold, right? Well, here we go: Tampa Bay’s offensive line will hold Khalil Mack without a sack on Sunday. He’s been held without a sack just once this season (Week 1 against the Rams) and he got two against the Bucs in last year’s meeting. One of those ended up being the only one Tristan Wirfs allowed in his entire rookie season. You’ve got to think Wirfs will be ready for this rematch, as will the rest of the Buccaneer offensive line, especially considering the unit has only had two games this season in which it hasn’t allowed Tom Brady to be sacked.

James: Last year, the Buccaneers had over 100 penalty yards in a single drive when facing the Chicago Bears. That was the moment that they collectively said enough is enough and cleaned up their act. I’m looking for history to repeat itself, just a week early. The Bucs are currently second in the NFL in penalties and first in penalty yards. This week, as the team continues to look to overcome one of the worst stretches of injuries in recent memory, they get themselves on track by not shooting themselves in the foot with stupidity. The Buccaneers will have fewer than 40 total penalty yards in this one.

David: The Chicago Bears are going to have to continue relying on their defense to keep them in games while Justin Fields gets comfortable with the offense, and gets in a rhythm. Opposing teams know this, and have taken a more patient approach when attacking the defense, looking for cracks as they develop. One way the Bears like to impact opponents is by sacking the quarterback – I mean, who doesn’t? – but they do it better than most. Tied for the league lead with 21 sacks through six games, this is how they’ll look to impact the Bucs on Sunday. Bruce Arians, Byron Leftwich, and Tom Brady know this. So does the offensive line, the tight ends, and the running backs. Look for extra protection for Brady, who won’t need to worry about down counts late in the game, as they hold the Bears to zero sacks, and a come away with a multi-score victory on Sunday. Boom.

Editor’s Pick by Gil Arcia: David one-upped Bailey here. I like it. However, I’m rolling with James’ bold prediction. I believe that a (somewhat) long break in between games for Tampa Bay will allow for the team to play a clean football game. And since we are here bettering our peers this week, I’ll join in on that fun by saying the Bucs will have less than half of what James predicts. So make that less than 20 penalty yards Sunday against Chicago.