By Townhall Chicago News Staff
The Chicago Bears defense carried the team through a turbulent Sunday night, recording two interceptions and four sacks to secure a 27-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field and extend the team’s winning streak to four games.
The win improved Chicago’s record to 7-2, its best nine-game start since 2012, and sent the Bears into their bye week riding the longest winning streak of the season.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson delivered the signature play. With four minutes left in the third quarter and the Buccaneers trailing by four points after forcing their fourth takeaway, Johnson intercepted quarterback Baker Mayfield and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown, pushing the Bears’ lead to 24-13.
“That’s just who we are,” Johnson said on the team’s website. “We always fight.”
Defensive end Montez Sweat threw the key block that cleared Johnson’s path to the end zone.
“We always talk about scoring on defense, and when I saw the quarterback running, I ran too,” Sweat said on the team’s website. “I just got him out of the way.”
The defense was tested repeatedly by an uncharacteristic five-turnover performance from the Bears offense, including four interceptions by quarterback Caleb Williams. On Tampa Bay’s four possessions following Williams’ interceptions, the Bears defense allowed just three points.
“I thought our defense did an outstanding job rising to the occasion,” coach Ben Johnson said on the team’s website. “They don’t bat an eye, they don’t blink.”
Defensive back Cam Lewis recorded the Bears’ first takeaway, intercepting Mayfield in the final minutes of the first half to halt a Buccaneers drive at the Chicago 26-yard line.
“Defense needed to make the play, and I felt like I was just trying to do my job and go out there and make a play,” Lewis said on the team’s website.
Linebacker Devin Bush finished with a team-high nine tackles, including a tackle-for-loss on a third-and-goal play that kept Tampa Bay out of the end zone early in the second quarter. Bush and defensive lineman James Lynch then combined to stop Mayfield on a fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak, forcing a turnover on downs.
“You see how fast he is,” Lynch said of Bush on the team’s website. “He can be everywhere on the field.”
Defensive end Austin Booker added his fifth sack of the season, while recently acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons recorded a sack for the second straight game, raising his season total to six. On the season, the Bears have 26 sacks, third most in the NFL.
The defense held Mayfield to a 54.6 passer rating and permitted only two third-down conversions on 12 attempts. Through nine games, the Bears have allowed just 21 third-down conversions, the fewest by any defense through Week 9 and the second-fewest through nine games by any NFL team since at least 1991, according to the team’s website.
Despite his four interceptions, Williams engineered the game-winning drive after Tampa Bay tied the score 24-24 with 2:51 remaining. He completed 22 of 37 passes for 279 yards with two touchdowns and connected with tight end Colston Loveland for a 38-yard gain to the Buccaneers’ 16-yard line with 38 seconds left. Cairo Santos then drilled a 38-yard field goal as time expired.
“It’s hard to win with five turnovers, and yet we found a way to do it,” coach Johnson said. “I believe the best is yet to come in terms of our football in the back half of this season.”
The Bears have not trailed at any point during their four-game winning streak, leading for 210 minutes and 20 seconds over the stretch, according to the team’s website.
