Buccaneers vs Bears: Five game-changing players

Due to the unfortunate arrival of Hurricane Irma, the Buccaneers had their season opener postponed. Now, in week two, Tampa Bay will host Chicago to kick off the season. Here, we break down five players who have the potential to change the outcome of Sunday’s game.

The Buccaneers are itching to finally get on the field for their regular season opener. They’ve had to wait long enough, and now they are ready to open things up against the Bears on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay’s offseason was busy. There were the big signings of DeSean Jackson and Chris Baker. In April, O.J. Howard and Chris Godwin were added to the offense through the draft. And throughout the summer, HBO’s crew followed the team around for this year’s season of Hard Knocks. It was a busy few months, but the next four (and hopefully five) months will be even more thrilling.

The Bucs went 9-7 a year ago, finishing with a winning record for the first time since 2010. They missed the playoffs, but a five-game winning streak from week 10 to week 14 gave fans a glimpse of what this team is capable of. Many feel like Tampa Bay made the right moves in the offseason to make a big run in 2017. Not only can Dirk Koetter lead this team to be playoff contenders, but also NFC South contenders.

The newfound weapons for Jameis Winston should be on full display this Sunday, as should an improving Buccaneer defense. The Bears, for their part, have playmakers of their own. Now, which five players have the ability to impact the outcome of this week’s game?