The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now 3-5 and back in the hunt for the NFC South crown after blowing out the rival Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons in back-to-back weeks to effectively save their season. They have done so by running the football more than anyone else in the league over the past two weeks, defeating Carolina 43-13 behind big performances from Kenny Gainwell and Bucky Irving, and then the dynamic duo both went out and dropped career-high rushing totals on the heads of the Falcons during a torrential downpour at Raymond James Stadium.
Baker Mayfield actually returned from his injury for these two games, but the Buccaneers didn't need much from their quarterback, who has attempted only 14 passes over the last two weeks. And that's an ideal scenario, not only because Mayfield is coming off an injury to the thumb of his throwing hand just weeks ago, but it's also because the franchise QB had a dreadful start to the season after signing a lucrative contract.
Even though Mayfield has struggled this season, everyone knows what he is capable of when he is firing on all cylinders. The Buccaneers need him to dig deep and play like a franchise quarterback if they want to upset the Bears in Week 9.
Baker Mayfield needs to play his best game of the season against the Bears
The Buccaneers don't need to throw everything on Mayfield's plate this weekend, but facing a Chicago Bears team that looks like the best in the NFL and certainly made that level of a statement by blowing out the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football last week, Mayfield is going to have to do more under center than what was required of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal caller against the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons.
Chicago boasts the No. 3 rushing defense in the NFL, allowing only 87 yards per contest. Their defensive front is even stronger now after the addition of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. The Bucs will need some real contributions from their passing game this week in the event the run game gets bottled up.
On the other side of the ball, the Bears offense is explosive, multi-faceted, and can score points with the best of 'em. Mayfield is going up against a young, talented quarterback in Caleb Williams who is building a credible MVP case and is already an upper-echelon quarterback in the league. He's coached by an offensive genius in Ben Johnson, and the Bears will come with a plan to attack the weaknesses of Tampa Bay's defense.
If the Bucs' 32nd-ranked passing offense can't get their act together, they've got almost no chance of keeping up with Chicago on the scoreboard.
Now, the Buccaneers should still aim to execute their winning formula of dominating on the ground, but chances are, they are going to need to ask Mayfield to make the tough throws and challenge the defense more than he has recently. Because the Bears are going to put him under that sort of pressure.
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