Tom Brady Faces Tough Chicago Bears Defense
On Thursday Night Football, the Chicago Bears will look to bounce back after their first loss of the season when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field.
TIME: 8:20 p.m. ET. TV: FOX; BETTING LINE: Bucs -3.5 / TOTAL 44.5 U -112
The pressure was on for Tampa Bay QB Tom Brady in Week 4, and he produced like the legend he is. He had to comeback from a 17-point deficit against the Los Angeles Chargers in order to extend the Bucs’ win streak to three games. That is huge after losing their season debut.
The 43-year-old Brady is coming off his best performance since joining the Buccaneers as a free agent. He threw for 369 yards and five touchdowns in the win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. The key win and the team improved Tampa Bay’s record to 3-1 to stay atop the NFC South.
Brady has thrown for 1,122 yards, 11 touchdowns and four interceptions in his first four games as a Buc. He is No. 2 in NFL history in passing yards with 75,693. He is also second in touchdowns with 552. He is trailing Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints in both categories.
Chicago Bears are Not Chopped Liver
The Chicago Bears thought that replacing QB Mitchell Trubisky with QB Nick Foles would be an upgrade, especially with the comeback against the Falcons last week. After watching Trubisky struggle throughout his last couple of games, Foles didn’t look much better in his first start of the season against the Indianapolis Colts. The 2018 Super Bowl MVP was 26 of 42 for 249 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the 19-11 loss.
Chicago enters with a 3-1 record, as well. They are one game back of the Green Bay Packers for the lead in the NFC North. The Bears opened the season with three straight wins before losing 19-11 against the Indianapolis Colts last week.
Foles remains the starter heading into Thursday’s prime-time matchup.
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This, That, and a Dart Throw
The Bears are No. 24 in the league in total offense with an average of 343.3 yards per game. They are No. 25 in scoring with 21.3 points per game.
Tampa Bay is No. 16 in offense at 371.5 yards per game.
The Bucs are No. 8 in scoring (30.0 points).
Running back Ronald Jones has emerged to bring balance to the Buccaneers’ offense.
Tampa Bay is fourth in the league in defense allowing only 312.0 yards per game.
Chicago is No. 8 in total defense with an average of 345.3 yards allowed.
Veteran tight end O.J. Howard tore his Achilles tendon last week for the Buccaneers and was placed on injured reserve. This would mean a bigger role for Rob Gronkowski going forward one would think.
Four other receivers — Mike Evans (ankle), Chris Godwin (hamstring), Miller (hip/groin) and Justin Watson (chest) — are dealing with injuries that kept them out of practice to start the week.
Running back Leonard Fournette (ankle) is a question mark after missing Week 4.
Health is less of a concern for the Bears.
Top pass rusher Khalil Mack was listed as a limited participant in practice to start the week because of a sore knee.
Deon Bush and Sherrick McManis, did not participate because of hamstring injuries.
Matchup
| Bears | Category | Buccaneers |
| 3-1 | W/L | 3-1 |
| 2-0 | HOME | 1-1 |
| 1-1 | AWAY | 2-0 |
| 2-2 | ATS | 2-2 |
| 1-1 | ATS HOME | 0-2 |
| 1-1 | ATS AWAY | 2-0 |
| 3-1 | O/U | 2-2 |
| 2-0 | O/U HOME | 0-2 |
| 1-1 | O/U AWAY | 2-0 |
The Dart Throw: Bucs 21, Bears 17
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Chicago Bears Betting Odds & Trends
| Chicago Bears |
|---|
| Chicago is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 games |
| Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 17 of Chicago’s last 25 games |
| Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home |
| Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home |
| The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s last 7 games at home |
| Chicago is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay |
| Chicago is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay |
| Chicago is 16-7 ATS in its last 23 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay |
| Chicago is 20-5 SU in its last 25 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
|---|
| Tampa Bay is 5-9-2 ATS in its last 16 games |
| Tampa Bay is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games |
| The total has gone OVER in 15 of Tampa Bay’s last 18 games |
| Tampa Bay is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road |
| Tampa Bay is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road |
| Tampa Bay is 8-17 SU in its last 25 games on the road |
| The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay’s last 9 games on the road |
| Tampa Bay is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Chicago |
| Tampa Bay is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing Chicago |
| Tampa Bay is 7-16 ATS in its last 23 games when playing on the road against Chicago |
| Tampa Bay is 5-20 SU in its last 25 games when playing on the road against Chicago |
Next up:
Tampa Bay home to Green Bay Sunday, October 18
Chicago at Carolina Sunday, October 18
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