Bears best Bucs in comeback fashion, move to 4-1 for first time since 2012
Bears quarterback Nick Foles earned his first win since being named the starter under center. (Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports)

Bears best Bucs in comeback fashion, move to 4-1 for first time since 2012
by - Senior Writer - Fri Oct 09 00:52:20 GMT-05:00 2020

CHICAGO — Continuing to thrive by way of their defense, the Chicago Bears (4-1) garnered a come-from-behind victory in Week 5. Playing in their first primetime matchup of the season, the Bears limited Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) to 19 points at Soldier Field on Thursday night. The Bucs led 13-0 late in the first half, but a quick 14-point swing resulted in the Bears having the lead heading into halftime. Chicago went on to defeat Tampa Bay 20-19.

The Bucs scored just six points on two field goals in the second half, with Brady suffering his first career loss to the Bears. Nick Foles came out on top in the quarterback battle, which served as a rematch of Super Bowl LII, when Brady was a New England Patriot while Foles was a Philadelphia Eagle. Improving to 4-1 for the first time since 2012, the Bears continued to shine under pressure, as three of their victories have come in games that saw them trail by double digits.

Play-by-Play Summary:

First Half:

Buccaneers, field goal: The Bucs capped of the opening drive with a 39-yard field goal by Ryan Succop. Brady marched the Tampa offense 54 yards before Tanner Hudson dropped a third-down pass after absorbing a hit from Roquan Smith. If Hudson had hung on, the reception would have moved the chains. Instead, Tampa Bay settled for a field goal.

Drive: 11 plays, 54 yards, 5:12

Score: Buccaneers 3, Bears 0

Bears, punt: Foles converted a first down on a 10-yard completion to Darnell Mooney. However, on a third-and-short that came soon after that, Foles airmailed an easy throw to a wide-open Allen Robinson, thus forcing the Bears to punt.

Drive: 5 plays, 20 yards, 2:41

Score: Buccaneers 3, Bears 0

Buccaneers, punt: The Bears forced a quick three-and-out, and Hudson arguably got away with offensive pass interference while wrapping up Jaylon Johnson on Brady's third-down incompletion.

Drive: 3 plays, 4 yards, 1:28

Score: Buccaneers 3, Bears 0

Bears, interception: Foles underthrew a pass to Robinson on the first play of the drive, but Robinson came back to the football and scooped up the pass for a solid 24-yard reception. Jimmy Graham caught a bullet from Foles while leaning over the sideline. Foles then underthrew another pass to Robinson, and Carlton Davis, who defended the pass well and avoided being flagged for hand-checking, made an interception after breaking up the pass. Davis returned the ball 34 yards to midfield.

Drive: 4 plays, 39 yards, 2:12

Score: Buccaneers 3, Bears 0

Buccaneers, touchdown: Tyler Johnson hauled in a 35-yard pass. Brady fumbled the ball on the next snap but recovered while being tackled by Roquan Smith. The next play was initially ruled an incomplete pass to Ronald Jones but was overturned thanks to a Bucs challenge. Jones actually rolled into the end zone, untouched, on the play, but the ball was spotted at the 2-yard line because the whistle blew the play dead. The Bucs wasted no time in reaching the end zone again, though, as Brady and Mike Evans teamed up for a 2-yard touchdown.

Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:31

Score: Buccaneers 10, Bears 0

Bears, punt: Foles made a couple of bad throws, including underthrowing a deep ball to a wide-open Mooney, a on a short drive that resulted in a punt early in the second quarter. Cordarrelle Patterson began the possession with a 47-yard kickoff return, but the Bears failed to capitalize off it.

Drive: 5 plays, 14 yards, 1:57

Score: Buccaneers 10, Bears 0

Buccaneers, field goal: The Buccaneers drove into the red zone, with Brady completing several short passes along the way. A face mask penalty called on Kyle Fuller aided the Bucs, as did a pass interference call that went against Johnson. Brady's pass on third-and-7 at the Bears' 17 zoomed past Evans, resulting in a 35-yard field goal from Succop.

Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 6:56

Score: Buccaneers 13, Bears 0

Bears, touchdown: Foles excelled when making short passes under duress all night long, and he converted a first down with a pass of that ilk to Montgomery that resulted in a 12-yard gain on third down. A neutral zone infraction by the Bucs helped keep the drive alive prior to that. Soon afterward, Foles lofted a perfect throw to an uncovered Patterson, who scurried 25 yards to the Tampa 3-yard line. Two plays later, Montgomery carried the rock into the end zone for the Bears' first rushing touchdown of the season.

Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:15

Score: Buccaneers 13, Bears 7

Buccaneers, fumble: A massive hit by Fuller on Ke'Shawn Vaughn gave the Bears the ball back before halftime. Vaughn fumbled as a result of getting trucked by Fuller after catching a screen pass. Fuller was penalized at first, but the flag was picked up. Following a review, the ruling of an incomplete pass was changed to a fumble recovered by Robert Quinn.

Drive: 3 plays, 1 yard, 0:17

Score: Buccaneers 13, Bears 7

Bears, touchdown: Patterson caught an eight-yard pass on third-and-3, and, soon afterward, Graham warded off a defender and made a one-handed catch in the end zone. Graham's 12-yard touchdown reception and the ensuing extra point provided Chicago with its first lead of the evening.

Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 0:55

Score: Buccaneers 13, Bears 14

Buccaneers, end of half: Graham scored with 36 seconds remaining in the second quarter, leading to the Bucs running the clock out.

Drive: 4 plays, 13 yards, 0:36

Score: Buccaneers 13, Bears 14

Second Half:

Bears, punt: A holding call on Cole Kmet backed the Bears up on a short drive out of the intermission.

Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 2:45

Score: Buccaneers 13, Bears 14

Buccaneers, field goal: Jones broke free for a 37-yard carry on the Bucs' first play of the second half. Khalil Mack made his presence felt on the possession by sacking Brady for a seven-yard loss. Moments later, Mack was seen violently shedding a Tristan Wirfs block, as he threw the 320-pounder aside like a rag doll. A pair of completions to Evans helped the Bucs get in field goal range, and Succop connected on a a 46-yarder, putting Tampa Bay back in front.

Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 3:11

Score: Buccaneers 16, Bears 14

Bears, punt: Vita Vea dropped Foles in the backfield for a nine-yard loss. The sack was followed by an incomplete pass on third down that was accompanied by a Bears holding call. Chicago then punted.

Drive: 3 plays, -8 yards, 1:48

Score: Buccaneers 16, Bears 14

Buccaneers, punt: On what had to have been one of the strangest possessions of the NFL season thus far, the Bucs managed to lose two yards on a drive that lasted just under 4 1/2 minutes. Tampa Bay was penalized five times, including an instance of offsetting penalties, negating multiple somewhat lengthy gains. Mack tallied another sack but was flagged for unnecessary roughness, causing Brady to bark at him. A holding call on the Bucs neutralized Mack's penalty and caused the down to be replayed. The Buccaneers wound up punting, and Brady was visibly agitated on the sideline.

Drive: 6 plays, -2 yards, 4:29

Score: Buccaneers 16, Bears 14

Bears, field goal: Foles completed four straight passes prior to a short run by Montgomery closing out the third quarter. The Bears moved to the Bucs' 30-yard line once Davis was flagged for pass interference while defending Robinson. A seven-yard carry by Montgomery and an eight-yard reception by Robinson was followed by Foles getting sacked by Jason Pierre-Paul for a loss of 13 yards. Foles fumbled on the play, but Bobby Massie recovered it. The drive then stalled out, and Santos made a 47-yard field goal to regain the lead for the Bears.

Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 7:13

Score: Buccaneers 16, Bears 17

Buccaneers, field goal: Buster Skrine was flagged for pass interference while covering Rob Gronkowski over the middle. Brady proceeded to dump a pass off to Gronkowski, who found a seam and plodded 23 yards down the field. Mack notched an easy sack for a loss of seven yards, with Brady dropping to the ground after the beastly pass rusher broke through the line and stampeded toward him. Gronkowski picked up 16 yards on third-and-17, and Bucs Head Coach Bruce Arians opted to kick. Succop's 25-yard attempt was good.

Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 5:45

Score: Buccaneers 19, Bears 17

Bears, punt: After William Gholston sacking Foles brought up third-and-long, the Bears caught a break, as Shaquil Barrett was penalized on a questionable roughing the passer call. Barrett made contact with Foles as the quarterback threw an incomplete pass. The Bears' offense failed to take advantage of the reprieve, but Pat O'Donnell made the most of the 15-yard penalty by pinning the Bucs deep in their own territory via an effective 59-yard punt.

Drive: 5 plays, 8 yards, 2:01

Score: Buccaneers 19, Bears 17

Buccaneers, punt: Taking just 27 seconds off the game clock, the Buccaneers were forced to punt after going three-and-out, with the Bears needing to use only one of their three timeouts during the possession.

Drive: 3 plays, -2 yards, 0:27

Score: Buccaneers 19, Bears 17

Bears, field goal: The Bears took over near midfield, and Anthony Miller picked up 10 yards on a third-down pass play that kept the drive alive. Vea was carted off the field after having his ankle rolled up on while tackling Montgomery for a loss. The Bucs were forced to call a timeout as a result, and, out of the timeout, Montgomery caught a perfect lob from Foles that culminated in a 17-yard pickup. On second-and-9 at the Bucs' 24, Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy opted for a pass, which was broken up by Davis, who defended Robinson on the play. The debatable play call allowed the Bucs to use their third and final timeout after the third-down play. Santos sent his 38-yard kick through the uprights, giving the Bears a one-point lead.

Drive: 9 plays, 32 yards, 1:08

Score: Buccaneers 19, Bears 20

Buccaneers, turnover on downs: Starting their last drive at their own 25, the Bucs had 1:13 to work with. Time did not even factor into Tampa coming up short, however, as the Buccaneers turned the football over on downs with 33 seconds left. The Bucs gained 14 yards on the drive, which ended with Brady throwing an incomplete pass over the middle to Cameron Brate. Brady seemed to indicate to the referees that he thought the incompletion came on third down, but he was sorely mistaken.

Drive: 5 plays, 16 yards, 0:40

Score: Buccaneers 19, Bears 20

Bears, end of game: After Tampa Bay was penalized for having too many men on the field, Foles kneeled to put a bow on the Bears' clutch victory, giving him his first win as a Bears starter. Foles looked around for Brady on the field once the game ended, expecting to shake his opposing quarterback's hand, but Brady was nowhere to be found, as he bolted to the locker room as soon as Foles kneeled on the game's final play.

Drive: 1 play, 4 yards, 0:33

Final Score: Buccaneers 19, Bears 20

Statistical Breakdown:

Chicago Bears: 1st Downs: 18; Total Plays: 59; Total Yards: 243; Total Drives: 11; Yards per Play: 4.1; Passing Yards: 208; Rushing Yards: 35; Red Zone: 2-3; Penalties: 6-66; Turnovers: 1; Defensive/Special Teams TDs: 0; Time of Possession: 28:28

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1st Downs: 18; Total Plays: 64; Total Yards: 339; Total Drives: 11; Yards per Play: 5.3; Passing Yards: 233; Rushing Yards: 106; Red Zone: 1-3; Penalties: 11-109; Turnovers: 1; Defensive/Special Teams TDs: 0; Time of Possession: 31:32

"Bear Down" Team MVPs:

Passing: Nick Foles (QB): 30/42, 243 YDS, 5.8 AVG, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3-35 SACK, 83.7 RTG

Rushing: David Montgomery (RB): 10 CAR, 29 YDS, 2.9 AVG, 1 TD, 7 LONG

Receiving: Allen Robinson (WR): 10 REC, 90 YDS, 9.0 AVG, 0 TD, 24 LONG, 16 TGTS

Defense: Khalil Mack (LB): 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 2 SACKS, 2 TFL, 1 PD, 3 QB HITS, 0 TD

Special Teams: Cordarrelle Patterson (KR): 3 NO, 119 YDS, 39.7 AVG, 47 LONG, 0 TD

Up Next: Next up for the Bears is a Week 6 matchup at the Carolina Panthers (2-2), who will likely still be without injured running back Christian McCaffrey. Following a nine-day layoff, the Bears will be back in action on Sunday, Oct. 18, at noon CDT. The contest will take place at Bank of America Stadium and is expected to be played under mostly sunny skies on a warm afternoon in Charlotte, N.C. Chicago leads the all-time series versus Carolina 6-4 and won the latest matchup in 2017 by a score of 17-3.

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