The Chicago Bears beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24 Sunday night at Soldier Field on a 38-yard Cairo Santos field goal as time expired. Chicago survived 5 turnovers of its own because Tampa Bay kept stalling in close.

The Buccaneers converted 2 of 12 third downs and found the end zone on 2 of 5 red-zone trips. Chase McLaughlin kicked 3 field goals. The Bears were far better when it counted, converting 7 of 13 third downs.

How It Happened

Chicago struck twice in the first quarter. Caleb Williams hit Rome Odunze for a 9-yard touchdown at 9:38. He then found Luther Burden III for a 56-yard score at 6:00, putting the Bears up two touchdowns.

The second quarter was all kicks. McLaughlin opened it with a 27-yard field goal at 13:48. Santos answered from 25 yards at 3:02, and McLaughlin added a 21-yarder as the half ended.

Tampa Bay pulled within a score early in the third when Bucky Irving ran in from 2 yards at 11:37. Chicago's defense then delivered the biggest swing of the night. Jaylon Johnson returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown at 3:39, pushing the lead back out.

The Buccaneers kept coming in the fourth. McLaughlin hit from 35 yards at 11:24. Irving scored again on a 6-yard run at 2:51, and Baker Mayfield ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game.

That left enough time for Chicago. Santos closed it with his 38-yard field goal with no time left on the clock.

Key Performers

Caleb Williams, CHI: Touchdown passes of 9 YDS to Rome Odunze and 56 YDS to Luther Burden III
Jaylon Johnson, CHI: 67-yard interception return for a touchdown
Cairo Santos, CHI: Field goals of 25 and 38 YDS, game-winner as time expired
Bucky Irving, TB: Rushing touchdowns of 2 and 6 YDS
Chase McLaughlin, TB: Field goals of 27, 21 and 35 YDS

Johnson's return was the play of the game. Tampa Bay threw 2 interceptions to Chicago's 4, but only one of them went the other way for points.

What It Means

This was a game Tampa Bay should feel it let slip. The Buccaneers held the ball for 32:52 and finished slightly ahead in total yards, 352 to 349. They also ran well ahead of Chicago on the ground, with 126 rushing yards to the Bears' 72.

None of that turned into enough touchdowns. The third-down failures and red-zone field goals left points on the field, and the Johnson pick-six erased one of their own scoring chances.

Turnovers: CHI 5, TB 2
Third Down: CHI 7-13, TB 2-12
Red Zone: CHI 1-4, TB 2-5
Sacks–YDS Lost: TB 4-17, CHI 1-2
Penalties: CHI 9-74, TB 8-45

Chicago did not play clean, with 9 penalties to go with the turnovers. Still, the Bears moved the ball efficiently through the air at 7.3 yards per pass, and their defense produced a touchdown.

The Bears improve to 7-2, including 4-1 at home. The Buccaneers fall to 3-6, with a 2-2 mark on the road. For Tampa Bay, close is no longer enough at that record.