They got away with one, and know it: Takeaways from the Chicago Bears win over Tampa Bay

We hand out midseason awards for the Chicago Bears | Gameday Live We've reached the midseason point of the Bears' NFL season. Our squadron hands out some superlatives for offensive, defensive, most improved and rookie players of the year. The Brief The Chicago Bears didn't outwardly say it. You could tell just with how they spoke about the 27-24 win over Tampa Bay. They got away with one. Here’s what we learned about the Bears after their win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Chicago Bears didn't outwardly say it. You could tell just with how they spoke about the 27-24 win over Tampa Bay. They got away with one. It's a win. The Bears are still in second place in the NFC North and have seven wins going into their bye week. "It's hard to win with five turnovers, and yet we found a way to do it," Bears coach Ben Johnson said. Here’s what we learned about the Bears after their win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the Bears know they got away with one. Bears got served humble pie The vibe in the postgame locker room wasn’t somber. It wasn’t angry. It felt like this was a team that won and didn’t feel particularly good about it. That’s what happens when a team wins after committing five turnovers, four of them interceptions. That’s what happens when the offense trusted its rookies early and got burned, like when Zavion Thomas was tabbed for an unnecessary roughness foul that turned a second and goal at the eight-yard line to a second and goal at the 21-yard line. "Yeah, I don’t know if he played on offense after that," Johnson said. That’s what happens when a 14-0 early lead, and a 17-3 lead at halftime, is turned into a 24-24 game in the final minutes. That fast start is one of the reasons why the Bears won. It was another week of the Bears’ offense clicking. The defense did a lot of heavy lifting. They couldn’t keep Tampa Bay down for the entire game. Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving was cutting up the Bears’ defense at times. He was the best offensive weapon on the field. The Bears played on their heels for the entire second quarter on it seemed. "Turn the ball over five times, you're lucky to get a win," Bears tight end Colston Loveland said. "It was frustrating, but we got chances, we're getting chances. And then when it finally mattered at the end, we actually pulled through with an eight-play driver or whatever it was." On the other hand, having a team come in and challenge the Bears is a sign they have much more to in order to play great. "Aa good little nip in the butt," Bears defensive back Kyler Gordon said. "I think we needed that and it's good going into the Bible. We kind of just keep that fresh in our mind." Still, the fact Tampa Bay had the Bears’ number feels like something that hung in that locker room. It’s what kept their celebration to a hushed tone as opposed to the boisterous style they’ve had in the past. The subdued celebration was more of an homage to how they got away with one on Sunday Night Football. The head coach even alluded to the fact he had displeasure written on his face. "They know that we didn't play as well as we're capable of playing, but I believe the best is yet to come in terms of our football in the back half of this season," Johnson said. "We'll continue to build that as we go forward. They need some rest right now. That's what they need. They need to get away from these coaches. We'll clean up some things over the next couple of days and get them free from us for a little bit." Related article Grading the Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay on Sunday Night Football Here’s how we graded the Bears in their third primetime game in a row, this time on Sunday Night Football against The offense has to prove this was a one-off Tampa forcing five turnovers was one thing. The lack of offensive success was another. There was a stretch where the Bears had five consecutive drives that ended in three-and-outs. That’s not winning football. The Buccaneers had a defensive game plan under head coach Todd Bowles that clicked and never went away. "Obviously a lot of pressure and at the end of the day that's a stressor," Bears left tackle Theo Benedet said. "We probably didn't handle it as well as we could." In the end, the offense did make the plays it needed. The 38-yard pass to Loveland was the play the Bears needed. Loveland said it was a simple combination of sail routes to stretch the defense. The cornerback that was on Loveland dropped off covering him rather early. It was a simple pitch and catch from there. It was more than that, too. The Bears had been in this situation before so many times last year. It was clear that last-minute drive just felt like riding a bike. Relax, wait for the play you need and then take it when it’s there. "We've been in that situation before and obviously we have faith in Cairo, too," Benedet said. "We know we just need to make one play to get it down there and Colson did a great job doing that." Not many players took solace in how it came down to that, though. The offense stole a win, but it needs to prove this game was just a one-off. A bye week can help in terms of getting a way for a bit and getting some rest before preparing for two games in five days. "We got so much to clean up now," Loveland said. Jaylon Johnson made the play of the day When the Bears needed a big play, they got one from their longest-tenured player. Johnson has been the subject of a few questions. Like, does he still have it? The Bears’ Pro Bowler in 2023 and 2024 hasn’t looked like the player who earned an All-Pro nod in 2023. That’s why his pick-six was so important. Johnson said after the game he didn’t think he needed that interception. He didn’t seem like a player keen on taking credit for a play that was all him. But, his teammates know the chip was firmly on his shoulder. It’s been there. "He's always been that player, regardless of what anyone said," Bears defensive back Kyler Gordon said. "I don't know how much he's paid attention, I shout at him at the end of the day, he gonna do what he need to do and be the best out of it." Time will tell if Johnson needed that play. If he turns one into a few, then it’ll be one he can point to at the start of a barrage. So far, that pick six was a reminder to those outside of the Bears’ locker room that Johnson has the ability to be the reason the Bears win a game. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 08: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears leaves the field after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field on November 08, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) The Bears need that bye week You could see it written on the faces of a few Bears in the postgame locker room. Some of these players are spent. The players looked like this was their third primetime game in as many weeks, and they knew a weekend off was coming after that game. "I mean I certainly do," Benedet said of needing the bye week. "It comes at a good time." The Bears can use this week to move on. They can also accomplish a few other goals. "Recover, get healthy, and attack the next game," Jaylon Johnson said. Attacking the next game starts with determining what went wrong against the Buccaneers. That starts with addressing the turnovers. Williams had confidence this isn’t going to carry over because it’s never had in his career. "I’ve been through it. I’m happy that I’ve been through it before," Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said. "I’m not going to get gun shy. I’m not going to shy away from it. I have to find ways to get better." Most importantly, they need to recover. Coming out of the bye week, the Bears will get running back Kyle Monangai and defensive back Malik Muhammad back. That week off also gives Luther Burden III a chance to make it through concussion protocol and gives a chance for Tyrique Stevenson to recover. That will be paramount for a team that has four NFC North games in the back end of its s