Chicago QB throws career-high four interceptions
Mayfield leads Tampa Bay rally that falls short
Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears played one of their worst games of the season – and won.
That last part was the only thing that mattered to them Sunday night.
Williams found Colston Loveland for a 38-yard reception that set up Cairo Santos’s 38-yard field goal as time expired, and the host Bears picked up a sloppy 27-24 victory over Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field.
Chicago (7-2) committed five turnovers, including a career-high four interceptions by Williams. But he delivered after Mayfield rallied the Buccaneers in the final minutes.
“I don’t get gun shy. That’s not me. That’s not my identity,” Williams said. “And with that, I’m going to keep ripping it and keep ripping it.”
With Chicago facing a second-and-nine from their own 46 in the final minute, Williams passed to a wide-open Loveland at the Tampa Bay 35. The tight end ran down the sideline before he was pushed out of bounds at the 16.
After two kneel-downs by Williams, Santos delighted the crowd of 60,470 by drilling his second field goal of the night.
It was Chicago’s first win with five-plus turnovers since a 23-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on 3 December 2006.
“It’s hard to win with five turnovers and yet we found a way to do it,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “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 the season. So we’ll continue to build that as we go forward.”
Chicago had a 24-16 lead when Luther Burden fumbled on a helmet-to-helmet hit by Tampa Bay rookie Rueben Bain Jr. Bucs defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu returned the ball to the Bears 17.
Bucky Irving had an 11-yard carry before going in from the 6 for his second touchdown of the game. Mayfield scrambled for the two-point conversion, tying it at 24 with 2:51 left. Mayfield was 18 for 32 for 243 yards and two interceptions. Irving finished with 97 yards on 20 carries.
Mayfield failed to complete a pass in Tampa Bay’s previous game, a 16-0 win over Atlanta in wet conditions. The Buccaneers (3-6) rushed for a franchise-record 324 yards in the victory over the Falcons, including 170 by Irving.
Williams was 22 for 37 for 279 yards and two touchdowns in Chicago’s fourth straight win. Burden had seven catches for 97 yards before he was shelved by a concussion. Jeffery Simmons had a sack in his first home game since he was acquired in a trade with Tennessee.
