This week’s Sunday Night Football matchup will feature the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going on the road for a meeting with a surging Chicago Bears squad. Keep reading for betting odds, picks, and player props for this exciting showdown. Also, make sure you head over to our Week 9 NFL Betting Hub for a look at all of our NFL betting content.
MORE: Our experts have a bunch of different way to bet Buccaneers-Bears on the Pro Picks page!
How To Watch Buccaneers vs. Bears
When: Sunday, November 8 at 8:20 pm ET
Where: Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois
Channel: NBC
Buccaneers vs. Bears Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate as of Friday, November 6. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Bears -285, Buccaneers +230
Spread: Bears -6 (-112), Buccaneers +6 (-108)
Total: Over 47.5 (-105), Under 47.5 (-115)
Buccaneers vs. Bears Analysis
It’s hard to find anyone who wants to bet on Tampa Bay to close out Sunday. A look at our betting splits pages shows roughly 80% of the tickets at both DraftKings and Circa Sports coming in on Chicago. However, at Circa, which many consider the sharpest book in the United States, the money appears to tell a different story. Respected action on Tampa Bay could explain why Chicago remains parked at -6 there despite all those Bears tickets.
Ben Johnson’s team has been tough to handicap all season. Chicago’s offense is Super Bowl caliber, and the defense has exceeded expectations. The issue is that some of the underlying numbers suggest that defense shouldn’t be trusted.
This season, the Bears are 31st in the NFL in yards per play allowed (6.0). The other four teams in the league’s bottom five are the Saints, Colts, Cowboys, and Raiders. That’s miserable company, and you have to wonder if the wheels will eventually come off.
To the front office’s credit, Chicago addressed the defense by acquiring star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who recorded four tackles in his Bears debut. But one player won’t completely fix a faulty defense, even if he’s one of the best at his position. The question is whether Chicago is due for some regression — and whether Tampa Bay’s offense is good enough to expose it.
Baker Mayfield is having a miserable year for the Buccaneers. The fiery signal-caller has dealt with injuries, but his Pro Football Focus grade sits at 57.9, down from 70.0 last year and 85.9 in 2024. If he doesn’t play better, it might not matter how vulnerable the Bears are defensively.
Fortunately for Mayfield, there are reasons to think he can snap out of it this week. For starters, Tampa Bay is sixth in the NFL in Rush EPA/play (-0.023), giving him a productive running game to lean on. Getting Bucky Irving going should make life easier through the air.
Emeka Egbuka also appears to have a chance to play. He’s listed as questionable, but he practiced throughout the week. If he’s available, Mayfield gets a true No. 1 option — and someone who can consistently create separation.
The Buccaneers also happen to have one of the league’s best defenses. Todd Bowles’ unit ranks second in EPA/play allowed (-0.148), trailing only Minnesota, and has been excellent against both the run and the pass. Slowing down Chicago is a tough assignment for anyone, but Tampa Bay is better equipped for it than most.
And while there’s plenty you can criticize about Bowles, he’s 10-9 against the spread as a road underdog of 7 or fewer with Tampa Bay. He’s also 12-8 ATS with the Bucs in road games with totals between 42.5 and 49.
Buccaneers vs. Bears Player Props
LEAN: Irving Over 62.5 Rushing Yards (-115)
I’m not looking to play too much in this game, so I don’t personally have a player prop on my card. However, our OptaAI player prop pages offer hundreds of projections every week, making them a must-see for VSiN subscribers.
One that stands out here is Irving’s projected rushing total of 66.96 yards. With a line of 62.5 available, that gives you a little more than four yards of cushion toward the Over. It’s not enough for me to make it an official play, but that’s the direction I’d look.
Buccaneers vs. Bears Pick
It was a little easier to find winners in primetime earlier in the season, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop hunting for them. In this Sunday night matchup, I’m taking the points with the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay’s running game gives the offense something to lean on, and a potential Egbuka return would give Mayfield a better chance to get the passing attack going. Against a Chicago defense whose underlying numbers are much worse than its reputation, this looks like a reasonable spot for it to wake up.
Bet: Buccaneers +6.5 (-115)
