by Rod Pearson
Monday, Sep 11, 2023
Game Time: 1:00 pm ET, Sunday, September 17, 2023
Venue: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Where to Watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: Bears +3, Bucs -3; Over/Under: 42 points
Bet365: Point Spread: Bears +3, Bucs -3; Over/Under: 42 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: Bears +3, Bucs -3; Over/Under: 41.5 points
Season Record
Chicago Bears: 0-1 (4th place, NFC North)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-0 (2nd place, NFC North)
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Chicago Bears: lost their last game at home against the Green Bay Packers 38-20.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: won their last game on the road against the Minnesota Vikings 20-17.
Chicago Bears vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview and Analysis
The Bears are entering this game with a 0-1 record overall and they have a 0-1 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-1 in their home games, 0-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They lost their last game against the Packers 38-20. Justin Fields was the starting QB and he completed 24/37 passes for 216 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Justin Fields led the team in rushing yards with 59. Darnell Mooney led the receivers with 53 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 1 TD. Tremaine Edmunds led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 1 assisted tackle while Yannick Ngakoue led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception in that game.
The Buccaneers are entering this game with a 1-0 record overall and they have a 0-0 record in their divisional games too. They are 0-0 in their home games, 1-0 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against the Vikings 20-17. Baker Mayfield was the starting QB and he completed 21/34 passes for 173 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Rachaad White led the team in rushing yards with 39. Mike Evans led the receivers with 66 receiving yards on 6 receptions and 1 TD. Devin White led the defense in that game with 8 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Antoine Winfield Jr. and Anthony Nelson each led the defense in sacks with 1. Christian Izien came away with the only interception for them in that game.
Bears vs Buccaneers Prediction
The current betting odds have the Buccaneers listed as a 3 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Buccaneers had a lot of questions coming into the season with Tom Brady now retired and Baker Mayfield taking over at the quarterback position. Mayfield answered the call though as he led the Bucs to a big season opening win on the road against the Vikings and that defense is also looking really good. Meanwhile, the Bears got blown out at home in their season opener against the Packers in their 1st game without Aaron Rodgers. The Bears showed in that game that they have very little talent on their offense and their defense is definitely not what it used to be years ago. The Bucs are playing their home opener here and they are going to have the momentum after a big win on the road in week 1 while the Bears struggled at home and their offense will not be able to move the ball on this Tampa defense. The best way to place a bet here is on the Buccaneers to cover the spread in this game.
Bears Buccaneers Prediction: Our NFL Pick for Sunday, September 17, 2023 (1:00 pm ET start time) is Buccaneers 24 Bears 7.
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NFL Betting Trends
Chicago Bears: 11-23 ATS in all games. 8-20 ATS as an underdog. 6-19 ATS against conference opponents. 69-36 UNDER after a game with a turnover margin of -2 or worse. 6-3 UNDER in the first month of the season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-2 ATS off a road win. 4-1 ATS after a win by 3 or less points. 19-9 UNDER against conference opponents. 20-12 UNDER as a favorite.
Key Injuries
Chicago Bears: K. Gordon (DB) day-to-day - Hand. D. Kramer (OL) Out indefinitely - Hand. T. Jenkins (OL) Out indefinitely - Leg.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C. Kancey (DL) day-to-day - Calf. K. Vaughn (RB) day-to-day - Personal. R. Jensen (C) I-R - Knee. R. Gage (WR) I-R - Knee.
Notable Quotes
“This game was hyped up and we didn’t bring the juice and hype to the party today and we lost." - DJ Moore after their loss against the Packers in their last game.
“Baker’s gutsy. He’s tough. The guys stayed behind him.” - Todd Bowles on Baker Mayfield after his team’s win against the Vikings in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Chicago Bears
WR Moore, DJ
WR Claypool, Chase
WR Mooney, Darnell
TE Kmet, Cole
QB Fields, Justin
RB Herbert, Khalil
FB Blasingame, Khari
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
WR EVANS, MIKE
WR Palmer, Trey
WR Godwin, Chris
TE Otton, Cade
QB Mayfield, Baker
RB White, Rachaad
Statistical Leaders
Chicago Bears
Passing: J. Fields (216)
Rushing: J. Fields (59)
Receiving: D. Mooney (53)
Touchdowns: D. Mooney (1)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Passing: B. Mayfield (173)
Rushing: R. White (39)
Receiving: M. Evans (66)
Touchdowns: M. Evans (1)
Coaches:
Chicago Bears: Matt Eberflus (2nd season)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Todd Bowles (2nd season)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
