Bears vs Buccaneers: Chicago keys for the game

We asked the WCG staff to give us their keys for the Chicago Bears to pull off the upset on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and let’s just say there isn’t much optimism from our staff this week. The Bucs are a 12 point favorite last I checked, and it’s going to be hot and humid on Sunday afternoon. There is some rain possible, which could cool things off and make the field sloppy, and that may be the only chance the Bears have to keep things close.

Here are the keys we came up with, and bonus points for anyone that can figure out which movies are being referenced this week!

Ken Mitchell: On offense get Justin Fields out of the pocket and looking downfield. If nothing else, it’s good for his development. And defensively remember, if you hit Tom Brady enough he has trouble counting to four, even when using his fingers... so do that.

Josh Sunderbruch: The Bears should not try and win football. That’s impossible. Instead… they should only try to realize the truth: there is no football. Then they’ll see, that it is not the football that wins, it is only the team.

Sam Householder: Did your sibling ever beat you up? And in the midst of that beating your sibling said “Don’t fight it, you’ll only make it worse.” So you just lay there and take your beating? This is that in NFL game form. You can stand in front of the freight train but it isn’t going to stop it any quicker. The best the Bears can hope for is to get in the way for a couple of quarters.

ECD: As I’ve said for a while, just let Justin Fields cook. The passing game needs to open up, and the Bucs’ secondary has been plagued with injuries. Depending on the run against the top ranked run defense in the league would not be a wise decision. And on defense, beat up on Tom Brady and the Bucs’ O-line. Much like how the Bears won last year against Tompa Bay, if you can keep drilling the QB into the turf, you can beat this team.

Patti Curl: There’s only one man in this league who can face Tom Brady and know he’s going to walk away with a win. Luckily for us, that man is the Bears third string quarterback. Put Nick in, and watch the fireworks ensue. The Buccaneers biggest threat on offense is when they put Vita Vea in at fullback. Don’t let him push you around. We need Goldman and Tonga both on the field for the whole game to make sure this doesn’t happen.

Robert Zeglinski: Against a Super Bowl contender, I’m gonna be your instincts. Robert will be your instincts. Don’t do anything. The less you do, the more you do.

Jack R Salo: I wish I had some subtle - yet beautiful - movie quote to reference when suggesting how the Bears can hope to beat a top-3 offense in the NFL when they field the worst. They won’t survive a shootout, can’t game plan for turnovers but only capitalize on them, and may be without Robert Quinn. Doom-and-gloom aside, it will take key plays that don’t show up well on a stat sheet to really get this one done. Convert a couple early third downs to take the crowd out of the game. When the Bucs drive down and go for it on fourth-and-short in field goal range, make them regret it. Damien Williams (if he returns) or Khalil Herbert - break a couple tackles after the catch and run for a first down to steal the momentum. Oh and Justin Fields...don’t take one single sack outside of the pocket.

Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: The Bears shouldn’t bother with testing the middle of the Bucs defense this week with their run game. Stick with outside zone runs, pull out the bootlegs, dust off the jets sweeps, and stress Tampa Bay’s edges. And he’s likely going to make some rookie mistakes, but this has to be the week the Bears put more on Fields’ plate. If the Bucs do have a weakness, it’s in their secondary.

What do you think about the Bears’ chances this week?