Good morning, Bears fans!

It’s a big night for the Bears.

And a great day of football for all of us.

We get to do some advance scouting between the Lions and Week 14 opponent Miami at noon.

Then it’s Packers vs. Patriots in the late window.

All before the Bears try to put themselves into a position to earn first place for the bye week.

(A win plus loss by the Vikings to the Bills on Monday night would do that.)

1. Can the Buccaneers defense do what the Seahawks couldn’t?
Any confidence that Tampa Bay fans hold coming into the game rests with a Bucs defense that ranks first against the run and third in total yards allowed. But the Seahawks boasted an even better pedigree at home and it didn’t mean anything to Caleb Williams, who became the first quarterback all season to top 200 passing yards against the Seahawks defense. Going one more game without Kyle Monangai means that Caleb will have to beat a good defense with his arm. I think he’s up to the challenge.

2. Can the Bears secondary get a confidence builder against the Bucs passing attack?
The Bears allow 8.2 yards per pass attempt, but they’ll be facing a Bucs offense that averages 5.7 yards, dead last in the league. Tampa balances that out with a rushing attack that averages a league-best 168.6 yards per game, but a rejuvenated Bears defense behind Jeffery Simmons could force Baker Mayfield to throw. Both Malik Muhammad and Tyrique Stevenson are expected to play and it seems like Jaylon Johnson could really use the good vibes heading into the bye week.

3. Can the Bears break ‘The Collinsworth Curse?’
I wrote about this at length in Thursday’s newsletter, but it’s time to end the NBC losing streak at an even dozen. A victory tonight would be the first for the Bears on Sunday Night Football since that memorable Rams game in the cold in December 2018. (Caleb had just finished his sophomore season of high school.)

JOIN US FOR BEARS BY 7 POSTGAME
Don’t go directly to bed! Kevin Kaduk and Ryan Droste break down the game in seven minutes flat on our YouTube channel, then keep talking in overtime. Follow the channel here and set your notifications ON so you’re ready when the clock starts.

Kevin Kaduk: Bears 33, Bucs 14
Rolling, rolling, rolling. The Bears end their 12-game losing streak on NBC and head into the bye week with a decisive victory in front of the home crowd. It’s a great thing to feel confident as a Bears fan.

Ryan Droste: Bears 31, Bucs 13
Another game against a very tough defense. But after the Bears had no trouble with the vaunted Seahawks defense on the road, I don’t see them having any trouble vanquishing the Bucs at home.

Kacper Rajwa: Bears 27, Bucs 10
I like the Bucs defense, so I think they have a chance to hold the Bears under 30. That being said, with Simmons I don’t see Tampa putting up more than 10.