Bears vs. Buccaneers: Preview, score prediction for Week 2
By Nick Sparrow
Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Chicago Bears travel to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bears are coming off a home loss to the Atlanta Falcons, where they came one play away from knocking off the reigning NFC Champions. The Buccaneers had been scheduled to play the Miami Dolphins in Week 1.
However, that game was canceled due to the impact of Hurricane Irma, so this will be the first opportunity fans get to see the Bucs in the 2017 season.
Bears quarterback Mike Glennon, who is a former Buccaneer, looked surprisingly effective in his Chicago debut. Glennon was 26-of-40 for 213 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers defense is expected to be good this season, but since we haven’t yet seen them it is hard to know what to expect as Glennon returns to Tampa.
Keys to Victory
The key for a Bears victory starts with Chicago finding who their offensive weapons are. Starting wide receiver Cameron Meredith injured his knee in the Bears preseason game against the Tennesee Titans. On Sunday, the Bears also lost wide receiver Kevin White to a broken shoulder. Kendall Wright will likely now the Bears primary option at wide receiver. Wright caught three passes for 34 yards last week against the Falcons. However, the Bears might have found a future star in rookie running back Tarik Cohen.
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However, the Bears might have found a future star in rookie running back Tarik Cohen. Cohen was explosive in his NFL debut, gaining 66 yards on only five rushes and pulling in eight passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Howard is officially the Bears starting running back, yet Cohen appeared to a star in the making. The Bears need to find a way to involve Cohen more in their offense to make up the loss of wide receiver talent.
While the Buccanneers do not have a game to breakdown this season, the core of the team remains from the last two seasons. Quarterback Jameis Winston has thrown 33 interceptions in his first two seasons in the league. Tampa Bay has a lot of talent, but turning the ball over at a significant rate makes it difficult for any team to win.
It is also important that the Bucs involve rookie tight end O.J. Howard early in this game. In Week 1, the Bears allowed 128 yards and a touchdown to Atlanta’s tight end. If the Bucs can exploit this hole Howard should be in for a huge NFL debut.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Tampa Bay -7
Moneyline: Tampa Bay -315, Chicago +256
Over/Under: 43
All betting odds provided by BookMaker via The Sportsbook Review
Next: NFL 2017: 20 Bold predictions for Week 2
Score Prediction
The Bears looked better than many expected against the Falcons. However, losing their top two receivers before Week 2 seems like an obstacle too large to overcome. The Buccaneers will have a high-powered offense in 2017 and it seems that Chicago will neither have the defense to stop them or the offense to keep up.
Final Score: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 31, Chicago Bears: 17