Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6)* at Chicago Bears
No one is really buying back into the Bears just yet, right? That whole ‘beat the 4-6 Vikings by eight at home in a feverish attempt to save everyone’s job for another day’ game could be explained away by, well, the fact that the Vikings are now 4-6 and played in Chicago where the Bears could not afford another loss, lest heads may roll. That hardly sounds like a valuable win.
At first glance, Tampa Bay’s victory over the sinking Redskins seems equally unimpressive to that of the Bears’, but the Buccaneers were in control of their victory for the entire game. Had anyone actually tuned in to watch the Buccaneers at any point on Sunday, they may have actually been fooled into thinking a decent team was on the field. Rookie wide receiver Mike Evans has burst onto the scene – now seven touchdowns and nearly 800 yards in only nine games – and exploded for a two-touchdown, 209-yard campaign with veteran quarterback Josh McCown under center.
If the name ‘Josh McCown‘ sounds familiar, it’s probably because he was the backup quarterback who held a 3-2 record with 13 touchdowns and only one interception in five starts last season. For the Chicago Bears.
It is worth noting that, before Jay Cutler returned from injury last year, there was a legitimate debate as to whether or not McCown was more suited than Cutler to lead the Bears through the end of the season.
Chicago has looked terrible all year, and its home win against the Vikings sets up for another crushing disappointment from its suddenly optimistic stance. Tampa Bay has played better of late, dropping two of its last three losses by less than a touchdown before winning in Week 11. The Buccaneers win by a touchdown and beat the spread.
