Bears Edge Buccaneers as Mayfield Questions Penalties

The Chicago Bears edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24, improving to 7-2 while Tampa Bay fell to 3-6. The Buccaneers committed five false starts, and Baker Mayfield alleged Chicago defenders mimicked Tampa Bay’s snap cadence to draw at least one penalty, including a late flag on tackle Tristan Wirfs; officials did not flag the Bears for the alleged tactic. Tampa Bay also had two delay-of-game penalties that affected fourth-down decisions, and coach Todd Bowles said the penalties were not caused by a communication problem and the team needed to hold its composure. Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams threw a career-high four interceptions, while Bears opponents have committed 23 pre-snap violations this season, fourth-most in the NFL. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho also criticized Tampa Bay’s passing offense for failing to capitalize on defensive takeaways and a blocked punt, leaving the Bucs too dependent on field goals after Chicago pushed them away from their recent run-heavy approach.