Bears Week 9 Analytics: How Chicago Overcame Five Turnovers

Nov 8, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears running back D’Andre Swift (4) rushes the ball against Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad (97) in the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images

Bears Week 9 Analytics: How Chicago Overcame Five Turnovers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jobe Morrison | Last updated Nov 11, 2026 1:00 PM ET

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The Chicago Bears won ugly in Week 9, and they showed plenty of grit doing it. In this league, you don’t apologize for winning. The offense struggled and turned the ball over five times, but the defense bailed it out by turning the tide and keeping the Buccaneers at… bay.

Dig into the analytics, and it’s easy to see where things went wrong and why. We’re also seeing some concerning trends the Bears will need to address during the bye week. Here are the Bears’ Week 9 analytics: what went right and what needs to improve.

Note: EPA is expected points added per play, and SR is success rate.

Offense

The Bears’ offense obviously had a rough night. After a hot start, the unit committed five turnovers as Tampa Bay clawed its way back. Here’s where the Chicago offense ranked in the Week 9 analytics:

25th in overall EPA (-0.242)
18th in overall SR (42.4%)
25th in dropback EPA (-0.213)
15th in dropback SR (46.3%)
25th in rush EPA (-0.309)
18th in rush SR (33.3%)

The five turnovers drove the poor performance. Four of them were interceptions, and the Bears paid dearly. The bigger concern might be the ground game, though. It’s become clear this offense misses Kyle Monangai alongside D’Andre Swift. The bye comes at a good time, and the team hopes he’s healthy enough to return in Week 11. Until then, the run game is a growing area of concern.

Defense

Sep 28, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive back Jaylon Johnson (1) reacts with linebacker Devin Bush (12) during the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

The Bears’ defense was outstanding Sunday night. It single-handedly kept the game under control and stopped the offense’s five turnovers from turning into anything worse. There’s still some cause for concern, though. Here’s where the Chicago defense ranked in the Week 9 analytics:

8th in overall EPA (-0.195)
10th in overall SR (40.3%)
5th in dropback EPA (-0.271)
7th in dropback SR (36.8%)
19th in rush EPA (-0.096)
23rd in rush SR (44.8%)

As it turns out, the ground game is a concern on both sides of the ball. Tampa Bay entered Week 9 with one of the NFL’s most efficient rushing attacks, and it showed against this Bears defense. The Buccaneers ran for 126 yards and scored both of their touchdowns on the ground.

Is it time to raise the red flag? No. Five turnovers made life harder for the Bears on both sides of the ball.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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