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Bears walk off Buccaneers despite four INTs from Caleb Williams
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

'SNF' takeaways: Bears walk off Buccaneers despite career-high four interceptions from QB Caleb Williams

In a game that featured a combined seven turnovers, quarterback Caleb Williams found a way to lead the Chicago Bears to a 27-24 walk-off win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on "Sunday Night Football."

Here are some takeaways from Sunday's NFL nightcap.

Key takeaway: Bears have a lot to clean up to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders

After they staked their claim as the NFC's best team in a Week 8 win over the Seattle Seahawks, the Bears (7-2) looked like anything but that after committing five turnovers against a tenacious Buccaneers defense.

It looked like the game was going to be dominated by Chicago after taking a 14-0 lead. That was until Williams tossed three of his four interceptions in the second quarter and the Bears allowed Tampa Bay to hang around.

However, despite a costly fumble from wide receiver Luther Burden III and a subsequent touchdown and two-point conversion from the Buccaneers (3-6) to tie the game, the Bears had enough left in the tank to march down the field and walk them off with a 38-yard field goal from kicker Cairo Santos.

Granted, this is a Buccaneers team that leads the league in takeaways, and they certainly deserve credit for how well they played against an explosive Bears offense, but this was still a career-high four interceptions from Williams.

In a divisional race as competitive as the NFC North, the Bears have to cut back on the sloppiness if they want to come out of that division on top. At the same time, Williams was far from his best (22-of-37, 279 yards, two TDs, four interceptions) and the Bears still found a way to survive.

Game MVP: Jaylon Johnson, CB, Chicago Bears

While the Bears were nowhere near their best and struggled to hang onto the ball all night, the Buccaneers were not much different themselves. 

After the Buccaneers picked off Williams for a fourth time while trailing 17-13 in the third quarter, the Bears cornerback intercepted QB Baker Mayfield just two plays later and returned it 67 yards for a game-altering pick-six that gave Chicago a 24-13 lead.

For a Buccaneers team that struggled to consistently move the ball all night, that was a crushing play that completely wiped away the momentum they had gained from those interceptions.

Johnson, the 2020 second-round pick out of Utah, is now in his seventh season with the Bears and has eight career interceptions. Now, he can add a ninth to that list and a second pick-six after coming up clutch when the Bears needed him most.

Play of the Game: Caleb Williams' 38-yard pass to Colston Loveland to get in field-goal range

It was looking dire for the Bears after the Buccaneers tied the game at 24 and appeared to have all the momentum. That was until Williams converted a third down to keep the game-winning drive alive before connecting with Loveland for a 38-yard gain to put Chicago in field-goal range.

As poor as Williams' decision-making was at times, when trying to throw the ball away and letting the Buccaneers keep it closer than it should have been, he made some key plays late that made all the difference.

Quote of the Night: "I don't even attempt to hide my man crush for this guy."

During NBC's "Football Night in America" pregame show ahead of Sunday night's game, former head coach and current analyst Mike Tomlin made it clear he is a big fan of newly acquired Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.

After following up his impressive team debut with four tackles (three solo), one sack, one tackle for loss, one pass defended and one QB hit, you do not have to look far to see the impact that Simmons is making since he was traded by the Tennessee Titans.

Colby Colwell

Colby Colwell is a freelance contributor with a bachelor’s in Computer & Information Technology and a minor in Psychology from Western Kentucky University. With a deep passion for sports, especially NASCAR, he offers his substantial knowledge along with his adept writing skills. When he’s not writing, Colby enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with his family.

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