BEARS, FOLES HANDLE BIG TEST FROM BRADY, BUCS
In a career that began preiPhone, future Hall of Famer Tom Brady has pummeled the Bears like no other opposing quarterback.
He went into the BearsBuccaneers game Thursday night with a 5- 0 record, 109.2 passer rating and 175- 104 scoring margin against them — all in games he played for the Patriots, the team he left in March after 20 seasons to join the Bucs.
No quarterback with at least five games against the Bears in the modern era has a higher passer rating against them, and the only teams Brady has lit up more than the Bears are the Falcons ( 116.7 rating) and Steelers ( 111.1). He had 14 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 70.4 completion percentage against the Bears entering Thursday.
Brady first beat them as a
25- year- old in 2002, when he threw a 20- yard touchdown pass to David Patten with 21 seconds left for a 33- 30 win at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium. In 2014 in Foxboro, Massachusetts, he dropped five touchdown passes ( four in the first half ) on the Bears in a 51- 23 romp.
The other three games were against each of the Bears’ playoff teams since 2005. The 2006 Super Bowl team lost just three games that season, one of them a 17- 13 defeat at New England. Brady also beat the Bears team that reached the NFC title game in 2010 ( 36- 7) and the 2018 NFC North champions ( 38- 31) in coach Matt Nagy’s first season.
The rest of the NFC North is a combined 4- 12 against Brady. He has torched the Vikings for a 5- 0 record with a 108.0 passer rating and has gone 3- 2 against the Packers with a 93.0 rating and 4- 2 against the Lions with a 93.5 rating. The Bucs play everyone in the division this season.
Brady has appeared in 41 playoff games over his career, compared to 36 for the Bears in their 100year history.
Another Robinson mishap
One of the great oddities of this season has been Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson coughing up passes for interceptions. It happened for the third time Thursday when Nick Foles hit him for what would have been a 20- yard catch in the first quarter. Robinson, who appeared to knock the ball out of his hands with his leg, tried to corral the bobble at the Bucs’ 16- yard line but couldn’t, and cornerback Carlton Davis grabbed it and ran it back to the 50. Brady turned that into points on a touchdown pass to Mike Evans five plays later as the Bucs took a 10- 0 lead.
McManis, Bush out
The Bears were without two key reserve defensive backs and special- teamers: cornerback Sherrick McManis, who missed his second straight game since injuring his hamstring against the Falcons, and safety Deon Bush, who hurt his hamstring Sunday in the loss to the Colts.
Several injured Bears were active, including wide receiver Darnell Mooney ( shoulder).
Anthem demonstrations
Many Bears continued to protest racial injustice by demonstrating during the national anthem. Eight kneeled on the sideline before Thursday’s game, including defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and right tackle Bobby Massie. Outside linebacker James Vaughters raised a fist. Two dozen players remained in the tunnel during the anthem, including linebackers Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn and safety Eddie Jackson.