BEARS (0-1) VS. BUCCANEERS (0-0)
SUNDAY, 1 P.M. ET, RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM, TAMPA uTV: FOX, DIRECTV 709
Announcers: Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth, Shannon Spake The Bucs didn’t
get their first look at QB and WR new support — WR
and first-round TE — because Hurricane Irma delayed their trip to the Miami Dolphins until Week 11. So coach club should be as fresh as any team in the league in Week 2. But playing 16 consecutive games undoubtedly will create a challenge later for the second-year coach and young club. Another challenge: improving the NFL’s 22nd-ranked run defensive and overall defensive consistency. The Bucs surrendered an average of 29 points in the first half of last season before stiffening to a 17.1-point average and tallying 18 of their 29 takeaways.
About the Bears: They came within 5 yards of upsetting the defending NFC champion Atlanta Falcons. The defense held the NFL’s highest-scoring offense to 23 points, more than 10 below its 2016 average. Rookie RB might have been the best player on the field, leading Chicago in rushing and receiving en route to 158 scrimmage yards — the most in a debut in franchise history. But QB who improved as his Bears debut wore on and finished with an 86.8 rating, and the offense couldn’t punch it in in four chances from the Atlanta 5. Plus, WR
left early with a shoulder injury at the position the Bears can least afford.
The speedy David and Alexander will be central to the Bucs’ plan to slow the electri- fying Cohen, whose 12 targets were twice as many as the next Bear.
Player to watch: Winston. No more excuses for Winston, who threw for more than 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns last season but also finished second in the NFL in giveaways with 24. He has loads of talent — inside and around him — but must increase his risk aversion without limiting his big-play potential to guide Tampa to the postseason.
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
Behind Cohen and Pro Bowler the Bears averaged 6.6 yards per carry — tied for the highest figure during coach tenure — but attempted only 19 rushes.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Whom to trust? Glennon gave the Bears several chances to win late, but his pass catchers dropped would-be touchdowns. Chicago lacks starting-caliber wideouts, and Cohen likely won’t hold up handling 20 touches per game, so someone must emerge.
2. Still no takeaways: The Bears defense played well, yet a disturbing trend continued: Chicago — which finished last in takeaways in 2016 with 11 — has 28 combined in 33 games under Fox and An offense unequipped to pile up points or play from behind needs game-changing defensive plays, and the turnover-prone Winston can help. In the absence of suspend
former Bear will start and likely get a ton of carries. Koetter’s play-action passing attack is at its best when the run game is popping, but it’ll be a challenge against a Bears defense that limited Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman to 2.7 yards per attempt.
4. The real McCoy: The Bears’ interior offensive line struggled without so DT could terrorize the slowfooted Glennon (sacked four times in Week 1). If McCoy is drawing double teams, it’s up to DE and to win one-on-ones and set sturdy edges vs. the run. ed RB
Arthur Arkush