Caleb Williams threw four interceptions on Sunday night, and the Chicago Bears won anyway. Cairo Santos made a 38-yard field goal as time ran out to give Chicago a 27-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Soldier Field on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
The win was Chicago’s fourth in a row and moved the Bears to 7-2. It came six days after they beat the defending champion Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Tampa Bay fell to 3-6, and a two-game winning streak ended. The NFL weekend wraps up tonight when the Buffalo Bills play the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football.
How the Bears built a lead, then nearly lost it
Chicago looked in control early. Williams threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rome Odunze, then Luther Burden III turned a catch into a 56-yard score, and the Bears led 14-0 after one quarter. The teams traded field goals in the second quarter. Chase McLaughlin kicked one from 21 yards as the half ended, leaving it 17-6.
Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving scored on a 2-yard run to cap a 74-yard drive in the third quarter. Chicago answered when cornerback Jaylon Johnson intercepted Baker Mayfield and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown, making it 24-13.
Then the turnovers piled up. Tampa Bay linebacker Alex Anzalone picked off Williams late in the third quarter, and cornerback Zyon McCollum finished with two interceptions. In the fourth quarter, a hard hit by Rueben Bain Jr. knocked the ball loose from Burden on a third-down catch, and Ifeatu Melifonwu recovered at the Chicago 17. McLaughlin had already made a 35-yard field goal. Irving then ran in from 6 yards with 2:51 left, and Mayfield ran in the two-point try to tie the game 24-24.
Loveland’s catch and Santos’ kick
With about 40 seconds left, Williams found tight end Colston Loveland for 38 yards, down to the Tampa Bay 16. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Williams then knelt twice to set the ball on the right hash mark, where Santos wanted it. The kick was good as the clock hit zero.
Santos told the Sun-Times he “had to have my teammates’ backs” after a messy night. The paper reported it was his seventh game-winning kick in the final two minutes or overtime, the third-most in Bears history. Kevin Butler and Robbie Gould share the team record with 10 each.
By the numbers
- Caleb Williams: 22 of 37 passes for 279 yards, 2 touchdowns and a career-high 4 interceptions.
- Baker Mayfield: 18 of 32 for 243 yards and 2 interceptions, plus the tying two-point run.
- Bucky Irving: 20 carries, 97 yards and 2 touchdowns.
- Luther Burden III: 7 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown before leaving with a concussion.
- Turnovers: Chicago gave the ball away five times (four interceptions and a fumble); Mayfield threw two interceptions.
Tampa Bay safety Antoine Winfield Jr. left in the first half with an ankle injury and did not return. With the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, the Sun-Times noted that Chicago’s need for help at cornerback may have grown more urgent.
Tonight: Bills at Vikings on Monday Night Football
Buffalo visits Minnesota at U.S. Bank Stadium tonight at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman calling the game, according to Yahoo Sports. Yahoo lists both teams at 6-1. Buffalo routed Baltimore 36-10 in its last game, while Minnesota lost 19-15 to Detroit.
Minnesota will start veteran Carson Wentz. NFL.com reported that Kyler Murray will miss the game with a hamstring injury and is considered week to week, with Max Brosmer as the backup. Coach Kevin O’Connell told FOX 9 that putting Murray on injured reserve is “not under consideration at all.” Wentz has completed 23 of 39 passes for 276 yards and three touchdowns this season, and Minnesota won both games he played in.
The Vikings’ strength is defense. NFL.com said they lead the league in fewest points allowed, at 13.3 per game, and blitz more often than any other team. That could matter against a Buffalo offensive line that Covers reported could be missing three starters, with left tackle Dion Dawkins and left guard Alec Anderson missing practice and right tackle Spencer Brown questionable. Buffalo is a slight favorite behind quarterback Josh Allen.
Why it matters for families
Sunday night was a good reminder for young players that one bad stretch does not have to decide a game. Chicago’s quarterback struggled, and his defense and kicker carried the team. Kickoff tonight is 8:15 p.m. ET, so families on the East Coast with school-age fans may want to plan on catching the first half and the highlights in the morning. Upstormed News will have the result.
Elsewhere this weekend, Joe Burrow and the Bengals beat the Falcons in Madrid.
Read more: Bears Beat Champion Seahawks 34-17 on MNF as Swift Scores Three Times
Who wins tonight, Josh Allen’s Bills or Carson Wentz and the Vikings’ defense? Tell us in the comments.
Sources: VAVEL USA, “Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-27 Chicago Bears, Cairo Santos hits winning kick at the gun” (November 8, 2026); Chicago Sun-Times, “Bears’ Cairo Santos ‘had to have my teammates’ backs’ with game-winner” (November 9, 2026); Yardbarker, “Bears overcome mistakes, beat Bucs on game-ending field goal” (November 9, 2026); Yahoo Sports, “Monday Night Football schedule, TV channel for Bills vs Vikings game” (November 9, 2026); NFL.com, “Vikings to start Carson Wentz vs. Bills on Monday with Kyler Murray battling hamstring injury” (November 2026); FOX 9, “Kyler Murray week-to-week; Carson Wentz set for 2nd start as Vikings host Bills” (November 5, 2026); Covers, “Bills vs Vikings Prediction, Picks & Odds” (November 2026)
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