The Buccaneers Best Matchups Against The Bears On Sunday
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to start 2-0 with a win at home against the Bears in their home opener.
Chicago was bad in 2022 because they did not have a good roster, they lacked talent across the board. They did add DJ Moore and 1st round-pick tackle Darnell Wright but still have a very below-average team.
In Week 1 they lost against the Packers 38-20 in what looked like even more of a blowout when watching the game, the Packers were in control the entire time.
While Bears fans had some hope for the direction they were headed this off-season 2023 looks like it will be more of the same.
They do have a strong running game on offense and a stout secondary to limit opposing teams' passing attack. But they lack the necessary personnel and coaching in crucial areas that will create mismatch opportunities for the Buccaneers.
Bears Pass Rush Unit
Their biggest glaring weakness is their defensive line, in 2022 they were a terrible pass-rushing unit with 20 total sacks (worst in the NFL).
To put that in perspective the Dolphins ranked 16th last season (exact average) with 40 sacks and only three teams finished with less than 30 sacks.
The Bears pass rush was so far behind the rest of the league. They did add Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker to try to bolster that unit but are still lacking talent.
Against the Packers in Week 1 they recorded 6 total pressures and 1 sack which tied for dead last among all teams. It was just not good enough and there is no evidence of improvement from last season.
The Buccaneers offensive line was very good only against the Vikings in Week 1, allowing only 10 total pressures and one sack. That ranked among the best for all of Week 1.
What this means for the Buccaneers is that Baker Mayfield will have more time to operate in the pocket. Baker's best two statistical seasons as a pro (2018 and 2020) were also the two seasons he was pressured the least on his dropbacks.
Baker can do a good job making plays out of structure, but giving him more time will let plays develop and allow the Bucs offense to take more shots downfield.
READ MORE: Baker Mayfield Listed on Buccaneers' Most Recent Injury Report
Bears Offensive Line
Last season Justin Fields was one of the most sacked and pressured quarterbacks in the NFL. The Bears allowed 58 sacks which ranked 4th worst in the NFL.
Fields was under pressure on 27.1% of his dropbacks with only Baker Mayfield being the only starter (min 10 games) under more pressure (30%) in 2022.
The Bears addressed this in the first round of the 2023 draft in Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright with the 10th overall pick. They also signed free agent Nate Davis from the Tennesse Titans to a 3-year/$30 million deal to be their starting right guard.
Davis played and started 4 seasons in Tennessee at right guard in one of the worst units in the league over that time frame. He allowed 18 sacks and 107 pressures in those 4 seasons.
Last week he had a rough first start against the Packers allowing 9 of the Packers 36 total pressures on the day. He is tied for the league's most pressures allowed by a single offensive lineman.
In total four of the five starting offensive linemen for the Bears allowed at least 5 pressures.
This included Wright who is a very talented player and has a bright future in this league. But the offensive line is still one of the hardest positions to transition from college to the pro level.
This will be a huge mismatch with the Buccaneers' talented and deep defensive line, even with the Bucs missing Calijah Kancey. Last year the Buccaneers' 45 sacks had them rank top 10 in the league in sack rate even without Shaq Barrett for the second half of the season.
READ MORE: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Reveal Uniform Combination For Home Opener Against Chicago Bears
Football games are won and controlled on the line of scrimmage. I expect the Buccaneers to be able to get after Justin Fields consistently and create more than enough time for Baker Mayfield to win from the pocket.
Fields will have his highlight moments but the Bears offense will struggle to operate like they did against the Packers.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout Training Camp.
