The Bucs have a ridiculously long list of guys that are questionable at best for Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
OJ Howard was placed on injured reserve, Leonard Fournette is going to be a game-time-decision, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are both likely out, Scotty Miller is questionable, Jason Pierre-Paul was a limited participant, and LeSean McCoy is likely out.
Phew. Alright, so how do the Bucs fill those holes?
Sunday they were without Godwin and Fournette, allowing for rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn to get some snaps (recording his first professional touchdown on a pass from TB12). Tyler Johnson (also a rookie) will likely get some more playing time, and backup tight end Cameron Brate will get to try and fill Mike Evans’ shoes as the top red-zone target for the Bucs.
That all sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, especially in a short week.
The good news, though, is that the Bears, even when fully healthy, are a bit of a mess. They continue to flip-flop between quarterbacks Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky (it seems as if Foles has the starting job locked down for now despite a lackluster performance in a Week 4 19-11 loss to the Colts), and are a much worse team than their 3-1 record suggests.
Their defense is still a strength, with Khalil Mack leading the way. However, Mack is questionable for the Thursday night matchup, and without him the Bears lack the punch they usually pack. The defense is ranked third in the NFL in points per game allowed, but you also have to look at their opponents. The Lions, Giants, Falcons and Colts have all had their problems on both sides of the ball, but the Giants and Colts are especially atrocious offensively. Take that ranking with a grain of salt.
Honestly, both teams are incredibly beat up, and playing on short rest is always tough. This will be a battle of attrition, as whoever has the most depth or can stay the healthiest will probably win. For that, the advantage goes to the Bucs. The Bucs have a relatively healthy defense that will shut down the Bears’ run game, and relying on Nick Foles to carry you to victory in a regular season game is not a recipe for success, as shown in last week’s 11-point performance by the Bears offense. The Bucs can dial up some blitzes, get Foles uncomfortable and create some havoc.
I would say this has the potential to be a letdown game, but the Bucs are just as aware of their injuries as anyone. They also have Brady at the helm, and he's been the most consistent winning quarterback in NFL history. He knows how to take care of business, and I would expect him to do exactly that. Plus, it helps that Brady spread the ball around so well in his dominant Week 4 performance against the Chargers (5 TD’s, each to different receivers).
Look for the Bucs to get Gronk, Vaughn and Ronald Jones involved heavily with so many injuries, and my guess is that the defense forces at least 2 turnovers (probably both picks), and the Bucs will take a 20-10 victory Thursday night.
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This article appears in Best of the Bay 2020.