Wins over the 3-3 Panthers and 3-4 Falcons effectively got the Bucs back into the NFC South race after their 1-5 start. However, Sunday night presented a different kind of challenge for Todd Bowles and his 3-5 Tampa Bay team: a primetime matchup at Soldier Field in Chicago against the 6-2 Bears, winners of three straight and playing as well as any team in the NFL heading into Week 9.

So, could the Bucs go into a hostile environment, earn a statement win and claim first place in the NFC South heading into their bye week?

A hot start by the Bears looked to answer that question early with a resounding “no,” as they went up 14-0 within the first nine minutes. But the Bucs battled back with three second-quarter interceptions of Caleb Williams and ultimately got within 17-13 in the third quarter.

Bears QB Caleb Williams – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

But just after the Buccaneer defense intercepted Williams for a fourth time, Baker Mayfield threw an interception right back, with Jaylon Johnson taking that one 67 yards for a pick-six. That made it 24-13, and it looked like that could be it. Instead, the Tampa Bay defense kept the pressure on. And with the game at 24-16 late in the fourth, Rueben Bain Jr. forced a fumble that was recovered by Ifeatu Melifonwu. With a short field, Bucky Irving did the rest, and a two-point conversion scramble by Mayfield tied the game at 24 with 2:51 to go.

Unfortunately for Bowles’ defense, though, the unit lost Colston Loveland at the worst possible time, and a 38-yard gain into the red zone set up a game-winning field goal by Cairo Santos. With that, the Bucs fell painfully short of a statement win and lost 27-24 to fall to 3-6.

Here’s a full recap of all the action from Sunday night’s painful loss in Chicago:

Bears 27, Bucs 24

The Bears opened the game with great field position thanks to a short kick and a 40-yard return by Zavion Thomas. From their own 47, Caleb Williams and the Chicago offense went right to work. Williams twice used his legs to move the chains, then fired a strike to Thomas to get into the red zone. Then, on a 3rd & 6, he found Rome Odunze wide open for a 9-yard touchdown. The home team’s 10-play, 53-yard drive opened the scoring at 7-0.

Bears WR Rome Odunze – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

The Bucs also had good field position themselves to open things up on offense thanks to the kickoff falling short of the landing zone, but they did nothing with it, punting after a very quick three-and-out.

Odunze got the Bears’ next drive started with a 23-yard catch and run, and two plays later on a 3rd & 8, Luther Burden III electrified the home crowd with a 56-yard catch and run for a touchdown, stiff-arming multiple Buccaneer defenders en route to the end zone. Within nine minutes of game time, Chicago had a 14-0 lead.

In an attempt to answer back, Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay offense came up with a couple of crucial conversions on their ensuing possession. First, Mayfield danced around pressure on 3rd & 9 and found Kenny Gainwell, who improvised to get open and took the pass for a 44-yard gain to the Chicago 20.

Then, on a 4th & 2 from the 12, Mayfield connected with Cade Otton on a tight-window throw. One play later, the first quarter came to an end with the Bears up 14-0, though the Bucs were threatening.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

But the quarter break evidently killed the offense’s momentum, as a second-down incompletion and a third-down run for a loss left the trailing visitors to settle for a field goal to cut the deficit from 14 points to 11.

The Buccaneer defense had a chance to get off the field on 3rd & 10 early on the Bears’ next drive, but yet again, the pass rush couldn’t get home and Williams found Odunze for 16 yards and a fourth third-down conversion in four tries. Later in the drive, Williams truly had nowhere to go on another third down and, well, he got the ball out and into the hands of a wide-open Odunze anyway.

Another third-down conversion later – making it a 6-for-6 start – Chicago had a 1st & Goal with a chance to go up three scores. But after a first-down run, a personal foul set the offense back, and one play later, Tykee Smith intercepted Williams at the goal line. Suddenly, instead of potentially going down 21-3, the Bucs had a chance to get within 14-10.

But the offense went nowhere, and even after an aggressive call by Todd Bowles to go for it on 4th & 1 from his own 35, Mayfield was stonewalled on a sneak attempt. Just like that, the Bears had the ball right back in plus territory.

HOWEVER, the Buccaneer defense got the ball right back on the first play of the Bears’ next drive. Keionte Scott blitzed up the middle and pressured Williams, who lofted a poor throw into the waiting arms of Zyon McCollum for a second interception in two pass attempts.

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But once again, the offense did nothing with the takeaway, punting the ball right back after one first down.

The Bears once again started a drive with good field position and turned it into points, though they were kept to a Cairo Santos field goal after a Rueben Bain Jr. third-down pressure forced Williams into a throwaway. Still, Chicago had a 17-3 lead with just over three minutes left in the first half.

Mayfield and the offense actually got moving on their next drive, getting into Chicago territory inside the two-minute warning. Only Mayfield made his first big mistake of the night, throwing an interception to Cam Lewis to end the scoring threat.

But once again, the Bucs defense bailed Mayfield and Co. out, with Zyon McCollum intercepting Williams for a second time. Williams’ third interception of the quarter gave the offense new life, though there were only 38 seconds left on the clock.

A 21-yard screen to Emeka Egbuka got the drive going, and a holding penalty drawn by Tez Johnson helped it along. But after a check-down to Irving got Tampa Bay down to the 3-yard line with three seconds left on the clock, Bowles elected to kick. McLaughlin’s 21-yard field goal made it a 17-6 game with the visitors set to get the ball out of the locker room.

Out of the break, a quick third-down conversion and a 57-yard BOMB from Baker Mayfield to Tez Johnson set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Bucky Irving. And sure enough, Tampa Bay doubled up with a field goal before halftime and a touchdown afterward to get back in the game.

Bucs WR Tez Johnson – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

As quickly as the visitors were back in it, the home team nearly pulled a touchdown right back. But a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was wiped off the board due to a holding penalty, and the Bears wound up going three-and-out and punting the ball right back to the Bucs.

The two teams traded three-and-outs from there, but on the latter, Miles Killebrew partially blocked Tory Taylor’s punt, leading it to land as just a 24-yarder. With that, the Bucs had the ball in plus territory to start their drive.

But rather than taking advantage of that field position, a Bauer Sharp holding penalty and a sack of Mayfield pushed the ball back into Tampa Bay territory and ultimately led to a 3rd & 22 incompletion. With that, it was time for another punt.

The Buccaneer defense kept trying to will the team to victory, with a Jacob Parrish tipped pass turning into a fourth Caleb Williams interception of the night – this one to Alex Anzalone.

But just two plays into the next Bucs possession, Mayfield stared down Cade Otton, and Jaylon Johnson read it easily. He picked off the pass and returned it 67 yards for a 24-13 Chicago lead.

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson and Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bears carried that 11-point lead into the fourth quarter, though the Bucs cut into it early in the final frame after a 25-yard run by Irving set up an eventual 35-yard McLaughlin field goal. That made it a one-score game at 24-16 with 11:24 to go.

Chicago failed to add to its lead on its next possession, which gave Tampa Bay yet another lifeline down just one score in the fourth quarter. But even after the drive was extended by an Austin Booker facemask, back-to-back sacks killed the drive and the Bucs had to punt the ball away with under five minutes to go.

Just when it felt like the visiting team was going to be done in by another poor offensive showing, the Bucs defense served up a golden opportunity with under four minutes to go. Deep in Chicago territory, Rueben Bain Jr. forced a Luther Burden III fumble and Ifeatu Melifonwu was there to recover it. With that, the Bucs had it in the red zone with a chance to tie the game.

And only two plays later, Irving scored his second touchdown in his return home to Chicago. Mayfield then converted the two-point conversion with a scramble up the middle and amazingly, somehow, Tampa Bay tied the game at 24 with 2:51 left.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

The Bears got the ball back with just under three minutes to go and after converting a third down for the first time since starting 6-of-6, they got the play they needed. Colston Loveland, quiet all night, found himself wide open and easily hauled in Williams’ pass for a 38-yard catch and run. The rest was academic, as Cairo Santos came on and hit a 38-yard game-winning field goal at the buzzer.

The Bucs (3-6) now hit their bye week before returning to the field on Nov. 22 in Detroit against the Lions (6-2). Kickoff for that game is set for 1:00 p.m.