The Bears found the ugliest possible route to 7-2. Chicago turned the ball over five times on Sunday night at Soldier Field — including four interceptions from Caleb Williams — yet still edged the Buccaneers 27-24 when Cairo Santos drilled a 38-yard field goal as time expired.

Williams redeemed a rough evening with the throw that mattered, hitting rookie tight end Colston Loveland for a 38-yard gain to set up the winning kick. Afterward, he credited Chicago's defense and special teams for bailing out the offense in what was widely called the unit's worst outing under head coach Ben Johnson. Earlier, Rome Odunze opened the scoring with a touchdown and paid tribute to teammate Cole Kmet.

Tampa Bay had every chance to steal it. The Buccaneers forced five takeaways and clawed back from an early deficit — Bucky Irving got them on the board with a touchdown off a pitch from Baker Mayfield — before tying the game late. But offensive mistakes squandered the turnover windfall, and the loss stung further when safety Antoine Winfield Jr. exited with an injury described as concerning.

Chicago wasn't unscathed either: cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon both dealt with injuries against the Bucs. Still, the Bears have now banked a win on a night when almost nothing worked — the kind of margin-of-error luxury that 7-2 teams tend to enjoy.