Novig prices
Bears' Week 9 history includes a five-interception rout of Tampa Bay before Sunday's rematch
In 1990, Chicago picked off Vinny Testaverde five times in a 26-6 win at Tampa. The 6-2 Bears host the Buccaneers on Sunday as 6.5-point favorites.
The Chicago Bears have a home game with Tampa Bay on Sunday, and their Week 9 history includes one of the most lopsided defensive afternoons the franchise has had against the Buccaneers. A look back by Gary Baugher Jr. of Windy City Gridiron, syndicated by SB Nation on Yahoo Sports, revisits three Week 9 wins. The first was a 26-6 victory at Tampa on November 4, 1990.
Chicago was 7-1 and leading the NFC Central when it went to Tampa that day. Vinny Testaverde finished 10 of 24 for 149 yards and threw five interceptions. He also lost a fumble, which gave the Bears six takeaways. Rookie safety Mark Carrier picked him off twice in about two minutes late in the second quarter, and Richard Dent, Shaun Gayle and Ron Rivera had one interception each. Brad Muster and Neal Anderson both ran for touchdowns, and Jim Harbaugh threw for 213 yards without an interception. The Bears ran for 187 yards, held the ball for more than 38 minutes and kept Tampa Bay out of the end zone until the fourth quarter.
The other two games were also on November 4. In 2013, Josh McCown started for an injured Jay Cutler at Lambeau Field. Shea McClellin sacked Aaron Rodgers on Green Bay's first series, and Rodgers left with a broken collarbone. McCown threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-20 win that ended the Packers' six-game winning streak against Chicago. In 2018, the Bears beat Buffalo 41-9 with only 190 yards of offense. Eddie Jackson returned a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown and Leonard Floyd ran back an interception for another, and Baugher called the game a "defensive masterclass" in his headline.
What it means for Sunday
This year's team is 6-2, has won three in a row and has won five of its last six. Over the winning streak it scored 31 at Atlanta, 30 against New England and 34 at Seattle. The Seahawks game, a 34-17 win, was its most complete performance since the 59-37 opener at Carolina. Through eight games Chicago has scored 214 points and allowed 160. That works out to about 26.8 points scored and 20 allowed per game, with a +54 point differential. The two losses were a 9-3 home defeat to Minnesota and a 31-7 loss at Green Bay, and the offense never got going in either one.
The Bears are clear favorites to beat Tampa Bay in the NBC game at Soldier Field. Across the 11 venues on this site's odds board, Chicago is -257 to win outright on Novig. The best price anywhere is -250 at theScore Bet, so the venues are only a few cents apart. Both numbers put the Bears' chances at roughly 71 to 72 percent. Tampa Bay is +245 on Novig.
Novig has the spread at Bears -6.5 for +108 and the Buccaneers +6.5 for -111. TheScore Bet has Chicago at -6 for -105. The total is 47.5 on Novig, with the over at -106 and the under at even money. DraftKings has the over at -105 at the same number, and theScore Bet lists the under at 48.5 for -115. That total is close to the 46.8 combined points the Bears and their opponents have averaged in Chicago's games. The sportsbooks' hold runs from 3.1 to 4.8 percent across the three markets.
The 1990 defense produced six takeaways at Tampa. The 2026 team has been winning more with its offense, and Sunday will show whether it can keep scoring like it has during the streak. Season results and schedule are on the Bears team page.