Statistical comparison of Bucs and Bears

Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears head into their week four matchup at 2-1. Although both teams have the same record, they have arrived at this point in almost completely different ways.

We will look into some of the stats that make these two teams so different from one another .

On the offensive side of the ball, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently averaging 473.3 YPG, which is good for first in the NFL. On the other hand, the Chicago Bears are averaging 293.7 YPG. Almost 200 yards per game separates these two offenses through three games.

When you look at that differential, you’d probably assume that the Buccaneers are destroying them in both passing and rushing, but that’s far from the case. Currently, Tampa Bay is averaging 400.7 YPG through the air, which is again good for first in the NFL. The Bears passing game has been underwhelming at best. Mitchell Trubisky is averaging 5.7 yards per throw and the Bears are throwing for an average of 178.0 YPG, which is good for 28th in the league.

On to the rushing differential between these two division leaders. The Bears currently sit at 12th in the NFL, with an average of 115.7 YPG. They are also averaging 4.1 YPC, which is good for 13th. On the other hand, Tampa Bay has been nothing short of abysmal in the ground game. The team is currently averaging 72.7 YPG, good for 30th in the NFL. The 3.0 YPC, is good for last. Of course, Tampa hasn’t needed to rely much on the ground game, but you can see why Chicago hasn’t had to throw for over 350 yards a game. They have a solid running game led by Jordan Howard.

In terms of points per game, Tampa Bay is 4th in the league with 34.0 PPG, while Chicago ranks 19th with 21.0 PPG.

On the defensive side of the ball, Tampa Bay is tied for last in the NFL against the pass. The Buccaneers are allowing an average of 362.6 YPG through the air. The Bears, have the ninth best pass defense through three weeks, allowing an average of 223.7 YPG. Another big difference in both team’s passing defenses, Chicago has five interceptions on the year, while Tampa Bay only has one.

It could be tough for both sides to run the ball in this game. The Buccaneers rank third in the NFL against the run, allowing an average of 70.7 YPG, while the Bears ranks second, allowing only 65.3 YPG.

Some miscellaneous stats on the defensive side of the ball, Chicago has 14 sacks, which is good for 1st in the NFL, while Tampa Bay has seven, which is tied for 18th.

This is the type of game where both teams strengths on one side of the ball, is the other team’s strength on the other side of the ball. It’s going to be fun seeing both teams try and attack the other. Do the Bears open up the playbook a little more and let Trubisky throw it down field? Will Ronald Jones get a chance to get a few carries with the ground game struggling? Time will tell, but this is going to be a fun one to watch on Sunday.