Bears Vs. Buccaneers: TV Schedule, Game Time, Announcers And More

The Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked into the abyss of irrelevancy in Week 5, and when they didn't like what they saw they came back and did something about it in Week 6. The Bucs responded to a blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers with a 26-20 victory over divisional rival, and NFC elite, New Orleans. The Bears took out the the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night after being cut down by the Lions the week before.

Both teams hold playoff hopes despite some setbacks, the Bucs now at 4-2, the Bears at 3-3. The Bucs would appear to have the easier road, now at 2-0 in their division and in control of their destiny. Quarterback Josh Freeman took a big step forward against the Saints, making better decisions than the week before, throwing two touchdowns to no interceptions. The defense forced four turnovers, including three Drew Brees inteceptions, giving new life to a squad that looked listless against the 49ers.

The Bears have more work to do, now at 1-1 in their division, but last week's win over the Vikings may have been the confidence boost they needed. Perhaps most importantly, Jay Cutler wasn't running for his life for once. The Bears allowed just one sack on the day to a good pass-rushing defense, giving Cutler time to set his feet and average 8.6 yards per attempt for two touchdown and no interceptions. Matt Forte had another big day on the ground, running up 87 rushing yards on 17 carries to balance out the Bears' offense.