Updated Nov. 6, 2026.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football in Week 9. Kickoff is Sunday, Nov. 8, at 5:20 PM PT (8:20 PM ET) at Soldier Field. For the full Week 9 slate, see our NFL Week 9 schedule with times, TV, and byes.
Kickoff time and channel
The game airs on NBC, Peacock, and Universo, per NBC Sports' Nov. 4 press release. Football Night in America begins at 4:00 PM PT (7:00 PM ET) from Soldier Field. Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, and Melissa Stark are the broadcast team. Team how-to-watch pages from the Buccaneers and the Bears list the same kickoff and local radio options. If you need a cable-free path, see how to watch the NFL without cable.
Bears after the Simmons trade
Chicago is 6-2 and has won three straight, most recently a 34-17 win at Seattle on Monday Night Football, per the Buccaneers' Week 9 game preview. The Bears' October trade for Jeffery Simmons is covered here: Bears trade for Jeffery Simmons. With second-year coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams, the Bears sit a half-game behind Minnesota in the NFC North entering Sunday.
Buccaneers coming in
Tampa Bay is 3-5 but has won its last two. Last week the Buccaneers blanked Atlanta 16-0, ran for a franchise-record 324 yards, and did not complete a pass, becoming the first team in 52 seasons to win without a completion, per Buccaneers.com and the same NBC release. Baker Mayfield is back from a thumb injury and has started that two-game stretch. The club's own Week 9 preview frames Sunday as a chance to keep that run going against a hotter Bears side.
Matchup to watch
Sunday is the first meeting between Mayfield, the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, and Williams, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick, per NBC Sports' Nov. 4 release. The game is Sunday Night Football on the NFL.com Week 9 schedule. Both teams lean on the run and play physical up front. Chicago brings a three-game win streak and a remade defensive line. Tampa Bay brings two straight wins and a defense that took four interceptions against Atlanta. The next national game after this one on the Week 9 slate is Bills at Vikings on Monday Night Football.
Both teams head to a bye
After Sunday, Chicago and Tampa Bay are both off in Week 10, per NFL.com's Week 10 schedule. That makes this the last game for both clubs until Week 11.
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Featured photo: Chicago Bears player during the Sept. 23, 2019 game at Washington, by All-Pro Reels via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Cropped with a short BUCS AT BEARS banner.
