Chicago Bears vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: What's the Game Plan for Tampa Bay?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will close out their home schedule on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, hoping to avoid losing three straight before heading into the final week of the 2015 season.

The Bucs will be looking to bounce back from a pair of disappointing outings over the past two weeks, having fallen in back-to-back games to teams with losing records. The Bears haven't fared any better recently, losing their last three games, including a blowout loss at the hands of the division-rival Minnesota Vikings last week.

Both teams have already been eliminated from playoff contention, making this game more about pride and finishing the season on a positive note.

Tampa Bay has shown flashes of brilliance despite consecutive losing efforts over the past two weeks, but lack of depth and consistency has kept the Bucs just short of victory, losing by just one score in each of those two matchups.

What do the Bucs need to do on both sides of the ball to come away with a big home win this week? Let's take a look.

Offensive Game Plan

After watching Jameis Winston throw for 314 yards in the second half of last week's loss to the St. Louis Rams, Bucs fans might expect him to air it out again this week. While on the surface certain statistics may indicate Winston could have a tough time moving the ball through the air this week, a deeper look shows he could indeed have plenty of success.

So far this season, the Bears are allowing just 216 yards passing per game, the third-lowest average in the NFL. That might lead some to assume the Bears have been adept at stifling opposing passers throughout the season, but the rest of the stat sheet tells otherwise.

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Opponents' quarterback rating against the Bears this season is 97.8, the ninth-highest in the league. They've given up 26 touchdown passes—tied for sixth-most in the league—and have managed to tally just seven interceptions, which is tied for the third-fewest across the NFL.

So while Winston might not rack up an obscene amount of yardage this week, he should still be able to find the end zone and avoid turnovers against the Chicago defense.

Even so, Tampa Bay has been most effective on offense this season when it establishes the ground game early and stays committed to it throughout the game. Doug Martin is nipping at Adrian Peterson's heels for the NFL rushing title, and Charles Sims has been the perfect change-of-pace back all year long. They've spearheaded the league's fourth-ranked rushing attack, which averages over 141 yards per game.

Winston is at his best when he's able to rely on the running game to keep opposing defenses honest, thus opening up the play-action game down the field. If the Bucs can get Martin and Sims going early, they should be able to hit some big plays in the secondary and finish off long drives with red-zone touchdowns, something Winston has excelled at throughout his rookie season.

Defensive Game Plan

If the Bucs want to be successful on defense this week, they have to get back to a staple of Lovie Smith's philosophy: creating takeaways early and often.

Smith's crew has lost its past two games, and it should come as no surprise that the Bucs failed to create a single turnover in either of those losses. Big plays on defense have marked Tampa Bay's biggest wins so far this season, and the absence of those plays have just as clearly marked the games where they've come up short.

Another key ingredient to Tampa Bay's success on defense is generating an effective pass rush with the front four, something that simply hasn't been consistent enough in recent weeks. Various injuries have played a part in the Bucs' inability to get after opposing quarterbacks, as their starters are playing at less than 100 percent and their replacements lack the talent level and experience to pick up the slack consistently.

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Bucs fans might expect a favorable matchup against Bears quarterback Jay Cutler when it comes to getting takeaways, but Cutler has been much more careful with the ball this season than in years past. Cutler has thrown just eight interceptions so far this season and has yet to have a multi-interception outing. He's lost five fumbles on the year, as well, but it's clear he's making better decisions throwing the ball downfield, which could give the Bucs fewer opportunities to create turnovers.

The key to forcing poor decisions from opposing quarterbacks is collapsing the pocket quickly, something the Bucs have struggled with this year. If they want to make big plays and keep the Bears off the scoreboard on Sunday, they'll need to take their pass rush to another level and force Cutler into making mistakes through the air or knock the ball out of his hands before he can get rid of it.

Top Matchups and Players to Watch

Alshon Jeffery vs. Bucs Secondary

Tampa Bay's defensive backfield has struggled to limit big plays over the last two weeks, and it won't get any easier for them this week, as they face off against a dangerous pass-catching threat in Jeffery.

A former second-round pick out of South Carolina, Jeffery has struggled through multiple injuries in his NFL career but is a dominant red-zone threat when he's at his best. He's caught a touchdown in each of his last two games, and he should command most of the attention from the Tampa Bay secondary this week, despite a nagging hamstring injury.

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Mike Evans vs. Kyle Fuller

This pair of top-15 picks from the 2014 draft have been inconsistent at times this season, but there's no arguing their level of talent and potential to make big plays.

Fuller has been much improved in his second NFL season, while Evans is on pace to top his impressive 2014 campaign in both receptions and yards. With Vincent Jackson likely out again this week, Evans will get plenty of attention from Fuller and the Bears secondary, with added pressure to step up in Jackson's absence.

Prediction

Both teams have struggled in recent weeks on both sides of the ball, but they still have enough talent to be successful if they execute to their capabilities.

Winston has proven he can will the Bucs back into just about any game, with multiple fourth-quarter comeback wins already under his belt. He and the entire Bucs team have proven they can bounce back from a poor outing with a strong performance, and this is a much-needed win if the Pewter Pirates want to build positive momentum heading into the offseason.

If they can force Cutler into a few poor decisions and take advantage of multiple turnovers, as well as capitalize on them with touchdowns instead of field goals, Tampa Bay should be in this game from start to finish with a chance to win it in the final minutes.

If the Bucs end up in that situation and Winston gets the ball with the game on the line, bet on No. 3 to leave the home crowd happy for the last game in 2015.

Final Prediction: Bucs 27, Bears 24