Biggest Takeaways from Chicago Bears' Week 16 Win

The Chicago Bears entered Week 16 on a three-game losing streak, but the team was able to notch its sixth victory of the 2015-16 NFL season after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-21 on Sunday.

Chicago's victory over Tampa Bay was the team's first since Thanksgiving night against the Green Bay Packers, and it was Chicago's first win in December since the team defeated the Cleveland Browns in December 15, 2013. 

The Bears gained just 327 yards of total offense, but the team benefited from three Buccaneers turnovers. Tampa Bay gained 389 yards of total offense, but Chicago possessed the ball for more than 37 minutes on Sunday afternoon.

Chicago will close out the season on January 3, 2016 against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field, but what are our biggest takeaways from the Bears' Week 16 victory over Tampa Bay?

Offense Dominated on the Ground

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Rookie RB Jeremy Langford led the Bears in carries and rushing yards.

After leaning heavily on the passing game under former head coach Marc Trestman in 2013 and 2014, the Bears have become more run oriented in 2015 under head coach John Fox. 

On Sunday against the Buccaneers, Chicago controlled the contest with its running game.

Tampa Bay entered Sunday's game as one of the league's best teams against the run, but the Bears gained 174 rushing yards on 39 carries.

Rookie running back Jeremy Langford led the team with 83 yards on 19 carries. Starter Matt Forte carried the ball 11 times for 54 yards, quarterback Jay Cutler gained 21 yards on two carries and second-year running back Ka'Deem Carey carried the ball seven times for 16 yards. Carey also scored one rushing touchdowns.

The Bears used Langford and Forte together on the field at the same time, as well as Langford and Carey together, and offensive coordinator Adam Gase was not afraid to lean on the running game in the second half, even though the team held just a 13-7 lead over Tampa Bay at halftime.

Langford impressed both in between the tackles and outside of the tackles. Carey showed off his ability to be a bruising back, and Forte made plays both on the ground and through the air before he had to leave the game due to a back injury, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The running back trio of Forte, Langford and Carey has been impressive at times this year, and the Bears will need to make a decision in the very near future about Forte's status with the team moving forward. The veteran running back is set to become a free agent after the season, and while he would like to return to Chicago, he knows there is no guarantee he will be back in 2016.

"Do I want to come back? Yes," Forte said, per Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. "That would be ideal for me. But that doesn't always happen in this business."

If the Bears bring Forte back in 2016, there is a good chance the team will continue to use a three-back system like they have in recent weeks, but if he does not return, Langford will likely carry the brunt of the load next season.

John Timu and Jonathan Anderson Played Well at Inside Linebacker

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John Timu recovered two fumbles on Sunday against Tampa Bay.

The Bears have struggled to find playmakers at the inside linebacker position this season, but undrafted rookies Jonathan Anderson and John Timu came up big on Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Timu got his second straight start at inside linebacker alongside second-year man Christian Jones, and he finished the game with six tackles. In addition to getting the start, Timu was also in charge of making the calls on the field.

"Bears undrafted rookie linebacker John Timu appears to be handling the defensive calls. It's his second start," tweeted the Chicago Sun-Times' Adam Jahns at the start of the game.

Timu was aggressive downhill against the run, and he came up with two big fumble recoveries. He flashed his potential in the preseason, but the Bears opted to lean on veteran Shea McClellin and Jones throughout much of the season. Both McClellin and Jones have had up-and-down years, and Jones' poor play in recent weeks opened up an opportunity for Timu to get the start on Dec. 20 against the Minnesota Vikings.

The young linebacker moves well from sideline to sideline, and he has proved he can handle his own against the run the last two weeks.

Anderson has been used primarily in the team's nickel package since McClellin suffered a knee injury against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5, and the former TCU Horned Frog finished Sunday's game with two tackles and one forced fumble.

Like Timu, Anderson is an athletic linebacker who moves well from sideline to sideline, and he has impressed at times this season with his closing speed.

Both Timu and Anderson need to get better against the pass, but they are making a case for being a part of Chicago's roster next season. 

Defense Held Up Against the Run

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Buccaneers running back Doug Martin entered Sunday's game as the NFL's second-leading rusher behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, but the Bears bottled up the Pro Bowler in Week 16.

Prior to Sunday's game, Martin was averaging 5.1 yards per carry and 93.2 rushing yards per game, but Chicago held him to 49 yards on 17 carries for an average of just 2.9 yards per carry. Martin fumbled the ball twice, and the Bears scored 10 points off his two turnovers.

Martin has been terrific at breaking tackles this season, but the Bears did a good job of keeping him in check after he crossed the line of scrimmage.

Chicago's defensive line was able to push Tampa Bay's offensive line off the snap of the ball frequently throughout the game, and its push up the middle gave Chicago's linebackers and safeties an opportunity to make plays in the open field.

The Bears have struggled against the run for the better part of the last three seasons, but the defense's impressive performance against Martin on Sunday could be a turning point for the unit, heading into next year.

Jay Cutler Played Efficient Football

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Cutler was not flashy on Sunday against the Buccaneers, but he was an efficient quarterback throughout the afternoon.

The veteran signal-caller finished the game with 156 passing yards and completed 20 of his 27 passing attempts. He threw one touchdown, was sacked just once and finished the contest with a 100.2 quarterback rating.

Cutler was intercepted by an opposing defensive lineman for the second week in a row, but the interception was wiped out by a facemask penalty committed by Tampa Bay.

Gase utilized short passes and screens early in the game without wide receiver Alshon Jeffery in the lineup, and while Cutler did not put up big numbers through the air, he did complete 74 percent of his passes.

In addition to playing efficiently in the passing game, Cutler also picked up 21 yards on two carries, including a long run of 16 yards.

Cutler is arguably having the best year of his Bears career in 2015, and he has thrown for 3,414 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions with a career-high 92.8 quarterback rating in 14 games this season.

The former first-round pick has played well in Gase's offense, but there is a chance Gase could leave the team this offseason for a head-coaching job somewhere in the NFL in 2016.

Even if Gase moves on, Cutler is confident he can still have success in Chicago.

"We have backup plans in place," Cutler said, per Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. "If (Gase) does get that opportunity, I'm going to be ecstatic for him. I think it's well-deserved. I think he's ready for the opportunity. Whatever happens either way I think we're going to be good and he'll be good too."

Cutler struggled at times under Trestman in 2013 and 2014, but he has looked like a different quarterback under Gase this season.

Pass Defense Struggled

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The Bears may have come away with a victory over the Buccaneers in Week 16, but their defense struggled to slow down Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston.

Winston completed just 15 of his 29 passing attempts on Sunday, but he finished the game with 295 passing yards with two touchdowns, one interception and a quarterback rating of 96.2.

Four Buccaneers finished the game with at least 46 receiving yards, and Winston completed passes to nine different players.

Running back Charles Sims lead the team with 72 yards on three catches with one touchdown. Wide receiver Mike Evans hauled in four passes for 61 yards. Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins caught a 43-yard Hail Mary pass from Winston near the end of the fourth quarter and finished the game with two catches for 60 yards, and backup tight end Cameron Brate caught one pass for 46 yards.

Cornerback Tracy Porter discussed the touchdown by Seferian-Jenkins after the game.

“You try to knock it down, but we didn’t have enough guys back there to box him out,” Porter said, per Finley. “It looked like I was just trying to go up there and get a cheap (interception), but that wasn’t the case.”

Porter made a couple of nice plays on the ball during the game, but Chicago's defensive backs struggled all afternoon to keep Tampa Bay's receivers in front of them. Winston had a chance to make big plays down the field on a couple of occasions, but he underthrew a few passes in Week 16.

Free safety Adrian Amos has been terrific against the run this season, but he struggled in pass coverage on Sunday. He failed to keep Brate in check on a long completion in the third quarter, and he would have had a chance to swat the ball away had he been able to locate the ball in the air.

Sunday was not Chicago's worst performance against the pass this season, but the defense's struggles against Winston proved the team needs to improve its secondary this offseason.

 

Statistical information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Follow @MattEurich.