Bears vs. Buccaneers: 5 Halftime Adjustments Tampa Bay Must Make

In the NFL's annual game at Wembley Stadium in London, the 3-3 Bears are taking on the 4-2 Bucs. Tampa Bay rebounded last week to beat the New Orleans Saints, and Chicago is coming off a throttling of the Minnesota Vikings.

Both teams are playing an extremely important contest, given the tough divisions they are in. So far, the quarterback play has been pretty awful on both sides. And the Bears have the advantage because Matt Forte is running right through the Bucs' defense.

In front of this foreign, yet raucous crowd, here are five adjustments the Buccaneers need to make at halftime:

1. Tackle

Tackle? That's it? Seriously though, Chicago running back Matt Forte made the Tampa defense look silly on his touchdown run in the first quarter. He is hardly a guy that should be allowed to get away with a broken tackle or two. He will make you pay if you don't get him the first time.

Two weeks ago in the blowout loss against the 49ers, the Bucs missed plenty of tackles and officially confused people, like me, who thought they had a pretty stout defense. Then, last week, they took down the Saints, much in part to a solid defensive effort. Somehow, they need to get more consistent wrapping up.

2. Pressure Cutler

The way Cutler has been playing for most of this first half, you'd think the Bucs would be pressuring the heck out of him. He has been turnover prone his entire career, and the Bears offensive line isn't necessarily a juggernaut. The defense needs to get blitzing at him and make him throw another interception or hit him with a sack.

Doing something like that causes a couple things to happen. First, Cutler will get shaky and start to make mistakes. It's just what he does. If he throws a pick or fumbles the ball in the pocket, the Tampa Bay offense will have a short field to work with and can climb back into this game.

3. Protect Freeman

On the other hand, Josh Freeman needs some protection. He has looked downright awful so far, rocking a solid 20.5 QB rating halfway through the second quarter. He also threw the pick in the red zone and just hasn't been able to get the offense moving.

If the offensive line can get him a little time, he can make some plays with that strong arm and those quick, athletic legs. Give Freeman a chance to take a snap, enjoy a play developing and hit a receiver down field and the Bucs may see a complete reversal of fortune on offense.

4. Balance the Offensive Attack

Nothing is clicking. Part way through the second quarter, the Bears offense is outscoring the Bucs' 14-0. The only points for Tampa have come on a safety. If they don't start getting something going on offense, they are in danger of being outscored by Albert Pujols. But seriously, the running game is non-existent and Freeman looks lost.

They need to go into the locker room and do something to change the offensive play calling. Whether they mix it up with a little trickery, or run a draw play to get some open field for their backs to work with, something needs to change. Once they get a spark, they need to keep the running game going and offset it with a good amount of passes to keep the Bears defense off-balance.

5. Take Advantage in the Red Zone

Well, duh. The Bucs weren't able to capitalize on the big interception in the first quarter. Why? Because Freeman promptly threw a pick of his own. His was much more damaging. They had just grabbed the momentum and were immediately in the red zone but to give it right back killed that chance.

When they are in the red zone, somehow, some way they need to get points on the board. Turnovers are going to kill an offense, especially when they are within 20 yards of pay dirt. I don't care if they run three straight plays of hand offs into the line and settle for a field goal. Points are points and they will need a lot of them to come back.