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NFL Week 4 Picks, Odds, Live Stream, & Preview For Bears Vs. Buccaneers

By Carter Lee
Published on: 20:19 PST, Sep 29, 2018

Fans are making their NFL Week 4 picks, and many of them are looking at the game between the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Experts are choosing their NFL Week 4 picks, and by a slim margin, they are backing the Buccaneers to best the Bears.

On Sunday, the 2-1 Buccaneers hit the road to Soldier Field to take on the 2-1 Bears. The NFL action starts at 1 p.m. EST on Fox. If you’re looking to live stream the game, as NBC Sports documented, FuboTV will be streaming the game, and they offer a free trial for new users. For those on the road that may be looking to listen to the Week 4 contest, XM 228 has the Bears feed and XM 386 has the feed for the Buccaneers.

These two teams last played each other just over a year ago, and Tampa Bay blew out Chicago 29-7. The Bears and the Buccaneers have played each other a total of 58 times in NFL history, and Chicago leads the series 38-20.

Is Fitzpatrick’s Magic Running Out?

In the first two weeks of NFL action, veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick put up some of the best numbers of his career. By the end of Week 3, “Fitzmagic” became the first player in NFL history to manage three 400-yard passing games consecutively. However, Fitzpatrick put up a few interceptions in the last contest, and Tampa Bay lost 30-27 in Week 3 against the Steelers.

Last week, the Bucs’ signal caller completed 30 of his 50 passes for 411 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Mike Evans logged six receptions for 137 yards and one touchdown. Chris Godwin and Cameron Brate each found a touchdown. Peyton Barber led the ground report with eight carries for 33 yards, and the Buccaneers had no rushing touchdowns.

Jason Pierre-Paul led the Tampa Bay defense with five tackles and two sacks. M.J. Stewart managed eight tackles, and Lavonte David recorded nine. Justin Evan had six tackles and one interception. For the young NFL season, the Buccaneers have the third-best rushing defense, limiting their opponents to just 70.7 rushing yards per game.

The question for Tampa Bay is, who will be their starting quarterback on Sunday? Jameis Winston’s suspension is over, and the Buccaneers are coming off their first loss of the NFL season. Head coach Dirk Koetter has been coy on who will start, but most NFL sources are expecting “Fitzpatrick” to once again lead the way, as ESPN reported. Regardless of which signal caller starts, they will be facing a daunting defense.

The Mack Attack

The Chicago Bears look to capitalize on back-to-back victories. Last week, Chicago beat the Arizona Cardinals 16-14. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky completed 24 of his 35 attempts for 220 yards with no passing touchdowns and one interception. Trey Burton led the air game with four receptions for 55 yards. Jordan Howard led the ground report with 24 carries for 61 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Cody Parkey logged a total of 10 points.

As expected, Khalil Mack led the Chicago D with five tackles and two sacks, bringing his total sacks of the season to 4, a team high. Akiem Hicks managed four tackles and one sack against Arizona. Sherrick McManis logged one tackle, one sack, and one interception. Bryce Callahan had one tackle and one interception. The Bears are allowing just 65.3 rushing yards per game, the second-fewest in the NFL. Chicago is allowing just 289 yards of total offense, ranking them fifth in the NFL, and they are limiting their opponents to 18.3 points on average per game.

NFL Week 4 Picks & Odds For Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears

As of the time of this writing, the Chicago Bears are favored to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at -3. As far as the books are concerned, the money is backing the Bucs, and the expert picks are headed in the same direction. While it can be difficult these days to find a W in Soldier Field, the Buccaneers’ offense is on fire.

Chicago’s defense is certainly impressive, but most pundits feel that their offense isn’t good enough to pull away, and Trubisky seems to lack chemistry with his new weapons. In addition, it’s never a good thing when the kicker is putting the most points up on the board, as seen in Chicago’s game against Pittsburgh. Most experts who have given their NFL Week 4 picks are taking the free field goal with Tampa Bay, and many of them think that the Buccaneers will beat the Chicago Bears outright, especially if Fitzpatrick shows more of his magic.

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nfl tampa bay buccaneers Khalil Mack Chicago Bears Ryan Fitzpatrick
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