Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) – Lovie Smith and Josh McCown were not greeted
warmly in their return to Chicago.
The Bears scored three straight touchdowns in the third quarter to take the
lead, including two by Matt Forte, who finished with 89 yards on 23 carries to
lead Chicago to a 21-13 win over Smith and McCown’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers on
Sunday.
McCown, who spent the past three seasons with Chicago, threw a touchdown pass
to Mike Evans 1:36 into the second quarter to give the Bucs a 7-0 lead, but
they didn’t find the end zone again.
The Bucs quarterback committed three turnovers, including two in the second
half, as the Tampa Bay offense never gained footing after the break.
Jay Cutler completed 17-of-27 passes for just 130 yards for the Bears (5-6).
Alshon Jeffery caught a 2-yard touchdown pass for Chicago’s first touchdown in
the third quarter.
Tampa Bay (2-9) never got its ground game going. Doug Martin led the team with
27 yards on 11 carries and Charles Sims added 22 yards. Vincent Jackson and
Louis Murphy both had over 100 yards receiving for the Bucs.
