1 of 3 | Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles (9) throws a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jimmy Graham Thursday night amid pressure from Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill. Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI |
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Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Nick Foles led a fourth-quarter drive for a go-ahead field goal to spark a Chicago Bears comeback win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football.
Foles completed 30 of 42 passes for 243 yards, one score and one interception in the 20-19 victory Thursday at Soldier Field in Chicago. He struggled early, but made just enough throws to put the Bears in position for Cairo Santos' 38-yard field goal with 1:17 remaining.
"It was a fist fight," Foles told reporters. "It wasn't an easy game by any means. We just kept fighting and everyone kept throwing punches. The biggest thing is we got to learn how to go through a fist fight and come out on top."
Brady completed 25 of 41 passes for 253 yards and a touchdown for the Bucs in the loss. Running back Ronald Jones had 106 yards on 17 carries in the loss. The Buccaneers held the Bears to 35 rushing yards.
Bears linebacker Khalil Mack had two sacks in the win. The Bears defensive line put constant pressure on Brady when the Buccaneers were in third-and-long situations due to several penalties down the stretch.
"We have to do a better job," Brady said. "This isn't about any one position or one player. This is a team-wide thing. We all have to learn each other quickly and make improvements quickly."
The Buccaneers took a 3-0 lead after Ryan Succop made a 39-yard field goal on the game's first drive. Both teams then exchanged punts before Foles threw an interception to Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis.
The turnover led to points when Brady connected with Mike Evans for a two-yard touchdown with 59 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Succop made a 35-yard field goal midway through the second quarter to give the Buccaneers a 13-0 lead.
The Bears answered with a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive, which ended with a one-yard rushing touchdown by running back David Montgomery. The Buccaneers fumbled on their next drive.
Foles threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham on the next possession to give the Bears a 14-13 lead at halftime.
Tampa Bay retook the lead with a 46-yard Succop field goal on their first drive of the second half. Santos then made a 47-yard kick to give the Bears a 17-16 lead with 10:38 remaining.
Succop made another field goal on the next drive to give the Buccaneers a 19-17 lead. The teams then exchanged punts once again before Santos made his go-ahead kick.
Brady threw for a first down at the start of the next drive before Tampa turned the ball over on downs to end the game.
The Buccaneers (3-2) next host the Green Bay Packers at 4:25 p.m. EDT on Oct. 18 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla, and the Bears (4-1) travel to face the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. EDT at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
"We will take the break and get back for the next one, but I feel like we left this stadium with a fourth-quarter lead and didn't maintain it," Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said.
"We'll see who we are next week. This is one game where we got outcoached and outplayed."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Tom Brady warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago on Thursday, where
the Bears won 20-19. Photo by Brian Kersey/UPI |
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