Buccaneers vs. Bears: Sunday Night Football odds, kickoff time and an expert prediction

A pair of surging teams square off when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Chicago arrives riding a three-game winning streak, most recently a 34-17 rout of Seattle on Monday night. Tampa Bay has won two in a row after shutting out Atlanta 16-0 last Sunday.

The Bears sit at 6-2 and entered the weekend second in the NFC North, with a 4-2 record against conference opponents. The Buccaneers are 3-5 and entered Week 9 second in the NFC South, posting a 3-2 mark within the NFC.

On the injury front, Chicago running back Kyle Monangai is listed as questionable with toe and thumb issues, while Tampa Bay wide receiver Emeka Egbuka is questionable with a foot injury.

History favors the Bears, who lead the all-time series 40-22. Tampa Bay, however, has won the last two meetings between the clubs, including a 27-17 victory in 2023.

The latest odds list Chicago as a 6-point favorite, with the over/under for total points set at 47.5. The total has gone 4-4 in games involving each team this season.

SportsLine handicapper Matt Severance, a well-connected writer who has worked in the industry since 2005, has returned $1,437 to $100 players over the past three NFL seasons. He enters this matchup on an 8-0 run on NFL money-line picks and a 5-1 mark on all NFL picks. He has also gone 14-7 on NFL picks involving the Bears, returning nearly $500 to $100 players, and has returned plus 4.9 units over his last 21 Chicago selections.

For this game, Severance is leaning toward the Under on the combined points total. The Under has cashed in three of the last five head-to-head meetings, has gone 6-4 in Tampa Bay's last 10 games and is 5-4 across Chicago's last nine outings. The Bears also rank eighth in the league in scoring defense, allowing 20 points through their first eight games.

"SportsLine's model has the final score Chicago 28-20, but I'd be a bit surprised if there are 48 total points scored," Severance said. He has also identified what he calls a crucial X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back, with his full analysis available at SportsLine.