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Yet Brady is focused more on his team's success than his
individual accolades. Tampa Bay (5-1) has surged to the top of
the NFC South standings and will be favored to win again as
Chicago (3-3) comes to town.
The Bears' goal is to make Brady uncomfortable in the pocket. A
feisty defense led by Khalil Mack (six sacks) and Robert Quinn
(5 1/2 sacks) could give Chicago a chance in a difficult road
environment.
"When you get an opportunity to get back there, you have to be
able to get back there hopefully fast enough to get him down
because obviously he's known for getting the ball out of his
hand quickly," Bears linebacker Alec Ogletree said. "He doesn't
take too many sacks.
"They have a good O-line that's blocking really well for him. If
you give him a chance to stand back there and throw the ball,
that's where he lives. He's comfortable like that."
Brady's top receiving option this season is Mike Evans, who has
31 catches for 420 yards and four touchdowns. Leonard Fournette
leads the ground attack with 332 rushing yards and three
touchdowns. Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians praised Fournette
for a strong start.
"He's fit in, he's found his niche," Arians said. "When 'RoJo'
(Ronald Jones II) got hurt, he took over and he's not looking
back. It's hard for 'RoJo' to get back out there unless (Fournette)
gets hurt. It's nice to have both of them, that's for sure, but
(Fournette) is playing really, really well."
Meanwhile, the Bears will look to bounce back from a 24-14 home
loss against the Green Bay Packers. Aaron Rodgers passed for two
touchdowns and rushed for one more, and his taunts toward
Chicago fans in the back of the end zone drew national attention
this week.
Brady is the second straight future Hall of Famer for the Bears'
defense to focus on -- and for the Chicago offense to try to
keep up with.
Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields is set to make his fifth
start. He has thrown for 632 yards, two touchdowns and three
interceptions this season while posting a 67.4 passer rating. He
also has rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown.
The Bears' top receiving targets are Darnell Mooney (25 catches,
306 yards, 1 TD) and Allen Robinson (21 catches, 234 yards, 1
TD). Rookie running back Khalil Herbert will try to stay hot
after rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown while adding 15
receiving yards last week against Green Bay.
This is the second season in a row in which the teams will play
each other. Chicago edged Tampa Bay for a 20-19 home victory
last October, a Thursday night affair in which Brady forgot the
number of downs late in the contest.
--Field Level Media
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