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Brady became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for
600 touchdowns when he fired a strike to Mike Evans in the final
seconds of the first quarter. Evans caught two other touchdowns
passes from Brady, and Chris Godwin had one touchdown reception
for Tampa Bay (6-1).
Khalil Herbert had 18 carries for 100 yards for Chicago (3-4),
which trailed 35-3 at halftime and never recovered. Justin
Fields was under constant duress and completed 22 of 32 passes
for 184 yards and three interceptions. He was sacked four times
and lost two fumbles.
Leonard Fournette added 15 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown
on the ground for the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay won its fourth
straight game overall and improved to 4-0 at home.
The Buccaneers wasted little time setting a dominant tone. They
raced to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a 2-yard
rushing touchdown by Fournette and two passing touchdowns by
Brady -- a 4-yarder to Godwin and a 9-yarder to Evans that made
history.
The 44-year-old Brady already was the NFL's all-time leader in
passing touchdowns and one of only four signal-callers to
surpass 500 in his career. He has 21 touchdowns and three
interceptions this season. The Bears pulled within 21-3 on a
28-yard field goal by Cairo Santos midway through the second
quarter.
Tampa Bay added two more touchdowns before intermission. Brady
connected with Evans for a 2-yard touchdown with 3:37 left in
the half, and he found Evans for a third touchdown on an 8-yard
completion with nine seconds remaining.
Ryan Succop added a 22-yard field goal with 12:55 remaining in
the fourth quarter to make it 38-3. With a comfortable lead,
Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert replaced Brady
midway through the fourth quarter. Gabbert completed two of
three passes for 15 yards.
Bears defensive lineman Bilal Nichols was ejected late in the
third quarter after throwing a punch. A team official
accompanied the 25-year-old as he walked slowly off the field
and toward the locker room.
--Field Level Media
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