First and 10: Inside the Bucs’ 26-21 loss to the Bears The Tampa Tribune, published 28 December 2015 An inside look at Tampa Bay’s 26-21 loss to the Chicago Bears: 1. Once the Bears established a 13-7 advantage after two quarters, the Bucs were in a lot of trouble. They are now 8-40 in the past five years when trailing at halftime. 2. During their three-game tailspin, the Bucs have converted only 9 of 29 on third down, a major reason they were dominated in time of possession against the Saints and Bears. 3. The lack of a pass rush has also contributed to Tampa Bay’s late-season malaise. After reeling off four consecutive games with three sacks apiece, the Bucs have dropped opposing quarterbacks only five times in the past three games. 4. Why have the Bucs gone 1-4 after reaching the .500 mark (5-5) by routing the Eagles on the road? Start with a minus-7 turnover differential during that span, dropping Tampa Bay to minus-4 for the season. 5. Mired in a three-game losing streak and playing on the road, the Bears were more physical at the line of scrimmage. Besides shackling Bucs RB Doug Martin, Chicago ran for 174 yards as rookie Jeremy Langford and Matt Forte each reached the second level consistently, easing the burden on QB Jay Cutler. 6. It’s painfully obvious the Bucs miss the presence of rookie MLB Kwon Alexander, currently serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Neither Bruce Carter nor Danny Lansanah possess Alexander’s closing speed or ball-hawking instincts, and the results are showing up in the takeaway column. Lansanah’s name did not appear on the postgame stat sheet after Sunday’s loss. 7. Bucs safeties Bradley McDougald (12) and Keith Tandy (10) led the team in tackles, but too many came well down the field after substantial gains by the Bears. 8. Reserve LB Jeremiah George turned in a big play on special teams with an early blocked punt, but the Bucs received little from their kicking game or return game. The one time Jacob Schum boomed a punt, it went 60 yards into the end zone when a 50-yarder would have pinned Chicago deep. 9. Several Bucs players appeared genuinely disappointed when learning that previously unbeaten Carolina was upset by Atlanta on Sunday. With another losing season assured, the Bucs were hoping to pin the first loss on the Panthers, who forced five turnovers en route to a 37-23 victory at Raymond James Stadium in Week 4. 10. The Bucs head to Carolina trying to avoid infamy. No NFC team since the 1970 merger has occupied its division cellar five consecutive seasons. But if Tampa Bay loses at Carolina and New Orleans beats Atlanta, the Bucs will finish last in the NFC South at 6-10, giving them the same basement view they’ve been saddled with since 2011