The Bears' game against the 2-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers marked the return of Bucs head coach Lovie Smith, who had served as Bears head coach from 2004-2012; his staff also featured seven former Bears' assistants: special teams coordinator Kevin O'Dea, cornerbacks coach Gill Byrd, wide receiver coach Andrew Hayes-Stoker, linebackers coach Hardy Nickerson, defensive line assistant Mike Phair, safeties coach Mikal Smith, and running backs coach Tim Spencer. The Bucs also featured three former Bears starters in quarterback Josh McCown, cornerback Isaiah Frey, and safety Major Wright. The Bears entered the game leading the all-time series 36-18, and won the last meeting 24-18 in 2011. The Bears' 13th-ranked offense (19th rushing and 10th passing) had to prepare for a 27th-ranked Tampa Bay defense (22nd rushing and 30th passing) that was tied for fourth in forcing plays of negative yardage with 75, 45 of which were runs, the third-most in the league. To prevent such incidents, the team would have to contain Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David, who recorded three pick-sixes (tied for the most in the league), 15 turnovers and 45 points on these plays. On defense, the Bears would have to apply pressure: when blitzed, the Buccaneers' quarterbacks have the second-worst statistics in the league, consisting of a 57.6 passer rating, four touchdowns, seven interceptions (McCown being responsible for four) and nine sacks. While the Bears' pass defense is ranked 15th compared to Tampa's 19th-ranked passing attack, and the cornerbacks are undersized compared to the Bucs' receiving tandem of Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson, both of whom are 6&#160;ft 5&#160;in (1.96&#160;m), the defensive backs are accustomed to such disadvantages in practice. Rushing-wise, Tampa was struggling productively, being ranked 28th, and had the NFL's second-least carries, and averaged only 3.2 yards on first down. ESPN, Yahoo!, USA Today, Fox Sports, and CBS Sports' majority panels predicted a Bears victory. Terrance Mitchell, Khaseem Greene, Darryl Sharpton, Eben Britton, Jordan Mills, Trevor Scott and Chris Williams were inactive. The Buccaneers won the coin toss, but decided to kickoff. After the Bears went three-and-out, Marcus Thigpen muffed the ensuing punt, but recovered.
Which team did Lovie Smith previously coach?
Bears