Bears vs. Buccaneers: When And How To Watch The Game

After consulting with the NFL and the Tampa Sports Authority, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will play host to the Chicago Bears on Sunday, the team announced Tuesday. Officials had been waiting to evaluate Hurricane Irma's effect on the area before deciding if the game would be played in Tampa this weekend, the Buccaneers said in a statement. Irma had forced the NFL to move Tampa's original Week 1 season opener against the Dolphins in Miami this past weekend to Nov. 19.

"Hosting the game is important to us, as Tampa Bay has been through a lot over the past few days," Buccaneers Chief Operating Officer Brian Ford said in a statement. "We look forward to providing our fans and the entire region an opportunity to come together this Sunday to kick off our 2017 season."

The home opener against Chicago will be at noon Sunday, Sept. 17, at Raymond James Stadium, the original time and site for the matchup. This is the third consecutive season the Bears have played the Bucs at home. Last year, Tampa beat Chicago, 36-10. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest Palatine news. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

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The Bears are coming off a close home-opener defeat against the Atlanta Falcons. Down 23-17, quarterback Mike Glennon was able to drive Chicago down to Atlanta's 5-yard line with 21 seconds left in the game. But the offense couldn't get into the end zone on four tries.

The game wasn't the only thing the Bears lost Sunday. Wide receiver Kevin White broke his scapula early in the fourth quarter Sunday, and he was placed on injured reserve Monday. He's expected to miss most of the season.

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Since being drafted seventh overall by Chicago in 2015, White has only played in five games for the Bears. A stress fracture in his left leg kept him out his entire rookie year, and he broke his fibula in Week 4 of the 2016 season after a promising start.

Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

When: Noon Sunday, Sept. 17

Where: Raymond James Stadium

TV | Radio | Streaming: Fox (WFLD-TV, Channel 32) | WBBM-AM (780), WCFS-FM (105.9), Sirius XM | NFL Game Pass

Images via NFL

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