Quarterbacks: Once again, Chris Simms' performance was better than his stats indicate. He did an excellent job of putting the Bucs in position to win the game at the end and avoided critical mistakes. He did lose a costly fumble early in the game, but the protection breakdown was mostly to blame. Simms once again did a good job of throwing the ball away when plays weren't available and he avoided several sacks.

Running Backs: All the backs ran well in this one. In fact, you would have liked to have seen what either Cadillac Williams or Mike Alstott would have done on that critical third-and-2 play that led to PK Matt Bryant's missed field-goal attempt. Against a tough defense, these guys ground out 107 yards and regularly pulled the Bucs out of negative field position.

Wide Receivers: Joey Galloway had another big day. He caught seven passes for 138 yards and used his speed to create several big plays. Nobody else in this group could match his effort. Michael Clayton and Anthony Becht were guilty of some critical drops and the blocking downfield was not exceptional. Overall, this group needs to play better. It needs to get better separation and most importantly, it needs to catch the ball when the opportunity is there.

Offensive Line: These guys are still trying to figure out how to block Bears end Alex Brown. The Bucs tried a variety of approaches but never got the upper hand on one of the game's better pass rushers. The unit did do a pretty good job of curtailing Brian Urlacher's impact and Adewale Ogunleye was somewhat held in check. This group has played better, but this outing had some positives.

Defensive Line: Simeon Rice and Ellis Wyms each had a sack and Rice recorded a forced fumble and a pass breakup. The effort here was good, but there were too many times when the Bears gained the upper hand in the running game and the unit failed to force turnovers. There were big plays to be made against a weak offense Sunday but this unit failed to capitalize on those chances and the Bucs wound up paying for it.

Linebackers: Derrick Brooks was back on his game Sunday. He led the Bucs with 15 tackles, broke up a pass and turned in some big plays against the run. Shelton Quarles was almost as good. He had 11 tackles, including several run stuffs. The problem here is that these guys failed to make any really big plays. They didn't force a takeaway and were not as sharp as they need to be on third down.

Secondary: Ronde Barber broke up four passes and made some key tackles but it was the blown pick opportunity in the first quarter that stood out the most in this game. That was a game-altering opportunity and like a lot of others on Sunday, it was missed. Brian Kelly did get a pick and Dexter Jackson broke up a key third-down pass that prevented a Bears touchdown. This group's effort in pass coverage was solid but the big plays were scarce.

Special Teams: For the first time this year, PK Matt Bryant failed to produce in the clutch. His miss of a 29-yard field-goal attempt could haunt this team for a while. As usual, Josh Bidwell was strong. He did shank one punt but the defense kept the Bucs from paying for it. The coverage and return units were solid but penalties were a problem yet again.

Coaching: Jon Gruden got a little pass happy with his play calling down the stretch. He called three straight pass plays late in the third after the Bucs reached the Bears' 35 and he called a pass play on that third-and-2 just prior to Bryant's missed field-goal attempt. On both occasions, the Bucs failed to produce points. The decision to pass on third-and-8 from the Bucs' 9 on the first offensive series of the game led directly to the Bears' only TD.