What to watch for in Buccaneers-Bears game Sunday: A new test for the Bears' rebuilt defensive line

What to watch for when the Bears host the Buccaneers on Sunday night:

When the Bears have the ball

Tight end Colston Loveland has been a much bigger part of the passing attack since quarterback Caleb Williams returned from injury. He finally is starting to look like the top-five tight end he was projected to be going into the season.

Loveland had only 23 targets and caught 13 passes for 110 yards and no touchdowns in the first five games. Since then, he has been the seventh-most targeted player in the NFL (28 in three games) and has 20 catches for 199 yards and two touchdowns. He still is lagging behind his numbers as a rookie last season, but look for his upward trend to continue.

The Buccaneers are No. 3 in total defense and the NFL’s best against the run, which might force the Bears to go to the air more. Coach Ben Johnson won’t ever bail on the ground game entirely, but it’s going to be tough to beat the Bucs that way, given that they allow 80 rushing yards per game and 3.6 per carry.

With Johnson sure to run enough to at least keep the Bucs’ defense honest, Loveland is an ideal chess piece. He’ll be in on plays that appear to be runs, signaling to defenders that he’s in to block, then theoretically get matchups against players who will have trouble keeping up with his speed. That’s an especially smart ploy in goal-to-go scenarios.

When the Buccaneers have the ball

The Bucs’ rushing attack presents a challenge for the Bears and will be a test for their revamped defensive line led by newcomer Jeffery Simmons. The Bucs lead the NFL with 168.6 rushing yards per game behind the tandem of Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell.

Irving is fourth in the league with 728 rushing yards (five yards per carry) and has five touchdown runs. Gainwell also averages five yards per carry in a lesser role.

The Bucs won their last game without completing a pass, the first team to do so since 1974, as they opted for a run-dominant attack in sloshy conditions against the Falcons. They averaged 5.8 yards per carry, despite the Falcons knowing what was coming.

In Simmons’ debut with the Bears on Monday, they shut down the Seahawks’ running game by holding Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet to a combined 52 yards on 16 carries.

They’re a shade behind the Bucs in run defense at 86.8 yards per game, third in the league, and the only foe to rush for 100 yards against them was the Vikings’ Aaron Jones.

The Bears have helped themselves by playing with a lead and controlling the clock. When an opponent is losing and running short on time, it has no choice but to throw.

That would be advantageous to the Bears, given that Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield is playing through a thumb injury on his throwing hand and is having one of the worst seasons of his career statistically.