Buccaneers vs. Bears NFL Week 9 picks, prediction, player props: Expert's best bets for Sunday Night Football

We've got an absolutely elite matchup on Sunday night between a pair of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks who both ended up being selected first overall. Baker Mayfield has had a more laborious journey than Caleb Williams, but he's settled in as the Buccaneers' franchise quarterback and led them to some success.

The Bears finally have an offense again, and Williams is starting to churn out an MVP-level season. Mayfield has been a little more up and down, largely because of injury issues, but he's always capable of showing out for a prime-time game. This matchup between the Bears and Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football should be a fun one.

Best bets for Sunday Night Football

Bears -6

The Bears look like a dominant football team on both sides of the ball now that Jeffery Simmons is in the fold on the defensive line. Chicago was already an elite offense with Williams operating Ben Johnson's offense at a high level in his second year with the offensive guru. Now that Simmons has shored up the defensive front, the Bears are genuinely dangerous on both sides of the ball. The Bucs are tough against the run, but good luck slowing down the Bears when they have a lead. I think this is the week where we really start to talk about Chicago's Super Bowl chances.

Sunday Night Football player props

Luther Burden III Over 65.5 receiving yards (-113, FanDuel)

Burden has been flat-out awesome this season, living up to all the potential we thought he had coming into the year. This is a plus-matchup for the wide receiver, and when the Bears get involved in a shootout, Burden is their guy. He should run wide open against this Bucs secondary, and with a reception prop of 4.5 heavily juiced to the Over, I think there's a really good look at the yardage here.

Baker Mayfield Over 16.5 rushing yards (-112, DraftKings)

Prime-time Baker Mayfield is a spot we love to attack with his rushing yards, and against this Bears defense that suddenly can disrupt up the middle, I'd definitely expect Baker to be frisky with his legs and take off on a regular basis. As a 6-point dog, he should be throwing a bunch, and that should mean a lot of dropbacks. That usually means more pressures, which usually means more rushing attempts for the sneaky mobile QB.

Sunday Night Football anytime touchdowns

Colston Loveland (+165)

Loveland snapped a two-game touchdown streak last week, but his usage was still elite, as it has been all season. The Bucs are a pass funnel, albeit not to tight ends particularly. That being said, Loveland has been getting peppered in the red zone and should get a couple of looks in what profiles as a higher-scoring game.

Kenneth Gainwell (+380)

With Jeffery Simmons in place on the Bears' defensive line, I think we see Gainwell get really involved here in the passing game. Particularly in the red zone, he profiles as a guy who can score multiple ways, especially with the short-yardage passing game.