The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will try to extend their winning streak to four games when they take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. After their Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, the Buccaneers have won three straight games against the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles to take control over the NFC South with a 5-1 record. But in their 28-22 win over the Eagles, the Buccaneers shot themselves in the foot by committing 120 penalty yards, which allowed Philadelphia to close the gap late in the game.

On Thursday, 44-year-old quarterback Tom Brady talked about the Buccaneers efforts to eliminate penalties and mental mistakes in their upcoming games. "It's not like that's ever a finished subject, either," said Brady, adding they got to work at it every day. “You've got to sharpen your skills. You take nothing for granted,” he added. Brady also underscored the importance of working hard everyday to improve and gain the trust of teammates and coaches. “You can't take the foot off the gas at all. You've got to put in every day, you've got to prove to everybody what you want to become,” stressed Brady.

Bucs learn lesson of loss to Bears

Last season, the Buccaneers suffered a close 20-19 defeat to the Bears in Week 5 that dropped them to 3-2.

In that game, the Buccaneers committed 11 penalties, poor pass protection and rare mistake by Brady in the latter part doomed their chances for a comeback win. After that game, the Buccaneers made some adjustments and defeated the Green Bay Packers without committing a single penalty. “We've cut down on the penalties, but we've got to stress that and continue to stress that all the time,” said Brady.

The Buccaneers currently have the second most called (50) and accepted (47) penalties against them and the most penalty yards (471) incurred. These penalties have prevented the Buccaneers from closing out their opponents despite being third in points scored and yards gained and first in passing offense. Brady has a 5-1 record with 15 touchdown passes in his career against the Bears, who carry a 3-3 mark.

Brady also has a chance to reach the 600-touchdown plateau against the Bears on Sunday.

AB, Gronk out vs Bears

According to Nick Shook of NFL.com, the Buccaneers will play the Bears without some of their key players, including veteran wide receiver Antonio Brown. Head coach Bruce Arians said Brown will not play against the Bears due to an ankle injury. In addition, Arians said tight end Rob Gronkowski (ribs), linebacker Lavonte David (ankle) and cornerback Richard Sherman (hamstring) will be out of commission as the Buccaneers take on the Bears at home. Brown has been playing excellent this season, catching 2 passes for 418 yards and four touchdowns.