Buccaneers fall to a Bear of a defense Walter Payton rushed for 139 yards and Doug Flutie threw his first competitive pass in 15 months, but the centerpiece to the Bears 23-3 win against Tampa Bay Sunday at Tampa Stadium was the defense. It is as good as the group that gave the Falcons only 119 yards in a 36-0 win last year. "We were simply outmanned and beaten," said Bucs coach Leeman Bennett, whom locals insist will soon be fired and replaced by Don Shula or Steve Spurrier. "You saw it. They're a better team." The Bears suffocated Tampa Bay's offense, handicapped by the loss of running backs James Wilder and Nathan Wonsley and tight end Jerry Bell because of injuries. Tampa Bay (2-8) gained only 272 yards and ran only two plays inside the Bears' 25.and 12.4 points per game. Without Ryan this year, the Bears are giving up 279.4 yards and 12 points per game. "It's a different defense, but it's a better defense," tackle Steve McMichael said. "It's a credit to our defense that we've played as well as we have with all the changes that have taken place." Defense has carried the Bears to an 8-2 record. Because of injuries to starting quarterback Jim McMahon, who stayed on the sidelines against the Bucs and will probably assume the same position Sunday against the Falcons, the Bears offense has struggled. It had produced only 30 points as Chicago lost two of its previous three games. The offense broke loose against the Bucs. Mike Tomczak, the country's only third-string quarterback with his own radio show, produced touchdowns on a 1-yard run and a 37-yard pass to Willie Gault in the first eight minutes. Tomczak owed his success to the remarkable Payton, who proved a 32-year-old running back with a week-old dislocation of the right big toe can dominate a defense. Payton, leaving the Bucs grapsing at the contrails of his hard cuts to the inside, rushed for 139 yards on 20 tries for the 77th 100-yard game of his creer and had 69 yards in receptions. Payton became the offense as the Bears went into an offensive shell and used 14 straight running plays in a second-half stretch. The beneficial was Kevin Butler, who had simple field goals of 22, 23 and 25 yards to put his streak at 16 straight without a miss. "We were playing against a team ranked 28th (last) against the run," Payton said. "We didn't do anything spectacular. We did what we were supposed to." The offensive flurry took away the shackles that have been on the Bears' defense in recent weeks. Chicago returned to old-time defense, circa 1985. "We didn't have to sit there and play the darned run," McMichael said. "We could go after the quarterback. That's when we're at our best. It's pretty tough to pass against our defense." Steve Young, the best Brigham Young quarterback in uniform, learned that hard truth. With Dent leading a charge that included only slightly fewer blitzes than during the Ryan days, the Bears sacked Young five times and harried him throughout. When Tampa Bay reached the Bears' 25 trailing 14-3 in the second quarter, the rush reached Young three times. The Bucs finished the possession with a punt. "Their defensive line has no weaknesses, so that means you can't free anybody up to help out," said Tampa Bay tackle Ron Heller. "I'm not sure about their secondary, but their line and linebackers are excellent." Nathan Wonsley, a rookie from Mississippi, lowered his head while making a tackle on the opening kickoff and sustained a cervical dislocation. Wonsley experienced no paralysis, but he will be hospitalized for at least two weeks and his career is in jepardy. Tight end Jerry Bell also is out for the season with a fracture and dislocation of his right ankle. Heller said it best: "There were guys in the huddle I didn't recognize." James Wilder left the game with bruised ribs and is questionable for next week's game at Green Bay. Wide receiver Leonard Harris, making his first start, aggravated a hamstring injury. Rookie defensive back Craig Swoope left with a sprained toe. "We are a physically beaten team right now," Leeman Bennett said. "With Bell, Wilder, Wonsley and Harris gone, it was tough to call plays with any confidence they would work." Steve Young found himself in a backfield with two rookie free agent running backs, Pat Franklin and Bobby Howard, both signed in the past two weeks. "I came out of the huddle and said, `Franklin, you take (Richard) Dent, and, Howard, you take (Wilber) Marshall.' Then I realized what I had said and thought, `Oh, my God . . ."