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CHICAGO (Ticker) -- Thanks to a defense which forced another four turnovers, the running of rookie Anthony Thomas and an effective short passing game, the Chicago Bears are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 1994.

Thomas rushed for 146 of his 173 yards and a touchdown in the second half and Jim Miller threw a pair of scores to lead the Bears to a 27-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a sweep of their final NFC Central series.

The Bears (10-3) reached double figures in wins for the first time since 1991 when they finished 11-5 and moved one game ahead of Green Bay (9-4), which lost at Tennessee, in the NFC Central.

"It's exciting since I've been here when we haven't been too good," said Miller, who has been with the Bears since 1998. "For us to have this opportunity, I think we deserve it."

The surprise team of the season after compiling a 19-45 record over the previous four years, including an 11-21 mark in the last two under coach Dick Jauron, the Bears dominated the line of scrimmage on Sunday, rushing for 207 yards and holding the Bucs to just 61 yards on the ground and 10 first downs.

With tackles Ted Washington and Keith Traylor and linebacker Brian Urlacher patrolling the middle, Tampa Bay's backfield tandem of Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn combined for just 50 yards on 17 carries.

The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for the Buccaneers (7-6), who played their last road game of the regular season and slipped behind the New Orleans Saints (7-5) in the battle for the third and final NFC wild card berth. New Orleans hosts the St. Louis Rams on Monday.

"We didn't play with a lot of energy and turnovers hurt us," said Bucs coach Tony Dungy. "The turnovers from the effort and hustle on behalf of the Bears was the key."

The Bucs play New Orleans next Sunday and close the season with games against Baltimore and Philadelphia.

The Bears forced three of their turnovers in the first half when they built a 13-3 lead. Safety Tony Parrish intercepted a pass by quarterback Brad Johnson in the end zone, linebacker Warrick Holdman forced a fumble by Johnson which defensive tackle Alfonso Boone recovered and cornerback Walt Harris negated a long reception by Keyshawn Johnson when he knocked the ball out of the receiver's hands inside the Chicago 10 and Parrish recovered for the Bears.

Miller hit Marty Booker with a two-yard touchdown pass and connected with tight end Frd Baxter on an 18-yard scoring play in the third quarter to help the Bears open a 20-3 lead.

Thomas ran roughshod over the Bucs in the second half, gaining 146 yards on 23 carries and capping the scoring with a five-yard touchdown run with 3:35 left.

"We knew we'd get back to the run because we knew we had to run the ball to win," Jauron said.

It was the third 100-yard game for Thomas, who rushed for a season-high 188 yards in an October 21 game at Cincinnati. He has rushed for 865 yards.

David Terrell, another rookie, also made a big contribution to the win, catching three passes for 94 yards, including a 62-yard bomb which set up Miller's touchdown pass to Booker with 4:36 left in the first half.

Keyshawn Johnson was the lone bright spot for the Buccaneers, catching seven passes for 119 yards, raising his league-leading total to 100 receptions. Herman Moore holds the single-season record with 123 catches for the Detroit Lions in 1995.

The Bucs were without four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp for most of the second half when they faltered against the run. While Thomas was rumbling through the defense, Sapp winced in pain on the sidelines with a shoulder injury.

The Bears posted a 27-24 victory at Tampa Bay last month as Miller connected with Booker on three touchdown passes. Since then, the Bucs reeled off three straight wins before Sunday's loss.

"They were the better team both times we played," Bucs safety John Lynch said. "They played like a playoff team."

Chicago's first six possessions resulted in a 30-yard field goal by Paul Edinger, four three-and-outs and an interception.

Tampa Bay's first five possessions resulted in four punts and an interception. Trailing 3-0, the Bucs had a first down at the Chicago 32 when Brad Johnson lofted a pass into the end zone and Parrish made a leaping interception in front of receivers Keyshawn Johnson and Karl Williams.

Tampa Bay finally scored on its sixth possession, but had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Martin Gramatica with 7:45 left in the half after cornerback Donnie Abraham returned an interception 18 yards to the Chicago 24.

But after totaling 77 yards on their first six possessions, the Bears broke from their trend of shallow pass patterns and Miller connected with Terrell on a 62-yard bomb on a 3rd-and-1 play. Lined up in the slot on the left side, Terrell raced past safety Dexter Jackson on a deep out, caught a long pass and stumbled at the Chicago 2 after being tackled by Jackson.

"David came through today and made a big play for us," said Miller, who was 14-of-29 for 190 yards with an interception.

Three plays later, Miller lofted a pass in the left corner of the end zone to Booker, who made a leaping catch and was able to keep his left foot inbounds and drag his right toe. It was initially ruled that Booker was out of bounds after the catch, but the Bears challenged and the replay reversed the call, giving Chicago a 10-3 lead with 4:36 left in the half.

"When I saw it on the scoreboard, it looked like a TD to me," Jauron said. "People upstairs thought he caught it too."

The Bucs turned the ball over on their next two possessions. The one that hurt the most came when Keyshawn Johnson caught a pass over the middle on a third-down play and raced 47 yards to the Chicago 8 before the ball was punched out of his hands from behind by Harris. Parrish recovered at the 1 and returned the fumble 21 yards to the 22.

After the two-minute warning, the Bucs reached the Chicago 27. But this time time Brad Johnson was sacked by Holdman for a nine-yard loss and fumbled and Boone recovered for the Bears and returned it six yards to the 47.

"The turnovers towards the end of the first half as we were driving really hurt," said Brad Johnson. "That turned the momentum towards the Bears. From that point on, the Bears made all the big plays."

Chicago took advantage as Miller hit Terrell with a 25-yard pass and connected with Baxter on a 10-yard play to set up a 46-yard field goal by Edinger on the final play of the half, giving the Bears a 13-3 lead.

The Bears deflated Tampa Bay by marching 69 yards on just five plays in their first possession of the second half.

Thomas broke off a 21-yard run around left tackle to the Tampa Bay 30 and Baxter capped the drive with a leaping 18-yard TD catch between two defenders with 8:11 left in the third quarter, increasing the lead to 20-3.