Sunday Night Football in Week 17 will consist of a tight contest between two 11-4 NFC powerhouses. The winner of Bears-49ers will have a real chance at obtaining the #1 seed in the conference (in the event of a Seahawks loss in Week 17 or 18). Both teams have already clinched a playoff spot. The Bears can secure the NFC North title with a win, while the ‘Niners are in the midst of an insane battle for the NFC West with the 11-4 Rams and the 12-3 Seahawks. This week’s game is increasingly important for San Francisco considering that they will face off against the daunting Seahawks in Week 18.
The 49ers come into the game riding a five-game win streak. Last week they bludgeoned the Philip Rivers-led Indianapolis Colts, scoring a season-high 48 points on offense. QB Brock Purdy is on an absolute heater, having thrown 5 TD passes in the game. Chicago, meanwhile, is also riding high coming off of its biggest win in several years. The miraculous comeback victory against the Packers has Chicago believing that this could be a special year.
Injuries could play a factor in this game, with star players on both squads questionable to suit up. Most notably, Bears WR Rome Odunze has already been ruled out-a significant blow to Chicago’s passing attack-and 49ers star tight end George Kittle is questionable (Update: he is inactive) after sustaining an ankle injury last last week. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright, who leads the NFL in takeaways, and 49ers WR Ricky Pearsall, are also questionable (Update: they are both active).
Keys to the Game
Bears
- Keep CMC Out of the End Zone
Christian McCaffrey has been one of-if not the most-dynamic and dangerous runnings backs in the NFL over the past several years. This season is no exception. CMC is 10th in rushing yards and 6th in receptions (nestled amongst wide receivers). Over San Francisco’s last 9 games, there are only 2 in which McCaffrey didn’t find his way into the end zone. Uncoincidentally, those are also the only two games SF has lost in that stretch. Further, CMC has 8 touchdowns in the 49ers’ current five-game win streak. All this is to say: he’s on fire and keeping him from scoring a touchdown has been a direct indicator of a San Francisco loss for the past two and a half months.
- Make Purdy Uncomfortable
‘Niners quarterback Brock Purdy has caught fire recently. The key to disrupting him is to make him uncomfortable in the pocket. Last week in his 5-touchdown effort, he was only pressured 12 times. Chicago forced 14 pressures last week, but got 3 sacks and posted a whopping 30 the week before, along with 5 sacks. If the pass rush can get a few sacks against a San Francisco offense that has taken the 7th-least this season, it could be a game-changer.
Given Chicago’s struggles rushing the passer this year, Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen might have to get creative to generate pressure. I hope to see some nickels blitzes and funky coverages mixed into the gameplan in an effort to confuse Purdy and slow down his process.
49ers
- Win Run Battle on Both Sides
The 49ers can clean up on Sunday night if they take control of the run game on both sides of the ball. With Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards-who is fantastic against the run-potentially out, Christian McCaffrey might be able to find efficiency on the ground. On the other side of the ball, the ‘Niners need to slow down D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, and the Chicago rushing attack. The Bears are a top-tier rushing team, ranking 4th in yards per carry this year. With WRs Rome Odunze out and Luther Burden III returning but possibly with rust, slowing down the run becomes even more detrimental to Chicago’s offense.