Final Score: 49ers 42 Bears 38
The Bears fell short this Sunday Night in a high-octane shootout to Brock Purdy and the surging 49ers. Fans were treated to a masterclass in offensive scheming and playcalling thanks to head coaches Kyle Shanahan and Ben Johnson.
For Chicago, the loss eliminates the team from #1 seed and first-round bye contentio in the NFC, but it was encouraging to see that the Bears are on a level to compete with a team like the 49ers. Shanahan has built something extremely sustainable and consistent in San Francisco and to see the Bears go shot-for-shot with him is an amazing sign. In his first high-scoring shootout as head coach of the Bears, Ben Johnson responding time after time to 49er touchdowns looked like Steph Curry dribbling a basketball just across the bay. He was unfazed and always had another trick in the bag. Though the result didn’t pan out as I had hoped, this loss does not inspire anger or even sadness. This was just a really entertaining football game between two teams at the top of the NFC.
To give a brief synopsis of the actual game, Brock Purdy is on a heater. After tossing 5 TDs last week, he posted 3 passing TDs this week while adding 2 on the ground, totaling 5 touchdowns for the second straight week. Christian McCaffrey also dominated, racking up 140 rushing yards and a TD. The Bears offense was humming as well, with another fantastic performance out of Caleb Williams. Williams threw for his season-high 330 passing yards, while Luther Burden III had the best game of his career thus far with 138 receiving yards. With one play from the 2-yard-line to win it at the end, the offense fell just short with an incompletion in the end zone.
Bright Spots
Went Shot for Shot With a Great Team
As touched on in the opening paragraphs, the Bears participated in an offensive shootout. In a vacuum that is a crazy statement, but that’s what one year of Ben Johnson working with Caleb Williams has already made possible. The game was tied at 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35, the first time that has ever happened in a regular season game. I love the fact that the Bears can hold their own in a game of this type if need be. In fact, they came just two yards away from winning.
2024 Draft Picks Panning Out
After slower starts to their rookie seasons, 1st and 2nd round draft picks Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III have both officially arrived. With Rome Odunze still out and D.J. Moore clearly working through something, Burden III had his best game yet with 8 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Colton Loveland also had a big time game with 6 catches for 94 yards and a huge 36-yard touchdown on a free play. It’s awesome to see both of your top draft picks making massive impacts just in time for the playoffs. These two rookies, in addition to undrafted WR Jahdae Walker and rookie RB Kyle Monangai, accounted for 76% of Bears receptions this week (19/25). The rookies are playing a significant role.
Glaring Issues
Defense Had No Answers
The issue was that the defense had absolutely no answers. After T.J. Edwards’ pick-six on the first play of the game, there was nothing the Bears could to to slow down San Francisco. Props to Kyle Shanahan, who is widely regarded as one of the best offensive playcallers in the NFL. His offense racked up 496 total yards on Sunday, including 200 on the ground. Chicago only forced 10 pressures and totaled 1 sack. Despite the pick-six, the linebackers both played very poorly. If the defense can just slightly improve, the Bears could have a real shot to make a postseason run considering the way the offense is performing.
Standout Performers
Luther Burden III
Burden III had a breakout game this week, finishing 6th out of all NFL wide receivers in PFF grade. With the SNF audience listening, announcer Chris Collinsworth couldn’t stop gushing about the 2nd-round rookie receiver as he exploded for his best game of the season. As Collinsworth explained, Burden III now sits at 3rd in the NFL in yards per route run (YPRR), only behind superstars Puka Nacua and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. After Burden III, the list continues on: Tyreek Hill, Christian Watson, Stefon Diggs, CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown, etc. The leaders in this statistic are all star receivers in the NFL. Luther is clearly playing at an elite level and is going to be a dangerous player for years to come.
After sustaining an injury on the final play of the game, it remains to be seen whether the rookie receiver will be healthy for next week.
Darnell Wright
Wright was battling the flu the week leading up to the game. He didn’t travel with the team to Santa Clara, but felt good enough to go when he woke up on Sunday morning. The third-year right tackle flew to California that day and suited up that night, only to earn the highest overall PFF grade out of all NFL offensive lineman in Week 17. The fact that he ranked 1st in PFF in his M.J. flu game is unreal. Amazing job out of Darnell Wright, who has taken another big step this season.
Key Drive of the Game
San Francisco’s touchdown drive late in the 4th quarter ended up being the game-winning drive. The 49ers went 7 plays and 75 yards in just over 3 minutes of game time. The possession was spurned on by a huge penalty on Bears DT Gervon Dexter Sr. that gave SF an automatic first-down instead of what would have been a 3rd-and-7. An 18-yard pass to CMC and 38-yard TD to Juane Jennings quickly ensued, taking advantage of the Bears settling for a field goal on the drive previous. This pushed the 49ers back ahead, 42-35. Chicago would come just short of overcoming the score.