The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: 5 Takeaways from Week 8

The 49ers came up with a morale boosting victory proving my prediction wrong.

At last, the 49ers broke my unbeaten prediction record with a win over the Chicago Bears. Here are the five takeaways from that game.

Jimmy Garoppolo fought to live another day.

The receivers tried their best to stop Garoppolo from converting 3rd down plays with crucial drops. Garoppolo had an excellent game against a Bears defense which presented zero pass rush or pressure to the QB. The deep throw to Deebo Samuel came as a surprise after struggling to move the offense as desired early on in the game.

The most promising plays included two rushing touchdowns by Garoppolo. There were rumors that Garoppolo might have been replaced by the end of the first half. While we can not confirm what exactly happened, Garoppolo managed to extend his leash as the starter for another week.

Garoppolo will have to fight each week to keep his place in the team, with two formidable defenses to overcome in the coming weeks.

The win does not prove anything.

The Bears are the first playoff team that the 49ers beat this year. The victories have come against Lions, Eagles, and Bears. The three teams have a 6-18 combined record. The Bears did not have a pass rush, and Garoppolo enjoyed extended time in the pocket. The 13-9 lead by the Bears looked like a typical day at the office for the 49ers until Deebo Samuel took things into his own hands.

The 84 yard run by Samuel turned the game on its head.

The offensive line had a decent game against a depleted defense.

Elijah Mitchell is punching above his weight.

Before the season, no one expected Mitchell to be the front runner in the 49ers offense with the football. With Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. missing time due to injuries, Mitchell grabbed the opportunity that came his way. He rushed for 137 yards with 7.61 yards per attempt.

Since Trey Sermon cannot break through the ranks, Mitchell can establish himself as the No. 1 running back in this team for a longer time. Mitchell tends to cut inside and get tackled on certain occasions. If he can fine-tune minor weaknesses, the future would be bright for the late-round draft pick.

Gould is not gold.

The 49ers decided to sign the veteran placekicker expecting to push the team over the edge when needed. Gould is not accurate with his 50-yard-plus field goals, and the injury before the Seahawks game kick-off messed up 49er plans. The backup Joey Slye missed a few kicks.

Gould is expected to be back after the injury, but the 49ers should find a better option in the offseason.

No Pass Interference penalties.

The penalty that Josh Norman gave away was a 5-yard holding call. The secondary stayed mistake-free throughout the game. Justin Fields could not test the 49ers secondary, which went back to practicing basic skill training during the middle of the season.

Yet again, it is difficult to judge whether the team has corrected its mistakes. If Kyler Murray cannot play next week, Matthew Stafford will be waiting to crack the secondary.