Bears and 49ers In-Game Blog: 49ers 38, Bears 13 FINAL

Fourth Quarter

Brock Purdy 20 of 25 for 325 yards and two TDs for a 145.4 passer rating. Kittle six catches, 151 yards. Williams 17 of 23 for 134 yards, two TDs and a 116.9 paser rating. A 68-yard rushing day for the Navy and Orange.

The Bears were outgained 452 yards to 162, 22 first downs to 14.

At least Williams can say his interception-free streak is intact. That's seven straight games. They lost all of them too. Jonathan Owens, Simone Biles' hubby with the pick. They had finally wised up and took Purdy out. Brandon Allen surfaced to throw the interception.

Jake Tonges on the field for the 49ers now. Former Bears tight end.

Tarvarius Moore with a late hit on a punt. What's an illegal hit between friends? That's his old team.

Two more sacks. Might be time to have Tyson Bagent in there absorbing punishment.

This has been a season when the Bears weren't really hit with a lot of season-ending injuries so they can't really rely on that crutch. Andrew Billings was a huge loss. The loss of Jaquan Brisker to a concussion has been huge but indications are he could be coming back next week or the week after. Why? Might as well sit out the year at this point.

A TD run by Taylor and the Bears have now given up more points than any game since the Taylor Swift blowout, when the Chiefs beat them 41-10 and everyone discovered Swift and Kelce last year in Week 3. 49ers 38, Bears 13

Good thing the 49ers are a team with an injured reserve list as big as the population in San Francisco and have only won six games now or the Bears could have really expected a beating.

In his debut as defensive play caller, Washington has a defense that has allowed more points than Eberflus' defenses did at any point this season.

49ers have the ball at the 34 with 8 1/2 minutes left and now Jennings is out of the game with an injury after making a catch over the middle. Didn't look too serious.

Brock Purdy hurt when hit while passing. Darrell Taylor got the roughig penalty for going high and pulling back on Purdy's neck and head. There was no doubt about that penalty. Taylor doesn't use his brain sometimes on the rush, but when you haven't had a sack since Week 1 this is what you do. Purdy comes out of the game but comes back in. What for? Someone with the Niners media needs to ask Shanahan what he's thinking even putting Purdy back in. The game is obviously over and if he gets hurt it's the season.

Does Ryan Poles deserve to be in a hot seat for this mess? Of course. He's had three years, hired Eberflus even if he wasn't allowed to find his own candidates, and this is all the farther they are in a rebuild is a last-place team.

The only way to approach this one is they ran up against a team with a chance at the playoffs, no matter how injured they were, and the Bears were not getting the big emotional bump from playing for a new coach. They played hard, didn't quit but re entirely overmatched because they are a last-place team. They've lost seven straight because they are a bad team.

Williams to Odunze over the middle for the TD and they'll just go for the kick here. Where's Flus' chart? Doesn't it say try to get as many points as possible to make it a 17-point game? Someone go find that chart. Two TDs and field goal is a lot easier if you don't need to go for two. Like it matters.

With four TDs in five tries in the red zone today the 49ers have probably fixed it so we won't have to read about their red-zone defense being No. 1 again.

A Williams scramble and completion gets the offense moving again at the 49ers 41. Lots of Bears passing yardage in catch-up mode today. Good for passing stats, not for winning games.

Williams had been able to avoid fumbles in six games. Niners converted it into a touchdown run and it's 49ers 31, Bears 6

Third Quarter

Deep ball on a bootleg pass hits to Jauan Jennings and the 49ers hit it to the Bears 23. Caught T.J. Edwards trying to cover far downfield where he can't be expected to cover a wide receiver.

Cole Kmet with a weak block on a zone read nearly got Caleb Williams hit but he got out of bounds at the 30. After an incompletion the Bears face third-and-8, officials say Williams actually fumbled it. I've seen that ruled incomplete like that. Just a week ago.

A Keenan Allen catch was a trap and replay wips it out at the 46 but Williams comes back to Allen again for the first down. The 49ers have not been too good at short-right coverage in the zone this year. A good place to attack.

Caleb Williams finds Odunze on 49ers side of midfield as the rookies start to connect. Bad spot by officials moved it from the 44 back to the 46.

The Bears defense hasn't given up. Forced a punt on three-and-out with good coverage on three downs. It's the first time they had good coverage three straight plays in the game.

Cole Kmet can't hang on to a bullet throw right in his stomach on the two-pointer. 49ers 24, Bears 6

On third-and-goal from the 4, Williams threads it in the corner to Rome Odunze for the TD, who got his feet down despite being pushed out of bounds. The Bears will go for two. Flus' leftover chart tells them they should.

Swift shoots up the middle to the 4 for the first down. A long drive in terms of time and yardage. Bears face second-and-goal at the 6 after Swift got tackled in the backfield.

A third-down conversion by the Bears on pass to Keenan Allen at the 17. Moore picks up 9 on another WR screen, the 49ers played it poorly.

Swift gets up limping after getting nailed at the sidelines on a 2-yard completion. He's trying to get through a quad injury and was hit in that area of his body.

Odunze wasn't open and Williams still tried to hit him and nearly got it picked, but a nice change of the play by Williams on third-and-3 to a run and Swift gets the first down. Audibled out of it.

DJ Moore with another nice catch and then Swift with a spinning run up the middle and the Bears are at the 49ers' 32 facing second-and-3.

Rome Odunze on the WR screen for 7. Nice of them to let him take part.

Best Bears run of the game an 8-yarder by Swift and he hits 49ers' Mustapha so hard he knocks him out of the game. Then Swift gets a bad spot on the sidelines for a 1-yard gain but on third down runs for hte first down. They need to keep running so Williams doesn't get killed back there.

It's 319 yards to 4 yards right now and 14-1 in first downs. But, hey, their red zone defense came through once and forced a field goal. Good thing the Bears get the ball to start the second half.

Second Quarter

With five catches for 138 yards by Kittle, the 49ers take a 24-0 lead in at halftime. Looking like that game when the Bears went out to open the 2003 season under Dick Jauron and lost 49-7 to Niners.

They decide to punt. Why not just let Taylor take the rest of the day off and go for it on fourth down all day? Might as well lose 50-0 in Trestman-ish collapse mode?

The biggest play for the Bears of the half as the 49ers botch the kickoff and the penalty puts the ball at the Bears 40. They still get Williams sacked and can't get a first down. He tried to escape the pocket but the rush had closed in too far. The Bears will let the clock run down to 14 seconds.

The Bears should now consider it fine to talk freely to Mike Vrabel. Who cares if the current coaches are trying to coach four more games?

Those stupid odds boards that had Brown as the second- or third-best coaching bet for the Bears job look like an airport board when a blizzard hits right now. They're all changing. Dropping Brown right off of there. Is it fair after this game? In a word, yes.

49ers forced to accept a field goal as Kyler Gordon runs Purdy out of bounds on a scramble and a 23-yard field goal makes it 49ers 24, Bears 0

With the aid of a holding penalty wiping out a Brock Purdy TD scramble, the Bears have forced third-and-goal from the 10. They get up to the line and fake like they'll run a play off and why not? The Bears have jumped offsides on those this year like total dolts. TWO-MINUTE WARNING!!!

Guerendo with a breakawayrun and they're at the Bears 38 again. Another pass across the middle to Kittle again all the way to the 5.

Kevin Byard got away with pass interference but at this point the 49ers shouldn't care.

49ers have the ball again. The Bears defense has shut down the run, allowing only 24 yards so far. But they've given up 14-of-15 for 221 yards and two TDs to Brock Purdy.

Williams sacked on third-and-5 as Malik Collins slaps Coleman Shelton aside like he's only 290 pounds. Which he is. It doesn't matter how good Shelton's grades are on Pro Football Focus, they need to bring in a real center with some size and strength to overpower people at the point of attack. Fast, small centers have to go.

Williams again under heavy rush and gets a short boot pass out to Moore. Those boot passes aren't going to work now because no one will care about the run fake when you're down 21-0.

At least the Bears can eliminate one head coaching candidate.

Nine minutes left in the half and it's 11-1 in first downs. A 16-yard TD pass over the middle to Jennings with 7:41 left and the Bears are making Flus look like a defensive genius. 49ers 21, Bears 0

Of course it failed. But SF needs half a yard and Purdy puts his head down and plows for the first down behind his center. This is something the Bears have lacked for years, a center who can get them the half yard on a sneak.

Shanahan threw a challenge flag foolishly. Thinks it was a first down. They should move it back farther than they did. If that's the way Shanahan handles replays then the Bears shouldn't be interested in him. Replay looking at it.

Edwards with another big hit leaves 49ers facing third-and-8 and a catch by Jennings was obviously short but Jennings got a good spot by the officials. They only need half a yard on fourth down.

Tremendous form tackle by Edwards on a run and the 49ers face third-and-7. Edwards acting like someone who fell into second on the team in tackles. And he did. But Kittle is there for his fourth catch and gets the first down on third-and-7 at the Bears 32.

Kittle with another big gainer coming from the side to the middle of the field to the 48. How do you not have anyone covering him? He's really their No. 1 receiving weapon since Deebo Samuel has decided to take the back seat.

It starts with not establishing the run and then they start closing in on Williams.

Looking a lot like the Lions game. The Bears can only hope they recover the same way to make a game of it because this has rout all over it. 49ers 166 yards. Bears 9 yards.

First Quarter

49ers from the 29 after a 51-yard Taylor punt and T.J Edwards with the sack after Montez Sweat can't bring down Purdy. Sweat really underperforming. He had no excuse on that. Purdy just shrugged him off like a bug. Quarter ends.

Leonard Floyd with the sack of Williams as he looks downfield on third down. Former Bears pass rusher almost could have had a strip if he waited. 49ers are playing like a team that still thinks they have a chance and they're facing a team with no chance.

Dexter grabbed at his right knee and left. Serious knee injuries in December are bad news. It can mean carryover past the start of the next season for recovery. The Bears are sadly ill equipped to handle injuries on the defensive line. An area Ryan Poles failed them.

A touchdown by Guerendo on a first-down run of a yard and Gervon Dexter got hurt in the middle of the line, knocked backwards on the play. That's one thing they can't have if they're going to have a hope is to have their 3-technique out of the game. They're already without Andrew Billings. 49ers 14, Bears 0

Pass defense has looked mediocre and the run defense solid so far but the Niners are at the Bears 28. A wheel route goes to the 1 to Guerendo as he beats Jack Sanborn. That's no contest. Guerendo ran 4.3

Kittle burns the zone again, this time for 31. A good pump by Purdy but it had no effect. Kittle just got behind Tremaine Edmunds and in front of the safeties.

For the 50th time this year Willliams has been sacked and they'll punt. He had time to throw it away but on third down you don't see many QBs willing to do that. Bears with another punt as their offense continues its slow start. Another one.

Keenan Allen can't come down with a catch on first down that could have been picked after Williams executed a perfect conversion for a first down the play prior. He's getting time to throw, and then DJ Moore drops a short pass, leaving the Bears in third-and-10. Good luck with that.

Well-executed WR screen to Moore on first down but nets only 5. The room was there for more by Moore.

Blackwell wins the honor, at least for punts. He calls a fair catch at the 5, which isn't exactly what they tell return men to do.

T.J. Edwards with a great tipped pass but no one can come down with it except Jennings. Then Montez Sweat gets Purdy from behind and Edwards tips it as he throws under pressure, forcing a punt. Washington being aggressive with the blitz.

Another 49ers line injury, this to Ben Bartch. They have three guys out now. The injury to Carter is a hammy and he's doubtful to return.

49ers are just executing their offense, the way the Lions did against the Flus defense last game. A first down on a perfect quarterback sneak that didn't require a tush push. A legal QB sneak. They need to outlaw pushing the QB.

Rome Odunze for kick return? Josh Blackwell has done it. Maybe they let him try his hand at it. Really they need to get it decided because it looks like they'll get lots of kickoffs. The 49ers just completed another pass and then two runs put it at third-and-1.

D'Andre Carter got hurt on the kick return. Looked to have been jolted good. They don't have Tyler Scott. He's inactive. They don't have Khalil Herbert anymore. Travis Homer?

On third-and-7 Williams takes the checkdown to Travis Homer after Swift got creamed behind the line on second down but Homer can't get near the sticks so they punt. Pretty much the same as the Flusbears. Bears can be thankful their punter Tory Taylor just put his 22nd punt inside the 20 on the year, a Bears rookie record.

DeAndre Carter only gets it to the 22 on the return. Then D'Andre Swift hits his average gain of 3.9 yards on first down.

Thomas Brown better have all his best plays ready for this one if his defensive coordinator is going to have his back like that. Bears opponents have scored first in 12 of 13 games this year. New Bears same as the old Bears.

The red zone was where Flus' defense shined this year. Leading the NFL. Jauan Jennings with an easy touchdown catch wide open on first-and-goal. Looked like the Bears defense decided to quit when Flus got fired. Terrible start. If that's what Washington can bring as defensive coordinator, they should let Jon Hoke call the defenses. Terrible. 49ers 7, Bears 0

Bears force a third-and-4 after a vicious hit by Gervon Dexter along the line in the backfield on second down. They lose track of Guerendo and he gets the first down coming out of the backfield, then somehow they lose track of George Kittle on a screen pass. All the way to the Bears 7.

Let's see what Eric Washington can do as a Flus replacement.

Bears kicking off

The Giants game ended with a blocked field goal that was certainly of questionable legality. Someone in the league office needs to start slapping officials with fines. A defensive lineman can't stand up and leap over the top of offensive linemen to block the kick.

Pregame

The premature rumor mill has begun and CBS' Jonathan Jones said in pregame that "sources" who weren't named have led him to believe former Titans coach Mike Vrabel will be pursued for interiews by the Bears, as well as New Orleans and the New York Jet. Vrabel was fired after the 2023 Titans season and has spent this year as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns.

Jones said he "believes" Vrabel will only go to a franchise with an experienced or established GM.

The Bears would definitely fit this category, although it's safe to wonder if Ryan Poles is on shaky footing after his first coach, Matt Eberflus, was fired. This part of the report definitely makes sense because Vrabel was anything but happy when the Titans traded away wide receiver A.J. Brown to Philadelphia during the draft. The Titans offense was never the same after losing Brown.

Could Bill Belichick actually end up at UNC? 👀@jjones9 has all the info on the legendary coach pic.twitter.com/XxcXhPINPD
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 8, 2024

The reason this all sounds premature is because it wouldn't be fair by the Bears to Thomas Brown to begin talking to other coaches yet, unless, of course, other teams had begun talking to Vrabel. It's not illegal or anything but just not good policy. Many of the coaches they would want to talk to will not be available until after the season. One other possibility who is currently available but is retired is Bruce Arians. The Bears passed on him for Marc Trestman once. There's no reason to think he wants to unretire at age 72 but if he is he would be another to contact.

Thomas Brown makes his debut as the Bears' interim head coach today.

Erik Kramer discusses what he needs to do to be successful on the Big Pro Football Show. pic.twitter.com/ApI0OC8dvZ
— Chicago Sports Network (@CHSN__) December 8, 2024

ESPN's Dan Graziano had an interesting list of coaching candidates who are available. He didn't simply list candidates or specifically tie them to being a candidte for a particular team. He just rated all the candidates.

Ben Johnson No. 1, Vrabel No. 2, Bill Belichick No. 3, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn No. 4, Brian Flore No 5. Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph No. 6, Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady No. 7, Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore No. 8, Kliff Kingsbury No. 9, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter No. 10.

Minter worked for John Harbaugh in Baltimore and Jim at Michigan.

Consider the Harbaugh-Bears connection and Kevin Warren's Big Ten ties, and it's not a stretch to think he might be someone the Bears would want to talk to, and he also is a "leader of men" type.

Derwin James trying to give Jim Harbaugh and Jesse Minter his interception ball 🥹 this team pic.twitter.com/icHpHG6ern
— itsbecky (@lafullybolted) December 4, 2024

Twitter: BearsOnSI