Bear Digest

Instant analysis of Bears' heartbreaking Week 17 loss to 49ers

The Chicago Bears lost their grip on the No. 1 seed in the NFC after a heartbreaking loss to the 49ers in Week 17.
Bryan Perez|
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears began Week 17 with a chance to earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, but their 42-38 loss Sunday night to the San Francisco 49ers ended any hope for the first-round bye.

The 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will decide which team is No. 1 in their NFC West showdown in the season finale.

While the loss is certainly disappointing, the Bears once again proved they very much belong in the Super Bowl conversation. Sure, the defense was horrendous, but Caleb Williams and the offense looked as good as it has at any point during the 2025 season.

Williams finished the game 25-of-42 for 330 yards and two touchdowns. He had a special connection with rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III, who had a career-high eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown.

First-round pick Colston Loveland was fantastic, too, finshing with six catches for 95 yards and a score.

Even the Bears' rushing attack was efficient. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 17 carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns, with Swift being the primary back, ending the game with nine carries for 54 yards and those two scores.

But the Bears' demise rested solely with Dennis Allen and the defense, one that allowed Brock Purdy to throw for 303 yards and three touchdowns and run for 28 yards and two more scores.

Yes, Purdy totaled five TDs against Chicago.

Christian McCaffrey proved to be nearly unstoppable, too. The veteran running back ended Week 17 with 23 carries for 140 yards and one touchdown, and added four more catches for 41 yards to his chase for 1,000 receiving yards.

The 49ers had nearly 500 yards of offense (496) and simply made one or two more plays than the Bears. That's how close this game ended up being.

It's frustrating that the Bears couldn't pull another victory out of the jaws of defeat, especially with the No. 1 seed still being within reach. But, at some point, even the most die-hard Bears fan knew a loss like this was coming.

Better now than in the playoffs, right?

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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