Bear Digest

The good, bad and ugly from frantic Bears finish in loss to 49ers

It was about the best start to a game the Bears could imagine on defense and then the worst finish by the offense in a disappointing but exciting defeat.
Gene Chamberlain|
Gervon Dexter Sr. and Montez Sweat attempt to slow down Christian McCaffrey in th 49ers' win.
Gervon Dexter Sr. and Montez Sweat attempt to slow down Christian McCaffrey in th 49ers' win. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Bears' defense couldn't complain about their start.

It was all downhill after that for the NFC North champions' defense. That's downhill, like off a Grand Canyon cliff.

T.J. Edwards intercepted Brock Purdy's first pass off of Jaylon Johnson's deflection and the took it back for a touchdown but then Purdy completed 24 of his next 32 for 303 yards and three TDs. The Bears' defense had to look for small victories, like a three-and-out here and becoming the first team since November to force a 49ers punt in Sunday's 42-38 loss to San Francisco.

"I don't think anybody played well enough to be able to get the win today," safety Kevin Byard said to reporters afterward about the defense. "Like I said that's a good team. Credit to them. They've been playing lights out the last few weeks, but we have to be better there if we want to make a run at this thing."

Giving up 200 yards rushing and 303 passing isn't the way the Bears' defense is designed to work.

"You put that game on the defense for sure," Byard said

They let Christian McCaffrey get loose for 140 yards on 23 carries and a season-long 41-yarder. He added 41 more yards receiving.

"The pick-6 by T.J. was huge to get us going," coach Ben Johnson said. "You could really feel the sideline come alive there to get us into the game.

"So even though our offense was a little hit or miss there in the first half, that (interception) helped contribute some points to the cause."

The deflected interception was one of the good plays in this disappointing Bears loss. There were bad and ugly plays, as well.

The Good

Shrugging off sick bay

Darnell Wright made a flight on his own Sunday morning to reach Santa Clara for the game after the team had left him behind and listed him as questionable. There were other Bears injuries or illness victims who played roles. DJ Moore was obviously hit hard by illness and Nahshon Wright was ill but both played, as well.  

"I mean we all understand that if someone has to go down because they're sick, then someone else has to step up," Johnson said. "We did the best we could as an organization in terms of trying to stop it from masks to washing hands and being diligent that way."

Wright's private flight got him there in time for the game. You don't see NFL players flying in and playing on the same day, especially when they're sick.

"He was excited," Johnson said of Wright. "He came in this morning and he had a big smile on his face. You can't hold me back from this one. That was good to see."

Caleb's free ball

The Bears had actually set up a way to bait the 49ers' defensive line to jump offsides prior to the game and actually got the freebie that Williams took advantage of with a 36-yard TD strike in the second quarter to Colston Loveland.

Williams looked like Aaron Rodgers, his passing idol, taking advantage of a penalty for the big play.

The rookies

Colston Loveland and Luther Burden picked up the ball for ill DJ Moore, injured Rome Odunze and ill Olamide Zaccheaus and nearly helped the offense pull off the comeback.

Burden had career-highs of 138 yards and eight receptions to go with his second career TD. Loveland matched his career high for reception with six for 94 yards and ad his fifth TD catch.

That's one more than Tyler Warren, who has one in the last nine games by the way.

You can’t have everything when you rely too much on rookies.  Both had bad dropped passes late in the game.

A Swift run

Swift's 22-yard run up the middle for a TD burned a 49ers defense that had the safeties moving to the wrong place as they tried to bottle up the middle. He made a small, nifty cut and went the distance.

There weren't enough of these types of plays or attempts, though.Swift had the ball only for nine carries and Kyle Monangai for eight.

The Bad

Downs and out

The Bears wound up allowing 7-of-10 on third-down conversions and it helped the 49ers control the ball for 33:33, something the Bears do to other teams. They also went 5-for-5 scoring touchdowns in the red zone a week after the Packers were held to 0-for-5.

"Its a two-headed problem here because you've got us not being able to stay on the field on offense to where thy weren't able to get off the field on third downs on defense," Johnson said. "That's really how I saw it. It came down to the third downs."

Hook-and-ladder luck

The hook and ladder play they ran to set up the final play was meant to reach the end zone and designed to beat expected man-to-man coverage. They weren't and it came up 2 yards short, forcing the Bears to rush to the line and ground the ball so they could get off one last play.

"I think they were in zone," said running back D'Andre Swift, who took the lateral. "If they were in man the play probably would have had a better ending."

With time running down, there wasn't time to change out of that play and it simply wasn't enough to get them the points.

The Ugly

Bears pass rush

Occasional Austin Booker and Montez Sweat pressure occurred. Not much else was slowing down Brock Purdy as he dissected the Bears' coverage. Booker did log a sack.

Even blitzes had little effect. Pressure from the interior almost never occurred.

"I mean he's a dangerous player, particularly when he can see down the field and have that much time," Johnson said. "And then he extended some of those plays with his legs, too.

"We certainly didn't get after him enough."

The last play

The efficiency of their final drive completely vanished for the final play as Johnson got the play call in far too late to Williams, whose call in the huddle wasn't heard correctly and a mess ensued with alignment and the motion.

Then Williams held the ball too long and his only real shot had been Colston Loveland at the back of the end zone but he didn't see the brief second Loveland came into the clear.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.