The San Francisco 49ers fluffed their lines in their season opener with the Chicago Bears. Well, they didn’t so much fluff their lines as they slipped and fell over them in a monsoon at Soldier Field.
San Francisco looked in command for much of the game, controlling time of possession and outgaining the Bears 331 yards to 204, yet the Niners still contrived to let a 10-0 slip and lose 19-10 to a team at the start of a rebuild.
Though the talking heads will undoubtedly focus on Trey Lance’s performance, the new Niners’ starting quarterback was not the reason the 49ers stumbled out of the gates.
Lance did throw a costly interception in the fourth quarter that led to a Khalil Herbert touchdown, but for the most part, the former third overall pick looked composed and largely avoided the inaccuracy that was prominent in the preseason finale against the Houston Texans.
Still, the tape will not be a fun watch for Lance and the 49ers tomorrow, though there were still some positives to take despite a hugely disappointing outcome.
Let’s take a look at the good and the bad from a game the Niners will quickly want to banish from their memories.