Tag: Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers

Bears PFF grades: Best and worst performers in Week 8 loss vs. 49ers

Here’s a look at how PFF graded the Bears offense and defense in their loss to the 49ers.

The Chicago Bears lost their third straight game with a 33-22 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, where it was Chicago’s offense that showed signs of encouragement and the defense looked awful.

Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in the Bears’ win, and we broke them down by offense and defense, analyzing the three highest- and lowest-graded players on each side.

There were a few surprises in terms of the highest- and lowest-graded players, both on offense and defense.

Bears report card: How we graded Chicago in their Week 8 loss

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during Sunday’s game and how we graded the Bears in their loss to the 49ers.

The Chicago Bears lost their third straight game with a 33-22 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers, where the offense was encouraging and the defense downright disastrous in the second half. After a 3-2 start, the Bears have dropped to 3-5.

There was a silver lining in rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ performance, where he finally had a mini-breakout game of sorts where he showcased his special skillset. And it’s no coincidence that Matt Nagy wasn’t on the sideline when it happened.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what we saw during the game and how we graded the Bears in this loss.

Watch Justin Fields’ best plays from Bears’ loss vs. 49ers

Bears QB Justin Fields showcased his special skillset against the 49ers. Watch his best plays right here.

The Chicago Bears lost their third straight game in a 33-22 defeat by the San Francisco 49ers, but the silver lining was the play of rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who just had his mini-breakout game.

Fields was confident and decisive both as a passer and runner, where he showcased exactly why the Bears traded up to draft Fields with his special skillset.

Fields completed 70 percent of his passes for 175 yards with a touchdown and a late-game interception that went off the hands of receiver Darnell Mooney. He also had 10 carries for 103 yards on the ground, which included an improbable 22-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Fields became the first Bears quarterback to rush for 100 yards since Bobby Douglass in 1973.

“I’m going to start it off with ‘I’m not a quarterback analyst,’” said defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, “but I will say this: He’s elite. Like it’s fun to watch, right? I remember a play where he made like a little spin move and then he took off for another 10 yards. Although it wasn’t a crazy gain, it just says, or it tells the defense, ‘Man, you’ve got to really work on tackling this guy.’ Maybe he slows them down a little bit, so it gives you other options. I think that he made some elite throws. I saw him come across his body and hit somebody in the left corner. I enjoy watching him play. And I look forward to his growth.”

In case you want to rewatch Fields’ best plays from the Bears’ loss against the 49ers, NFL.com has got you covered.

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Here’s how bad the Bears defense was in second half vs. 49ers

Things were about as bad as you can imagine in the second half for the Bears defense.

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The Chicago Bears lost another heartbreaker to the San Francisco 49ers, which marked Chicago’s third straight loss by 10-plus points.

In a twist of fate, it wasn’t the offense that faltered. It was the Bears defense that struggled mightily against a 49ers offense that, while it had weapons, had failed to impress during their four-game losing streak.

Things were about as brutal as you can imagine as the Bears gave up 467 total yards, the most since 2015, and they allowed the 49ers to run all over them, surrendering 145 rushing yards, including 137 by Elijah Mitchell and two rushing touchdowns by Jimmy Garoppolo.

For the third straight game, Chicago has given up 145-plus yards on the ground — 154 yards vs. Packers, 182 yards vs. Bucs and 145 yards vs. 49ers. Not the sign of a great defense, and it’s been brutal.

Oh, but it gets worse.

Garoppolo, who had struggled mightily the week before against the Colts, has an impressive outing completing 61 percent of his passes for 322 yards and ran for two touchdowns. But the most important stat were the zero sacks and zero quarterback hits Chicago generated, and it cost them.

While the Bears managed to hold the 49ers to 9 points in the first half, every time the 49ers touched the ball — with the exception of their kneel down — in the second half, they scored.

  • 7 plays, 75 yards, TD
  • 6 plays, 52 yards, TD
  • 5 plays, 75 yards, TD
  • 7 plays, 49 yards, FG

But the play that changed the game came early in the third quarter when the Bears, leading 13-9, had the 49ers pinned deep in their own territory on third-and-19. Instead of getting a stop, a check down to Deebo Samuel turned into an 83-yard gain to set up a 1-yard Garoppolo touchdown run. And things just weren’t the same after that.

While Chicago was dealing with the loss of outside linebacker Khalil Mack, he wasn’t the reason for their struggles. It was everywhere — the pass rush, the run defense, the secondary. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai needs to fix things. And fast.

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Akiem Hicks has high praise for Justin Fields: ‘He’s elite’

Akiem Hicks has faced a lot of quarterbacks in his career, and he tell early on that Justin Fields is an elite talent.

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The Chicago Bears were once again embarrassed in a 33-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, where the offense showed improvement but the defense picked up right where they left off after being embarrassed one week ago.

The good news? Rookie quarterback Justin Fields took a big step forward in his development.

Fields showcased exactly why the Bears traded up to the 11th overall pick in the NFL draft, and he was impressive both with his arm and legs. He was poised and decisive with his throws and runs, and you could really see Fields coming into his own in his sixth NFL start.

He completed 70 percent of his passes for 175 yards with a touchdown and a late-game interception that went off the hands of Darnell Mooney. Fields added 103 yards on the ground and a score, becoming the first Bears quarterback since Bobby Douglass to rush for 100-plus yards.

Fields’ skills did not go unnoticed, and he even garnered high praise from teammate defensive tackle Akiem Hicks.

“I’m going to start it off with ‘I’m not a quarterback analyst,’” Hicks said, “but I will say this: He’s elite. Like it’s fun to watch, right? I remember a play where he made like a little spin move and then he took off for another 10 yards. Although it wasn’t a crazy gain, it just says, or it tells the defense, ‘Man, you’ve got to really work on tackling this guy.’ Maybe he slows them down a little bit, so it gives you other options. I think that he made some elite throws. I saw him come across his body and hit somebody in the left corner. I enjoy watching him play. And I look forward to his growth.”

Among Fields’ highlights was a special touchdown throw to tight end Jesse James, as well as an improbable 22-yard touchdown run that was something truly special to watch.

Fields still has a long way to go in his development, but “fun” is the perfect way to describe his performance against the 49ers. It’s what fans saw in training camp and preseason, where Fields is just going out there and playing backyard football and letting his special skillset shine.

Losing games certainly isn’t fun, but it’s nice to see that the Bears might just have something really special in Fields. And his journey is just beginning.

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Bear Necessities: The Morning After…the Bears’ Week 8 loss vs. 49ers

We’re recapping the Bears’ loss against the 49ers, which featured the emergence of rookie Justin Fields.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

It was a tale of two halves for the Chicago Bears, who suffered a 33-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, their third straight loss since dropping them to 3-5 on the season.

In a shocking turn of events, it was the offense that showed signs of progress while the defense turned in another brutal outing. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields was the star for Chicago, as he showcased his skillset as a passer and runner, which included completing 70 percent of his passes and rushing for 100 yards.

There was plenty to digest from Sunday’s game. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their immediate reactions to Chicago’s brutal loss to San Francisco:

Bears’ Justin Fields on his improbable touchdown run: ‘It’s just all instincts’

Bears rookie Justin Fields describes how his improbable 22-yard touchdown run came to fruition.

The Chicago Bears lost their third straight game in a 33-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. But there was a silver lining in rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ impressive performance.

Fields looked the part of a franchise quarterback against the 49ers, where he made plays with his arm and legs, which included a beautiful touchdown pass to Jesse James and Fields’ first 100-yard rushing game.

But perhaps his most impressive feat — and the one that showcased why the Bears traded up for him in the NFL draft — was an improbable 22-yard touchdown run on fourth down.

Trailing seven points early in the fourth quarter, Fields marched his team down to the San Francisco 22-yard line. When faced with a fourth-and-1, Fields turned what should’ve been a turnover on downs into a magical 22-yard touchdown run.

“It’s just all instincts right there,” Fields said. “Just try and make the play on fourth-and-1 and just get the first down.”

Fields, being the leader that he is, shared the credit with his teammates for helping the play come to fruition.

“It shows that you know they want to win,” Fields said. “It’s just effort at that point. I mean, because that wasn’t planned that wasn’t part of the play, but that just shows you what kind of guys those are and that they’re not going to stop until the whistle blows.”

While it’s difficult to see the bright side in a loss, it certainly helps when your rookie quarterback is coming of age right before your eyes.

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Roquan Smith calls Bears defense’s performance ’embarrassing’ in loss to 49ers

Embarrassing is a word that’s been used far too often when talking about the Bears over the last few weeks.

The Chicago Bears defense has been the most consistent unit since Matt Nagy’s arrival in 2018. But there’s no denying that they’ve been terrible over the last couple of weeks.

After surrendering 38 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a blowout loss, they followed that performance up with arguably their worst of the season in a 33-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Bears gave up 33 points to the 49ers, and this time the blame didn’t fall on the offense for the short fields. While Chicago kept them in check in the first half, holding them to 9 points, they had a breakdown in the second half that cost the team a win.

San Francisco scored on all four second-half possessions — including three touchdowns and a field goal — before Jimmy Garoppolo took a knee to end the game. They gave up 145 rushing yards — the third straight game where they’ve allowed 100-plus yards on the ground — and allowed receiver Deebo Samuel to rack up 171 yards on six receptions.

But the most backbreaking play happened early in the third quarter before things spiraled out of control. The Bears were up 16-9 and they had the 49ers pinned deep inside their own territory on third-and-19. Samuel took a check down 83 yards to set up a 1-yard scramble by Garoppolo, which completely changed the momentum of the game.

“It’s embarrassing and it’s not the standard and we all have to get better,” said linebacker Roquan Smith after the game. “Definitely on us.”

Embarrassing is a word that’s been used far too often over the last few weeks, especially in relation to the defense, which is usually a strong unit in spite of the offense’s struggles.

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Bears fans encouraged by Justin Fields’ performance despite loss to 49ers

While Bears fans are frustrated with this team, they’re encouraged by Justin Fields’ performance in Chicago’s Week 8 loss.

The Chicago Bears suffered another disappointing loss to the San Francisco 49ers, which dropped them to 3-5 on the season. While the offense showed signs of progress, the defense was abysmal and allowed more than 30 points for the second straight week.

While Bears fans are frustrated and fed up with this franchise accepting mediocrity, they’re encouraged by what they’ve seen from rookie Justin Fields, who looked every part of a franchise quarterback against the 49ers.

Fields showed poise, patience and star quality on Sunday, where he flashed all of the intangibles that made him a coveted prospect in the 2021 NFL draft. Fields impressed both with his arm and with his legs, completing 70 percent of his passes for 175 yards with a touchdown and interception and added 10 carries for 103 yards and a score on the ground.

While Chicago certainly isn’t a contender, it’s encouraging that Fields had the best game of his young career. And it’s that hope that Bears fans are focusing on following another brutal loss.

Studs and duds from Bears’ disappointing loss to 49ers

We saw some great players on offense, but quite a few liabilities on defense. Here are the studs and duds from the Bears’ loss vs. 49ers.

For much of the day, the Chicago Bears looked like they would cruise to an efficient win over the San Francisco 49ers at home. Leading 13-9 at halftime, the offense was humming and the defense was able to Niners out of the endzone.

That all changed in the second half.

San Francisco’s defense came alive to shift momentum and the offense finally found paydirt to convert field goals to touchdowns, beating the Bears 33-22 to drop them to 3-5 on the year.

We saw some great players on offense, but quite a few liabilities on defense. Here are the studs and duds from this week’s loss.