Bears @ 49ers
Final Score: 49ers 38 – Bears 13
Writer: Brendan Boe (@BeeBoeFF on Twitter)
The 2024 first overall pick, Caleb Williams, faced off against Brock Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 draft – and if this “battle” proved anything, it’s that draft order doesn’t equal skill. No Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason, Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, or Nick Bosa – the Niners were really hurting. Didn’t matter, though, they absolutely decimated the Bears. This was Thomas Brown’s first game as the interim head coach after Matt Eberflus was fired, but with this performance, you’d think that Eberflus was still in the building. The Niners needed a get-right game after being spanked by the Bills last week – but geez, having just received that painful treatment, I didn’t expect them to serve that same dish in this one. The Niners took the lead in the first drive and never let it go – so if you haven’t seen this game, just know that they won within the first 3 minutes.
Three Up
- George Kittle – Hauled in nearly half of the team’s receiving yardage, his shortest catch on the day was 13 yards, while the rest were closer to 20 or 30+ yards! A major contributor on intermediate and deep plays with great yards after catch and classic TE toughness.
- Jauan Jennings – He was responsible for both scores through the air and generally had great chemistry with Brock Purdy. This was his second multiple-touchdown game of the season, and it’s safe to say he’s solidified as the top passing option in the red zone.
- Isaac Guerendo – If there’s one thing I learned from his first NFL start, this rookie can ball! He was super fast and tough, plus he hauled in a couple of deep passes and scored on the ground twice. He certainly deserves to be in the NFL, and he came out and proved it.
- Brock Purdy – 145.4 passer rating, 300+ yards, and 2 scores – plus he would’ve had a rushing touchdown had a teammate not caused a penalty. Showing great awareness, focus on routes, and chemistry with the receivers, the Niners were in control for the entire game.
Two Down
- The Bears – Rookie WR Rome Odunze is exempt from the list, but everyone else pooped their pants. I guess an argument can be made for Caleb Williams? I’m not making a case for the others; it was a dunce performance by this offense.
- Deebo Samuel – I thought he was supposed to be the #1 receiver! He was ALSO supposed to be a prolific runner, which the team sure could use with their top 2 options being out. He hasn’t exceeded 22 receiving yards in the last 4 weeks – yuck.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Caleb Williams: 17/23, 134 Yards, 2 TD | 4 Carries, 27 Yards, Fumble Lost
This was not his day. Despite performing well over the past couple of weeks, the Niners had his number as they forced extreme pressure and sacked him 7 times, holding him to an underwhelming performance. He seemed to be avoiding turnovers at all costs, but his downfall was playing it too safe – yes, there was great coverage, but Williams was not forcing the issue. He started to pull it together in the second half as they marched downfield, going between D’Andre Swift in the backfield, complemented with short passes for chunk yardage. The drive was capped off with a beautiful touchdown to Rome Odunze in the back right corner of the end zone with a perfectly placed ball for a leaping catch, toe-tapping to stay in bounds. They connected for a second score on a wide-open 14-yard pass as they tried their best to make up for an abysmal first half, but it was too little too late. His fumble was egregious as he attempted a pump fake, and the ball slipped out of his hand, going backward, which meant it couldn’t be ruled as an incomplete – a sloppy move by the rookie. He didn’t look awful as a player, but he certainly looked like a rookie who was struggling.
Tyson Bagent: 1/1, 6 Yards
Running Back
D’Andre Swift: 14 Carries, 38 Yards | 1 Catch, 2 Yards
Geez, 2.7 yards per carry… Not what you like to see. To focus on the positive, the first drive of the second half was a solid performance by the team, and D’Andre Swift was an essential component in marching down the field as they went between rushing and passing plays to cap off the drive with a touchdown pass. His highlight came on an 8-yard rush where he slammed straight into a defender so hard that the guy had the wind knocked out of him and had to come off the field for a couple of plays. But yeah, when I’m discussing an 8-yard rush as a player highlight, you know he didn’t get much done. The Niners have a stout defensive line, and the Bears aren’t particularly prevalent at running, so expectations were low to begin with – but a dud is a dud. Swift has rushed for less than 40 yards 3 weeks in a row.
Travis Homer: 3 Catches, 11 Yards
D’oh! Not a single carry on the day. Sure, their running game was already pretty rocky, but at least the previous backup, Roschon Johnson (OUT), was utilized as a rusher.
Darrynton Evans: 3 Carries, 3 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Rome Odunze: 4 Catches, 42 Yards, 2 TD
He’d been on a touchdown drought since Week 3, yet here we are 11 weeks later, and he hauls in 2 on the day! Despite the slow start for the Bears, Rome Odunze was on point with his route running and showed excellent awareness. His first touchdown was in the back right corner where Caleb Williams threw him a perfect pass – he made a fantastic leap up above a defender, got the ball in his hands, and then you could see him looking down to ensure he would tap both of his feet in bounds. His second touchdown was a play down the middle where he faked like he was going toward Fred Warner, then cut back and got wide open for an easy 14-yard score down the middle. This rookie certainly has great talent, and we will see plenty more of him in the future, but as long as DJ Moore and Keenan Allen are on the field, expect the ball to be spread around a lot and going to different receivers (see Keenan Allen with 2 touchdowns last week).
DJ Moore: 6 Catches, 49 Yards
Although he commanded the most targets (8) and was the team’s receiving yardage leader, it didn’t amount to much. DJ Moore was utilized in short passing situations time and time again for chunk yardage, with one of his drives using him toward the left edge on what looked like the same play 3 times – and it was shocking that it didn’t work the 3rd time despite Caleb Williams throwing him a perfect pass. Yes, it was bad that he couldn’t hang onto that one, as it would’ve converted a 3rd down, but Moore’s numbers were due to the Bear’s whole offense struggling to get anything going. He had some nice cuts and found openings at times, but it wasn’t enough to put up anything more than a pedestrian stat line.
Keenan Allen: 3 Catches, 30 Yards
With 3 touchdowns over the past 2 weeks, Keenan Allen was on a late-season rampage. Was. He didn’t get much opportunity in this one as the Bears passing attack struggled to get anything going – though Allen was the lowest performer of the top 3 receivers. To his credit, he was only given short passes, and he still managed to find a hole in the zone to get wide open for an easy 14-yard gain. He also had a nice catch where he beat his defender and turned back to make the catch while being pursued, which was the kind of catch you’d expect from a talented veteran.
Cole Kmet: 0 Catches, 0 Yards
Honk Honk – Kmet laid a goose egg. To be fair, it’s hard to produce without being targeted. This is the second time this has happened to him this season, so it’s worth noting that this is his floor.
Collin Johnson: 1 Catch, 6 Yards
San Francisco 49ers
Quarterback
Brock Purdy: 20/25, 325 Yards, 2 TD, 1 INT | 5 Carries, 11 Yards
Looking to bounce back from an absolute stinker last week, Brock Purdy MASSIVELY improved his performance at home. Even by halftime, he was 16/18 and 258 yards and 2 touchdowns, boasting a nearly perfect passer rating on the day against what was supposed to be a good secondary. He would’ve tacked on a rushing touchdown on a brilliantly executed fake handoff (even the cameras panned to the wrong player) – alas, the score was nullified by an offensive penalty. His deep route connection was on display with George Kittle as he had multiple passes of 30+ yards, and the routes run by Jauan Jennings were on point as he brought in both passing touchdowns from some brilliantly thrown balls. Purdy showed great awareness, smartly knowing where to go with the football, and stayed in tune with his offense as he remained in synch on most of their routes. He even got Isaac Guerendo involved a couple of times for some intermediate passing plays of 23 & 27 yards, respectively. This was the epitome of a get-right game by the Niners, and Brock led the charge masterfully.
Brandon Allen: 0/1, 0 Yards, 1 INT
Running Back
Isaac Guerendo: 15 Carries, 78 Yards, 2 TD | 2 Catches, 50 Yards
A former wide receiver at Indiana who ran a 4.33 at the combine, this dude is fast, tough, and knows how to catch. All he needed was an opportunity to shine, and as unfortunate as it is that Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason were out with injuries, Isaac Guerendo came in and made a statement. He was bottled up for no gain on his first carry but made up for it with a catch and run on a quick release, where he gained 23 yards. He caught a deep pass on the same drive to set up 1st and 1 at the goal, where he powered through a wall of defenders and got the touchdown on the very next play. He got to display his quickness on another play where he ran right past a defender and turned on the jets for a big 30-yard gain on what could’ve otherwise been a minimal gain. His vision was excellent as well as he found seams opened up by the O-line, one of which was an effortless 4-yard touchdown where he was untouched by the other team. It was exciting to watch him fit into this elite rushing attack, and he could very well be a waiver-wire hero for your fantasy championship.
Patrick Taylor: 7 Carries, 25 Yards, TD | 1 Catch, 3 Yards
Filling in for an injured Isaac Guerendo, he did most of his damage in the 4th quarter as he made decent runs to keep draining time off the clock. He got his first touchdown since 2021 as he successfully filled the ever-productive Niner’s running back role, but he didn’t see much work until it was necessary.
Kyle Juszczyk: 1 Catch, 3 Yards
Ke’Shawn Vaughn: 2 Carries, 4 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Jauan Jennings: 7 Catches, 90 Yards, 2 TD
The target and catch leader on this offense, Jauan Jennings, was involved early and often. He made the first catch of the day and capped off the drive with a touchdown: on a short slant route through the middle, he found open space between defenders and caught a ball that Brock Purdy placed right on him. He later saved a near interception from a blocked pass that then bounced off another defender, only for Jennings to make the catch as it bobbled down. His highlight of the day was a catch made between two defenders where he got wide open, made the catch, and ran forward with a leaping dive into the end zone for a beautiful 16-yard touchdown. He was taking advantage of mismatches with the defense and getting ahead of the defenders in man-to-man coverage, with one case being a linebacker covering him downfield that yielded a 39-yard bomb to set the team up just outside of the red zone. Where George Kittle was the yardage leader, Jennings was the touchdowns guy – a nasty dual threat.
George Kittle: 6 Catches, 151 Yards
We know that George Kittle is one of the best tight ends in football; he has nothing to prove, yet he did it anyway! The chemistry with Brock Purdy was very clear as he found Kittle on several intermediate and deep routes with multiple plays of 30+ yards. Heck, outside of two catches for 13 and 18 yards, the rest were for 20+ gains! His yards after the catch were ridiculous as he was getting wide open and finding holes in the zone to make huge plays and accounted for nearly half of the team’s receiving yardage. With this game, he now has over 7000 career receiving yards, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down – an absolute stud and a vital asset to this offense.
Deebo Samuel: 2 Catches, 22 Yards | 5 Carries, 13 Yards
Woof. This is not where we expected to be at this point in the season. He had more carries than targets, which are less valuable touches – but even then, he only averaged 2.6 yards per carry on a team that otherwise has outstanding rushing numbers. To note the positives, he had a great intermediate route where he crossed to the middle, tracked back to adjust, and made a big catch for 20 yards – he also had a handoff down the middle with multiple jukes for 8 yards… But that’s about it. Expectations were much higher for a proven talent, but he’s just not getting it done right now. He is going to be hard to trust until he can get more than 22 receiving yards, a feat he hasn’t achieved since Week 10.
Ricky Pearsall: 1 Catch, 5 Yards
Eric Saubert: 1 Catch, 4 Yards