Windy City Gridiron
Every NFL season is wild for so many reasons.
There is always something surprising, teams or players that come out of nowhere to have a great season, no one saw coming. And teams many expect to be fantastic but end up disappointing.
The other great thing about the NFL season is its condensed nature, which elevates each game, but the season lasts long enough that portions of it seem so far from others.
For example, it wasn’t that long ago that analysts and fans were wondering who the really good teams were in the league. And now, it seems like week 18 might end up with minimal implications for teams as seeding might all get settled.
The NFC is somewhat loaded, with the NFC West featuring two of the league’s best, Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams, while the NFC North proved to be as difficult as it appeared to be in the preseason. The north might send two teams the playoffs, while the west will have three.
The Chicago Bears face the San Francisco 49ers Sunday. And if Bears fans had been told when the schedule came out that this week 17 matchup would be between two teams with 11 wins, I’m not sure anyone would have believed you.
The most optimistic of fans generally saw 10 or 11 wins over the full 17-game slate. And I don’t know that too many would’ve thought all 11 would be done through 15 games.
Let’s see what this San Francisco team is all about.
San Francisco 49ers
SB Nation site: Niners Nation
Record: 11-4, second in NFC West
Last week: 48-27 win over the Colts
Game day, time, TV: Sunday, 7:20 p.m. CT, NBC
Spread: The 49ers are 3-point favorites
Bears all-time record against: 33-36-1 including postseason
Historical meetings: Week 16, 2018. The 10-4 Bears went to San Francisco Santa Clara to face the 4-10 49ers.
Starting Nick Mullens, the 49ers scored nine points in the second quarter on three Robbie Gould field goals.
One came after Mitch Trubisky fumbled a snap. In between the second and third San Fran field goals, Trubisky hit Anthony Miller for a 4-yard touchdown.
In the third quarter, Jordan Howard scored on a two-yard touchdown.
That was all that was needed; the Bears won 14-9.
Last meeting: Week 14 last year. The Bears got absolutely trounced by the 49ers.
Caleb Williams was sacked seven times.
San Francisco took a commanding 24-0 halftime lead. Brock Purdy hit Jauan Jennings twice for touchdowns, Isaac Guerendo scored a touchdown and Jake Moody added a field goal.
In the second half, Caleb Williams hit Rome Odunze twice for touchdowns but the 49ers scored twice more with Guerendo scoring again and Patrick Taylor scoring late.
The 49ers won 38-13.
Injury report: The 49ers had eight players on their Wednesday injury report.
Limited
Did not participate
