49ers 38-13 Bears (December 8, 2024) Game Recap

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — After weeks of shaky play, the San Francisco 49ers returned to form with one of the most dominant first halves in years.

Brock Purdy threw for 325 yards and two touchdowns and the 49ers bounced back from two crushing losses to beat Chicago 38-13 on Sunday and spoil the Bears’ debut of interim coach Thomas Brown.

“Honestly, we just became ourselves again,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “The product we launched in the last few weeks just wasn’t our cup of tea. We knew that. We had a great opportunity this week to come out at home and correct those mistakes and get back to playing our style and what we do best.”

The 49ers (6-7) had been outscored by 53 points in losses at Green Bay and Buffalo over the past two weeks, leaving their playoff hopes in jeopardy as several stars such as Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa and Trent Williams were sidelined by injuries.

That prompted coach Kyle Shanahan to have Purdy and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir speak to the team at a meeting Saturday night, which resonated with the team.

“The message was that we need to play with more urgency and desperation,” tight end George Kittle said. “Because you just didn’t really feel it.”

But San Francisco delivered a performance more reminiscent of a year ago when the Niners advanced to the Super Bowl, handing the Bears (4-9) their seventh straight loss after en route to one had overtaken a 24-0 halftime lead by 315 yards.

Purdy delivered his third 300-yard passing game of the season with two touchdowns to Jauan Jennings, backup defensive back Isaac Guerendo gained 128 yards from scrimmage and scored on two touchdown runs and Kittle had six catches for 151 yards. That contributed to the 49ers having their highest-scoring game of the season.

“I think we all just executed, did our jobs and kept it simple,” Purdy said. “I think the boys didn’t think too much. Whatever it was called, we trusted Kyle and executed it.”

The defense did the rest with heavy pressure from the back four, which resulted in freshman Caleb Williams being sacked seven times.

The Bears were hoping for an emotional boost from the first firing of a head coach in franchise history, having fired Matt Eberflus following late-season mismanagement at Thanksgiving in Detroit.

Instead, they lost in one of the most one-sided first halves in recent memory. Chicago was outscored 319-4 in the first half, its ninth-largest margin of error since 1991, managed just one first down and trailed by 24 points at halftime.

The Bears allowed Purdy and the San Francisco offense to move down the field without much resistance, with the Niners scoring three touchdowns and a field goal on their first five possessions.

Chicago couldn’t move the ball at all on offense, generating minus-3 yards passing thanks to four sacks and losing 37 yards on five failed third-down attempts.

“We got a kick in the butt today,” Williams said. “There is no way around it. We were given it as a gift. Offensive and defensive special teams, we have to come out and get better.”

Williams managed to throw two touchdown passes to Rome Odunze in the second half, but it was too late to get the Bears back into the game. Williams finished the game 17 for 34 for 134 yards and lost a fumble, but had his seventh straight start without an interception.

Williams’ 56 sacks this season are the most of any Chicago quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

Injuries

Bears: Returning reliever DeAndre Carter (hamstring) left the game in the first quarter and did not return. … RB Travis Homer (head) left the game in the second half.

49ers: Guerendo left the game in the fourth quarter with a foot injury. Shanahan said the team will learn more about the severity on Monday. … LG Ben Bartch (high ankle sprain) left the game in the first half and did not return. Bartch started in place of the injured Aaron Banks and the Niners were forced to use third man Spencer Burford for the remainder of the game.

Next

Bears: Visit Minnesota on Monday night.

49ers: Host the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

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