Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
ESPN ranks 49ers-Bears as the worst game of Week 13
Nov 30, 2016 at 2:07 PM
•
Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
While the matchup might have a
pretty big impact near the top of the 2017 NFL Draft order,
ESPN doesn't seem to be too impressed with it. Sunday's game between the San Francisco 49ers (1-10) and the Chicago Bears (2-9) has been
ranked as the worst Week 13 matchup by
ESPN.
ESPN used their
Matchup Quality metric, which uses
ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) to rank games based on how good the two teams are and how close the game is expected to be, to determine the interest on a scale from 0 to 100. Sunday night's game between the Carolina Panthers and the Seattle Seahawks came in at 66.0, which was enough to make it the best game of Week 13. The 49ers' matchup with the Bears came in at 18.0.
"The Chicago Bears are favored by 2.5 points (actually favored by 1 point as of today), according to FPI, their second-largest advantage in a game this season," Bobby Greenhalgh wrote within the breakdown. "The San Francisco 49ersare looking to end their franchise-record 10-game losing streak."
According to their FPI, the Bears have a 58 percent chance of beating the 49ers, which is tied for the second lowest percentage among Week 13 contests.
Matt Barkley will be making his second career start, which many believe makes this the most winnable game the 49ers have had in a long time. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been putting up good numbers in Chip Kelly's system since the bye week and the offense has started to be more productive. However, that production has not translated to victories. The 49ers have not lost 10 straight games – a franchise record – since their Week 1 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Two of the 49ers' last three games have been determined by just a single score. The team remained in Florida following Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins and will travel to Chicago on Sunday.
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
Six worst first-round draft picks in 49ers' history
It is less than two weeks away from the 2024 NFL Draft, and the San Francisco 49ers finally have a first-round draft pick, after not having one the last two years. Who will they select? Will it be a defensive player? An offensive player? They could use help on the offensive line and in the secondary and defensive line. And they may also have multiple holes to fill a year from now.
Either way, the 49ers need to hit on these draft picks, especially in the early rounds, where they haven't always been at their best. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have some first-round misses, like DT Solomon Thomas and LB Rueben Foster. But are those the worst first-round picks in team history? Neither made this list, though some will argue that Thomas should be on it, mainly because he was taken
Why ESPN analyst hopes 49ers address O-line in the draft
ESPN analyst Matt Miller watches the San Francisco 49ers differently than other teams. As a 49ers fan, he feels more invested in the team's successes and failures than most analysts.
With the draft nearing, Miller made it clear which direction he believes head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch should take with their first pick. In his ESPN mock draft, a seven-round doozy, the analyst had the 49ers selecting former Arizona offensive lineman Jordan Morgan.
Miller recently joined the 49ers Webzone "No Huddle" podcast, sharing why he adamantly hopes the team addresses the offensive line at the end of the month.
"So I
No Huddle Podcast: 49ers Draft Plans With ESPN's Matt Miller
(Episode 329) — Al Sacco is joined by ESPN NFL draft analyst and insider Matt Miller to discuss the best prospect fits for the 49ers, his connection to the 49ers, how the 49ers improve their receiver corp, the state of QB play in the NFL, and more.
The audio for the show is embedded above. Remember to subscribe!
You can watch the interview below.
You can listen to the latest "No Huddle Podcast"
ESPN analyst on Brandon Aiyuk: 49ers shouldn't pay two receivers top dollar
ESPN analyst Matt Miller understands the perspective of San Francisco 49ers fans. After all, he has been a fan of the team since he was a kid. Seeing any of your favorite players leave and put on another uniform is tough.
It's also difficult to pay everyone, and Miller knows that. It's not a formula for successful roster building, including paying two wide receivers top dollar.
The 49ers are trying to negotiate a contract extension with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The team invested heavily in another receiver, Deebo Samuel, just two years ago. Is allowing each of them to consume a significant chunk of the salary cap feasible for a team that hopes to continue being competitive and win Super Bowls?
"I have to separate the fan part of my brain, who
