49ers display top form in dominant 38-13 victory over Bears

The San Francisco 49ers still face long odds to make the postseason this year after three months of injuries and inconsistent play, but for at least one half of football against the Chicago Bears at Levi's Stadium on Sunday, they looked more than any other point this season like the Super Bowl-caliber type of team they were expected to be in 2024.

The 49ers executed a first-half destruction of the Bears on Sunday, jumping out to a 24-0 lead while holding the Bears to four first-half yards before cruising to a one-sided 38-13 win. Quarterback Brock Purdy completed 20-of-25 passes for 325 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions, while tight end George Kittle caught six passes for 151 yards, and wide receiver Jauan Jennings hauled in seven passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie running back Isaac Guerendo, who took over the starting spot after the 49ers placed Christian McCaffrey (knee) and Jordan Mason (ankle) on injured reserve, finished with 15 carries for 78 yards and two touchdowns along with two catches for 50 yards.

Quarterback Caleb Williams finished with 17 completions on 23 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns in the losing effort for the struggling Bears, who were in their first game under interim head coach Thomas Brown after the firing of Matt Eberflus on November 29.

First Half

The 49ers got off to a fast start with a five-play, 70-yard drive on the game's opening possession to take a 7-0 lead on a touchdown pass from Purdy to Jennings. After starting the drive with a short pass to Jennings and a run by Guerendo for no gain, the 49ers hit back-to-back big plays with a 23-yard pass to Guerendo and a 33-yard completion to tight end George Kittle that set up a 1st-and-Goal at the 7-yard line. Purdy found Jennings on the following play for his fifth touchdown of the season and the first points of the game.

A three-and-out from the Bears followed Jennings' touchdown, then the 49ers put together a 7-play, 36-yard drive to midfield before being forced to punt. The Bears held onto the ball for five plays on their next possession, which ended in a punt after a third-down sack from defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, then the 49ers took over at their own 36 and put together their second quick scoring drive of the first quarter -- a four-play, 64-yard drive that ended with a touchdown run from Guerendo. Purdy found Kittle for a 32-yard gain at the start of the drive, then two plays later Guerendo made a catch while falling to the ground to set up possession at the 1-yard line. Guerendo then finished the drive off to give the 49ers a 14-0 lead.

A third-down sack from defensive end Leonard Floyd led to another Bears three-and-out on the next possession, and then the 49ers put together yet another touchdown drive -- this one spanning 71 yards in 12 plays before ending with Jennings' second touchdown catch of the game. A 23-yard catch from Kittle started the drive, then Kittle added an 18-yard catch on a 3rd-and-8 three plays later to put him over 100 yards receiving in the half. After a run from Purdy converted a 4th-and-1 later in the drive, the 49ers gradually moved inside the 20 before Purdy connected with Jennings from 16 yards out on a 3rd-and-4 to take a 21-0 lead.

Yet another third-down sack, this one from defensive tackle Maliek Collins, forced a Bears three-and-out on the next possession, which was followed by more big plays from the 49ers on offense. A 30-yard run from Guerendo and a 32-yard catch from Kittle moved the ball to the Bears' 5-yard line, but then the 49ers were hit with a rare first-half error when a holding penalty on wide receiver Ricky Pearsall negated a touchdown run from Purdy. The 49ers settled for a 23-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody to extend the 49ers' lead to 24-0.

The half ended in an all-too-fitting fashion -- another three-and-out from the Bears punctuated by a third-down sack, once again from Leonard Floyd. The 49ers then took a knee to close out their most dominant half of play of the 2024 season -- one that saw them outgain the Bears 319-to-4 while holding a 14-to-1 advantage in first downs and a yards-per-play edge of 8.6 yards to 0.2. Kittle closed the half with five catches for 138 yards, while Purdy completed 16-of-18 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. The Bears totaled minus-3 passing yards in the half with seven yards on the ground.

Second Half

The Bears finally got rolling on offense to start the third quarter with a 16-play, 70-yard drive that took over nine minutes off the clock before ending on a touchdown pass from Williams to wide receiver Rome Odunze. The drive featured a collection of short gains before Williams and Odunze connected on a 3rd-and-Goal from the 4-yard line to put the Bears on the scoreboard. The Bears went for a two-point conversion after the touchdown but failed, leaving the score at 24-6.

The 49ers were held to a three-and-out after the touchdown, and then the Bears moved downfield again, seemingly with some momentum after their dismal showing in the first half. But that momentum came to a halt when they committed the game's first turnover on a botched passing attempt from Williams that was ruled a sack and a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle Evan Anderson at the 49ers' 38-yard line.

The 49ers turned the fumble into a 5-play, 62-yard drive that ended with the second touchdown of the day from Guerendo. A 39-yard completion to Jennings on the first play of the drive moved the ball to the Bears' 23-yard line, then after two short gains from Guerendo, the 49ers were set up with a 1st-and-Goal from the 4-yard line after a 13-yard catch from Kittle. Guerendo finished the job on the next play to give the 49ers a 31-6 lead.

The Bears answered with a quick six-play, 60-yard drive that cut the lead to 31-13 on the second touchdown catch of the game from Odunze, this one from 14 yards out. The 49ers then iced the game with a 13-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run from running back Patrick Taylor for a 38-13 lead. The touchdown was the second in the four-year career of Taylor, who moved into the No. 2 spot at running back for the 49ers with McCaffrey and Mason out.

The Bears were held to a three-and-out after Taylor's touchdown but got the ball back when a deep pass from 49ers backup quarterback Brandon Allen was intercepted by defensive back Jonathan Owens. The Bears ran out the clock to end the game following the interception.

The 49ers moved to 6-7 on the season with the win and remained two games behind the Seattle Seahawks (8-5) in the NFC West. The Bears now stand at 4-9 on the season with the loss.

Game Notes: The 49ers moved to 36-33-1 all-time against the Bears with the win... Offensive lineman Ben Bartch, who started at left guard in place of Aaron Banks (concussion), was carted off the field in the first quarter with an ankle injury... In the first half, Kittle became the third fastest tight end in NFL history to catch 500 passes and total 7,000 yards, joining Travis Kelce and Antonio Gates... Gross-Matos had three sacks on the day, giving him his most productive outing as a 49er since signing with the team in the offseason. The 49ers totaled seven sacks in the game... Next up for the 49ers is a Thursday night home game against the Los Angeles Rams (7-6) on December 12. Kickoff time will be 5:15 p.m. PT/8:15 p.m. ET (Prime Video).