LISTEN: Are The 49ers Showing Their Hand? →
placeholder image

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports


49ers suffer 11th straight loss as injury-plagued Bears win 26-6

Dec 4, 2016 at 12:58 PM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Tot
SF 0 6 0 0 6
CHI 0 7 14 5 26


San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick had been playing well. Since Week 9, following the 49ers' bye week, Kaepernick has thrown for 1,110 yards with eight touchdowns and only two interceptions. Following just five pass attempts where he completed just one for four yards and with a win out of reach, Kaepernick was replaced early in the fourth quarter by Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert had started the first five games of the season for the 49ers but was benched after the team lost four straight games.

RELATED Blaine Gabbert replaces ineffective Kaepernick against Bears

Last weekend, the San Francisco 49ers set a franchise record when they lost their 10th-straight game. The 49ers have not won a road game since their previous visit to Chicago in December of 2015. The 49ers won that matchup with the Chicago Bears in overtime when Gabbert hit WR Torrey Smith for a 71-yard score. This matchup with the Bears was only the second time this season that the 49ers were favored in a game. The last time was during Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – a game that they would go on to lose 34-17.

The 49ers went up against a number of backup players for the Bears, who have been devastated by injuries this season. That includes the team starting their third-string quarterback, Matt Barkley, due to injuries. That Bears offense came alive just before halftime and went on to convincingly beat the 49ers 26-6. For Chicago, it was the most points that they had scored this season.


The loss is the 49ers' 11th-straight. The good news is that San Francisco did not lose any ground in the 2017 NFL Draft and are still slated to select second overall. With just four more games remaining this season, the odds have increased that the Niner Faithful may have to endure a one-win season.


It was 35 degrees at kickoff in Chicago as heavy snow fell down onto Soldier Field for the San Francisco 49ers' game against the Bears. It was the first time playing in the show for both quarterbacks Colin Kaepernick of the 49ers and Matt Barkley of the Bears.

The conditions made things difficult for both teams early on. Nearly six minutes into the second quarter, RB Shaun Draughn blocked a punt on special teams which was returned to the Chicago 19-yard line by CB Dontae Johnson. The game's first official pass completion came on the resulting drive when Kaepernick hit TE Vance McDonald for a 4-yard completion to set up a Phil Dawson field goal that put the 49ers on the scoreboard first.

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports


Bears WR Deonte Thompson fumbled the ball on the following kickoff return and Draughn made an impact again, helping to force a fumble. CB Jimmie Ward wrestling the football away for the 49ers, giving the offense a starting point at the Chicago 37-yard line. Dawson hit a 28-yard field goal to put the 49ers up 6-0.

SF CHI
First Downs 10 19
Total Yards 147 326
Passing Yards 6 184
Rushing Yards 141 142
Penalties (Yds) 11 (106) 5 (40)
Turnovers 0 1
Punts (AVG) 8 (38) 6 (28)
Time of Pos. 28:42 30:39

The 49ers lead was short-lived. A questionable pass interference call on CB Tramaine Brock in the end zone put the football on the 1-yard line for Chicago. On the following play, the Bears offense scored on a run by RB Jordan Howard to give Chicago a 7-6 lead prior to halftime.

Barkley was 4-of-8 for 64 yards in the first half. All four of his completions came on that final scoring drive after the two-minute warning. Kaepernick's pass completion leading to their first field goal was the quarterback's only completion of the first half.

The Bears' next two scores once again came courtesy of Howard, who scored on a 2-yard touchdown run following an efficient 10-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half and a 5-yard touchdown run following a 4-play, 59-yard drive. A field goal put the 49ers in a 24-6 hole. Late in the game, Gabbert was sacked in the end zone for a safety to add two points for the Bears.

49ers Team Leaders
Passing Cmp Att Yds TDs
B. Gabbert 4 10 35 0
Rushing Car Yds Avg TDs
C. Hyde 20 92 4.6 0
Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs
J. Kerley 1 18 18 0
V. McDonald 2 9 4.5 0

Gabbert finished the game 4-of-10 for 35 yards in less than a quarter of play. RB Carlos Hyde finished the game with 92 yards rushing on 20 carries. Kaepernick and Draughn each added 20 rushing yards. WR Jeremy Kerley had a catch for 18 yards while TE Vance McDonald had two catches for nine yards.

Next, the 49ers will host the New York Jets on December 11 at Levi's Stadium in much warmer Santa Clara, California.

Notes and Quotes


"I thought we needed a spark on offense and get something going," head coach Chip Kelly said following the loss regarding Gabbert replacing Kaepernick.

Kelly said that weather seemed to be the only factor in Kaepernick's ineffectiveness. Prior to the game, the FOX crew reported that neither Kaepernick nor Barkley did anything special to prepare for the weather conditions. They simply prepared for the game.

Kelly said that they have not had any talks regarding the quarterback for next week. "There are no permanent decisions or anything like that," he said.

"The conditions that we practiced in had no effect on how we played today," Gabbert said following the loss. The 49ers practiced this week in hot-weathered Orlando, Florida.

"It's not my place to really argue on the sideline," Kaepernick said when asked if he tried to argue to stay in the game. "I want to make sure I do what I can to help this team win and that was the decision that was made so I'm going to support my teammates."

"Once again, as I've said all along, my focus is on the next game," Kaepernick said regarding a report that he will opt out of his contract following this season. "My focus has been on the Bears this past week."

"That's not my decision," Kaepernick said when asked if he thinks he will be starting next week against the Jets. "My feelings on it really don't matter at this point. I'm just going to do everything I can to make sure I'm prepared."

"Once again, it's not about my feelings," Kaepernick said. "It's about being able to help this team win. "This coaching staff didn't feel like I was out there being able to help this team win so they made a change, whether I agree with that or not."

Related News




Poll

  • Will the 49ers win another game this season?
  • No
    92%
  • Yes
    8%
  • 24 votes



Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

49ers sign WR Trent Taylor, reuniting with former draft pick

By David Bonilla
Apr 16

The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team. The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man


placeholder image

Draft Watch: Western Kentucky WR Malachi Corley visiting 49ers on Wednesday

By David Bonilla
Apr 16

The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday. Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks. Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley


placeholder image

Rapoport: 49ers send clear message to teams inquiring about Brandon Aiyuk

By David Bonilla
Apr 16

Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture. Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft. Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his


placeholder image

7-round mock draft from The Athletic sees 49ers fortifying defense early

By David Bonilla
Apr 17

Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week. "Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote. Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone