The San Francisco 49ers are riding a three-game losing streak, and they are poised to break it against the Chicago Bears in Week 14. Here are three reasons why the 49ers will defeat the Bears.
The first step in the 49ers defeating the Bears starts with quarterback Caleb Williams. He can be rattled as he's shown all season long. It's been a sporadic year for Williams despite him playing adequately in recent weeks. He is still a quarterback the 49ers can force into mistakes. It starts with the 49ers' defensive standard and that's by rushing four and dropping seven into coverage.
Williams has been a monster against the blitz since Week 11 when Thomas Brown became the Bears' offensive coordinator. Williams has recorded a 118.2 passer rating and 9.6 yards per attempt against the blitz, including the 2nd-most passing yards (328). Unfortunately for him, the 49ers rarely blitz. Confusing him with zone coverage is their best bet to force him into erratic throws and an interception.
Two of the best offensive players on the Bears are running back D'Andre Swift and wide receiver DJ Moore. Both players missed two practices this week due to a quad injury. They got in one limited session in the final practice of the week and are listed as questionable. These two are likely coming into the matchup with the 49ers limping.
That bodes well for the 49ers. The Bears will be an easier offense to handle if either of them is limited. Keenan Allen isn't much of a threatening player anymore and rookie Rome Odunze has been a roller coaster. If the Bears have to make Swift and Moore an afterthought, then rattling Williams shouldn't be difficult at all.
The Bears' defense is fairly strong against the pass. However, they are subpar against the run. Chicago allows the eight-worst rushing yards per game at 135.1. They also stack the box at the 10th-lowest rate (18.4 percent) and have the fifth-worst run stuff rate (13.9 percent), per Next Gen Stats. The Bears will likely stack the box more despite their low rate and place more pressure on their secondary.
But that won't be enough. The Bears will be playing right into the 49ers' hands. It doesn't matter if they are starting rookie Isaac Guerendo. He's proven to be an explosive player, and he is primed to have a breakout game. If he starts to get slowed down due to stacked boxes, then the 49ers will throw against them to make them pay. This game has the makings of the 49ers being in full control if they can limit the mistakes.
