49ers snap 3-game losing streak as Bears fail to recover from disastrous first half

A week after the Buffalo Bills blew them out, the San Francisco 49ers had their own chance to make a run.

Hosting the Chicago Bears in Chicago’s first game since firing head coach Matt Eberflus, the 49ers took advantage of a hapless opponent to win 38-13 in a game that quickly turned one-sided.

The rebound may not be enough to save San Francisco’s slim playoff chances. But the performance should encourage the 49ers as they enter an offseason where they can negotiate with quarterback Brock Purdy, and it should remind the 49ers that they are capable of much more than their recent skid suggests.

The Bears, meanwhile, fell to 4-8 with their seventh straight loss and first under interim head coach Thomas Brown. The offense is back from its recent boom and the defense is completely lost without a defensive play-caller. Their schedule gets tougher from here.

The 49ers opened by marching down the field with an explosive attack. Running back Isaac Guerendo took a dump-off for 23 yards on one play, and Purdy found tight end George Kittle for 33 on the next play. Just five plays into the game, fullback Jauan Jennings cut to the left to score the game’s first touchdown.

The Bears responded with a three-and-out.

The 49ers’ second touchdown drive proved to be as seamless as the first. Despite the absence of 49ers playmakers such as Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Ayuk and Jordan Mason, Guerredo and Kittle once again torched Chicago’s defense.

Were the Bears reeling from their organizational shakeup, or perhaps clearly lacking defensive direction in the wake of the departure of their head coach and defensive play-caller?

Jennings took his defender out of rhythm for a 16-yard touchdown catch and run with 12:20 to play in the second quarter.

By halftime, the game was more one-sided than its 24-0 scoring margin.

Chicago’s four yards were the Bears’ shortest first-half output, by broadcast, since 1991; The 315-yard differential at halftime is the largest of any NFL game this season.

According to TruMedia Sports, the Bears had the third-lowest first-half yardage average since 2012 at 0.2 yards per play.

The Bears’ second-half improvement is too little, too late

After holding Williams, a pass-heavy product, to four sacks in the first half, the Bears switched to a more balanced attack in the second half.

Regrouping the run helped the Bears set up a more favorable third-down attempt, extending Chicago’s drive for more than nine minutes in the third quarter.

And when Chicago reached the end zone, Williams bounced back from third-and-goal to hit fellow rookie Rome Odunje on an out route for a four-yard touchdown. Odunje caught an airborne pass in the back right corner of the end zone, careful to get both feet in before going out of bounds.

The two-point conversion attempt slipped through Cole Kemet’s arm, but Chicago’s defense forced a punt to keep the momentum going … until Williams let a backward pass slip from his hands, prompting 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan to challenge the initial incomplete pass ruling that would be overturned. . San Francisco defensive tackle Evan Anderson recovered the fumble.

The 49ers converted their turnover-granted possession into another touchdown. And then: Williams found Odunje again for the second score. But it was too little, too late.

The 49ers would pull their starter before the clock ran out.

Bears safety Jonathan Owens, who is married to Simone Biles, intercepted 49ers backup Brandon Allen with 1:59 to play.

Purdy completed 20-of-25 pass attempts for 325 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Kittle led all weapons with 151 yards on just six targets. He caught all of his targets for more than 10 yards, including three for 30-plus.

Guerredo, in the lead back role after injuries to McCaffrey and Mason, added 128 yards from scrimmage.

Williams completed 17 of 23 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. He had seven sacks, bringing his year-long total to a league-high 56.