The Chicago Bears faced off with the San Francisco 49ers on the road, and although they came up short, they didn’t go down without a fight. This 42-38 loss to the 49ers consisted of exhilarating, inspired
football from both offenses during Sunday Night Football as they went toe to toe in a shootout. The Bears proved that they can hang with any team.
Let’s get into Week 17’s superlative awards.
Rookie Masterclass
The Bears’ top two draft picks TE Colston Loveland and WR Luther Burden III showed out on Sunday night. They both played an instrumental role in getting this offense going. Combined, they recorded 233 yards of offense and two touchdowns.
Both rookies stepped up in critical moments throughout the game, including two receptions at the end of the game: Loveland’s 13-yard completion on 4th and 5 and Burden’s 14-yard completion on 3rd and 10.
Burden is fantastic at getting yards after catch and making defenders miss. He faked out San Francisco cornerback Chase Lucas by changing directions. He had eight receptions with 56 yards after catch.
Burden and Loveland each had a 35+ yard touchdown, including Loveland’s 36-yard touchdown on a free play after the Bears drew the 49ers offside.
Williams’ discussed the play during his postgame presser. “It’s something coach added in last night on that play, a hard count to try and get these guys to jump offsides. The guys did a great job with the acting in that sense of the shift we had, getting set, pointing and then from there, the guy jumped offsides. Drew [Dalman] did a great job, O-line did a great job…In those moments, you know you got the flag. At that point, it’s ‘give the guys a shot.’”
Loveland took advantage of the opportunity, finding space, and it resulted in 7.
These are two young players who bring unique skillsets and execute in critical moments. They’re still learning and will only get better. They are going to be stars in this league for many years to come.
Most Nauseating Performance
Defense could not stop a nosebleed against that strong San Francisco offense, and it was costly. Not only did the 49ers dominate time of possession with holding the ball for roughly 33:33 compared to the Bears’ 26:27 overall time of possession, but they also had 496 total yards of offense against the Bears defense.
The 49ers’ QB Brock Purdy had the longest time to throw all season and the second longest time to throw in his career on Sunday night. The Bears defense is a liability.
Purdy was literally running circles around this defense yesterday. The defense just looked slow and deflated. It was a difficult performance to watch.
Bears’ safety Jaquan Brisker acknowledged the role that the defense played in their loss on Sunday night. “We let the offense down. I’m going to say it. We let the offense down, period. I feel like Caleb and them, they gave us enough points to do what we had to do to win. The defense didn’t.”
Hopefully this unit can step up during playoffs. Either way, the Bears will need to make some serious evaluations and additions in the offseason.
WOW throw
QB Caleb Williams played lights out on Sunday night, throwing for a season-high of 330 yards with two passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. He recorded a 100.3 passer rating and also took zero sacks.
Williams has taken huge strides in the past month, and it’s apparent in his confidence level, comfortability in the pocket, and decisiveness. He’s truly been playing his best ball which is exciting with playoffs on the horizon.
He had multiple great throws on Sunday night, but this one takes the cake:
The ball is thrown with so much zip that it’s no longer in frame as it’s traveling through the air. Williams has insane arm strength. He makes these throws look so effortless. This is one to watch on replay and get amazed by it each time.
The game didn’t go the Bears’ way this time, and it certainly stings. However, they showed why they are a playoff team; they have fight and physicality. The offense responded when the 49ers scored, keeping the game competitive. This is a team that will fight until the very end.
