The San Francisco 49ers have another big primetime game in Week 17, facing the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football as they look to continue their push for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The 49ers are riding a five-game winning streak heading into Sunday’s game, but face one of the hottest teams in the NFL, as the Bears are also 11-4 after starting the season 0-2. They’ve beaten the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles in the last month, clinched the NFC North, and are 7-2 in close games.
Behind
an elite rushing attack and one of the NFL’s best defenses, the Bears have become a force to be reckoned with and are also playing for a top seed in the NFC on Sunday.
What are the keys for the 49ers to beat Chicago in primetime?
Keep Caleb in structure
Caleb Williams has seen some considerable growth in his second year as a pro, playing better in a scheme suited to his strengths under head coach Ben Johnson.
He’s got the capability to make all the throws. The question is consistency. He’s shown the ability to make plays regularly out of structure, avoiding sacks at a high rate, as Chicago is a top-ten team in sack percentage on offense.
San Francisco isn’t great at getting to the quarterback. So, I’d expect a game plan similar to the ones that Robert Saleh has put out for quarterbacks like Kyler Murray, hoping to contain Williams in the pocket rather than selling out to sack the quarterback.
The 49ers will still get beat on some throws, but if they can find a way to challenge Williams’s consistency, that may help their defense get a few more stops, which will be important.
San Francisco will be at a disadvantage in the run game. So, they’ll need all the advantages they can get in the passing game.
Continue growing in the run game
The Bears have been one of the NFL’s best rushing attacks in the NFL. The 49ers, on the other hand, have been the 31st-best rushing offense in yards per attempt (3.6) and 25th in rushing yards per game (104.3).
But, there has been some growth as of late, as Christian McCaffrey has gone for 190 yards in the last two weeks combined. San Francisco could have some opportunities in the run game on Sunday, as the Bears haven’t been the best at stopping the run.
They rank 29th in the NFL, allowing five yards per carry, and 27th in the NFL with 131 rushing yards allowed per game. The 49ers’ offense has been reaching high levels of efficiency with a strong passing game, but a better rushing attack has also helped those efforts.
That needs to continue on Sunday.
Red zone chances
Both offenses are among the best in the NFL. They should both find the red zone for potential touchdown opportunities, so it makes sense that the category could be a defining one in the win on Sunday.
The 49ers started the year slow in the red zone, but have climbed up to become a top-10 red zone offense, scoring touchdowns on 63.3 percent of drives inside their opponent’s 20-yard line.
Chicago, on the other hand, is middle-of-the-pack at 58.8 percent. Both defenses have had its moments, but have also shown to be susceptible at times, so the red zone opportunities could play a big role in this one.
Both teams have also seen themselves in one-score games. The difference between a touchdown and a field goal could be even more crucial in this one.
