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| Cutler made big throws in a comeback win. Photo Credit: USA Today Sports |
The Bears, despite not being at full strength with the injuries to some key players, regrouped and bounced back from a 17-0 deficit to comeback and beat the 49ers 28-20 last night in the home opener for San Francisco.
By: Michael Hanley
It was the first time since the famed 1985 Chicago Bears that the Chicago franchise beat the 49ers in San Francisco, snapping a streak of seven consecutive losses to the team by the bay.
This game was all 49ers in the first half. San Francisco got going early as they built a 10-0 lead. Kaepernick was sharp as he was able to avoid pressure from the Bears pass rush and complete some real nice throws to his playmakers in Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree & Anquan Boldin. The offensive line though challenged, held up well over the first couple of drives against that Bears defensive line. The lead would balloon to 17-0 off another long, sustained drive that was balanced and kept the Bears defense on its heels.
Just before half though, the momentum switched in Chicago's favor as Brandon Marshall made a circus catch for a TD. It was a drive that was aided by a few penalties committed by the 49ers defense but Chicago was able to take advantage of that and drive methodically down the field, stretching out that San Francisco secondary with Cutler firing off his mid range and deep ball passes It was a drive that energized the team and got them back into a game that they looked dead in the water for most of the first half.
The second half might as well have been a whole different game as the momentum swung big time with the Bears. After what looked like an early KO drive by the 49ers , Chicago's defense bowed up and made some great plays by their own goal line to keep San Francisco out of the end zone and forced another field goal. It was 20-7 at that moment, but could have been allot worse for the visitors.
The Bears offense would continue the momentum gained in that last first half drive and continued to go through the Niners defense with ease at times as his star receiver in Brandan Marshall would step up despite not being 100% and deliver with two huge touch down grabs in the forth quarter to build the Bears lead to 28-20. The defense also went to work as they forced two key interceptions, both made by Kyle Fuller, which setup the two touchdown scores.
The 49ers could never restart that golden touch they had on offense from the first half as penalties and two turnovers, four in total, came back to haunt them time and again as they were their own worst enemy on most of their drives. The running game dried up as Chicago's defensive line plugged up allot of would be running lanes for Frank Gore & rookie Carlos Hyde to go through.
It made the Niners offense fall almost entirely on Kaepernick, who could not deliver tonight. He would finish 21/34 for 278 yards, 1 TD pass and 3 INTs. A performance that he will like to forget as soon as possible. Though Michael Crabtee and Stevie Johnson had their moments in this game, the WR corps for the Niners could not make the plays when needed in the forth
quarter with the team in catchup mode.
With six of their first eight games on the road, this win is big one and one that the Bears can build on moving forward. For San Francisco allot of mistakes to clean up as they missed a chance to gain a one game lead on the defending Super Bowl Champion Seahawks, who lost yesterday to San Diego.
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