We also saw the 49ers defense generate a pass rush without Nick Bosa
It might have come against a lesser team and taken 13 games, but the 2024 San Francisco 49ers finally played a solid game for the entire 60 minutes.
And because of it, the 49ers had their best performance of the season in a 38-13 rout of the Chicago Bears. The 38 points were the most scored by the 49ers this season, while the 13 points were the fewest the defense has allowed since allowing 13 to New England back in September.
Everything seemed to go well for San Francisco on Sunday, but what did we learn from the 49ers in their 14th game of the season?
Kittle and Jennings need to remain the focal points of the offense
The passing game was one area that needed improvement during the 49ers’ recent three-game losing skid. San Francisco’s offense averaged just 143 passing yards per game in the three games, with some outside factors, like Brock Purdy’s injury and weather, possibly playing a role.
Well, the 49ers returned to the friendly confines of Levi’s Stadium, and with Purdy back in full health, the passing game appeared to be fixed. A large part of that success was the efforts of George Kittle and Jauan Jennings.
San Francisco’s offense has struggled to find its replacement in the passing game for Brandon Aiyuk, who was the most likely receiver to have a 100-yard game in 2023. The closest options have been Kittle and Jennings, but neither have been consistent with big games. While Kittle has been finding the end zone plenty this season, Sunday was just his third game with more than 90 receiving yards. Jennings has also had some big games this season, but Sunday was his fourth game with at least 90 receiving yards.
And while Kittle and Jennings have been the likeliest options to pop the box score, they’ve yet to both have that big game in the same game. That was until Sunday, at least.
Kittle and Jennings combined for 241 yards on 13 receptions, with Jennings finding the end zone twice. It shouldn’t be surprising that the San Francisco offense capitalized on the performance of the two pass catchers for the 49ers’ highest-scoring output of the season.
San Francisco could be down to its fourth running back, and with Deebo Samuel’s recent struggles, Shanahan and Purdy should heavily rely on Kittle and Jennings over the season’s final month.
The pass rush can get something going without Nick Bosa
Maybe this was just the 49ers’ defense taking advantage of the Bears’ offense, which has allowed the most sacks this season. However, with how the San Francisco pass rush has looked in the past couple of weeks, any victory is notable.
Since Bosa went down with his hip injury a few weeks ago against Seattle, San Francisco has recorded two sacks, both against Green Bay. After getting shut out last week in Buffalo, the pass rush bounced back in a big way with a season-high seven sacks.
The timing on the first half of the 49ers sacks couldn’t have been better, with San Francisco’s first four sacks coming on third down. Yetur Gross-Matos started the day, getting to Caleb Williams on a third-and-10 on Chicago’s second drive. Chicago’s next three drives ended with sacks from Leonard Floyd – twice – and Maliek Collins.
When Chicago got the ball to start its second drive, San Francisco was up just seven points. After the Bears had the four drives ended by 49ers sacks, San Francisco was up by 24 points.
While Chicago’s offense had more success in the second half – it almost had to after four first-half yards – the 49ers’ pass rush wouldn’t relent. San Francisco was awarded a team sack after some pressure could have been to blame for Williams losing control of the ball after a pump fake, resulting in the Bears’ lone turnover. Gross-Matos would then complete his hat trick, getting to Williams on consecutive plays late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.
San Francisco’s defense has struggled in Bosa’s absence, so the signs of life against a poor Chicago offensive line were encouraging, to say the least.
The 49ers have a pulse
This one can also be chalked up to San Francisco taking advantage of a poor Chicago team, but again, after the three-game losing streak, Sunday was a positive development.
The win moved San Francisco to 4-1 on the season against teams whose record was under .500 after Week 14, so the 49ers haven’t had an issue taking advantage of some of the worst teams on the schedule. The expected post-bye bump hasn’t come yet, with the 49ers 1-3 after the bye, with the last two losses by four scores.
After the last month, even the Chicago Bears didn’t feel like the lay-up entering Sunday as they could have when the schedule was announced in May.
But this was no letdown spot for the 49ers. San Francisco quickly put together its best performance of the 2024 season. It all started when Purdy found Jennings for a touchdown on San Francisco’s opening drive, its first opening-drive touchdown since Week 3.
From there, it kept rolling. The 49ers would score on four of its six first-half possessions, while the defense would hold Chicago to just four yards on 17 plays.
Chicago would put up its best drive of the game to start the second half, putting the thought of another second-half collapse into the minds of the 49ers. Those thoughts were put to ease with Williams’s fumble, followed by an Issac Guerendo touchdown, to deter any comeback thoughts.
The win made San Francisco’s slim playoff chances slightly less slim. If the 49ers can’t turn around and beat the Rams on Thursday, then Sunday’s effort was all for naught. But, if anything, we got one Sunday where it felt like the San Francisco 49ers were back.