(670 The Score) The Bears came up just two yards shy of their seventh comeback win in the fourth quarter this season, falling 42-38 to the 49ers on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium.
The final play of the game saw Bears quarterback Caleb Williams scramble to his left and evade a sack before his pass to receiver Jahdae Walker in a crowded end zone fell short and incomplete. Afterward, Bears head coach Ben Johnson took the blame for the unsuccessful result.
“We didn’t quite get aligned in the formation we wanted to,” Johnson told reporters after the game. “That’s on me. I didn’t get him in the call fast enough, so he’s trying to piecemeal it together. I got to do a better job with that.”
The Bears drove 63 yards in 15 plays on their final drive before it stalled at the 49ers' 2-yard line. They spiked the ball with four seconds left after running back D'Andre Swift was tackled on a hook-and-ladder play just two yards short of the end zone.
The Bears had settled for the game’s first field goal with 5:22 remaining, claiming their first lead of the game. The 49ers responded with quarterback Brock Purdy's 38-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jauan Jennings with 2:15 remaining.
“We made it where we could potentially win that thing there at the end,” Johnson said. “So, I’m proud of the guys for that. It just wasn’t enough. When you go on the road against a good team like that, you got to be on top of your mess the whole time, and we just weren’t.”
The Bears fell to 11-5 with this loss, which eliminated them from contention for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Chicago will either be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed after having clinched the NFC North crown by virtue of the Packers' loss to the Ravens on Saturday. The Bears will clinch the No. 2 seed with a win against the Lions (8-8) in their regular-season finale next Sunday or with a loss by the Eagles (11-5) against the Commanders (4-12).
The 49ers' win over the Bears on Sunday was the first in NFL regular-season history to have ties at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 points.