(670 The Score) The Bears came up just short in losing 42-38 to the 49ers on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium.
Looking for the game-winning touchdown from the 49ers' 2-yard line in the waning seconds, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams threw an incompletion in the end zone as time expired. Chicago fell to 11-5 in losing the thrilling shootout. Here are observations from the game.
QB1 shines in the spotlight
There are no moral victories in the NFL, but Chicago should feel good about this game.
That’s because of Williams' performance, as he had one of his best days in the NFL while in the national spotlight. Williams was 25-of-43 for 330 yards and two touchdowns without committing a turnover. He came up one throw shy of winning the game as time expired.
Williams made several spectacular throws throughout the game, and head coach Ben Johnson will be especially pleased with how Williams worked with a depleted offense. Receiver Rome Odunze (stress fracture in foot) and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (illness) were sidelined, and receiver DJ Moore wasn't at his best in playing through illness.
Williams set up rookie receiver Luther Burden III for a breakout performance. They connected eight times for 138 yards and a touchdown. Williams also found rookie tight end Colston Loveland six times for 94 yards and a score.
As the Bears played in a shootout, Williams allowed them to keep pace.
Last week, Williams mentioned that he has enjoyed proving doubters wrong in leading the Bears to the postseason.
"I wasn’t the biggest, I wasn’t the strongest, I wasn’t the tallest, the fastest, whatever the case may be,” Williams said. “I get drafted here, told that I’m not a special player, told that I’m not a good fit here, told that coach (Johnson) and I won’t work, told I can’t win here. So, I know that’s going to keep going on, but I do take a little satisfaction. Being able to help this team, help this organization, be a part of it to get to the playoffs. My goal isn’t to just get to the playoffs. My goal is to win and win big. I’m going to keep my head down, I’m going to keep growing for the guys in this building, for the coaches, for the organization and for this city to be proud and happy to be fans, supporters of the Chicago Bears."
In the Bears' regular-season finale against the Lions on Sunday, Williams needs 109 passing yards to set the Bears' single-season passing record. He can also become the franchise’s first 4,000-yard passer if he throws for 270 yards next Sunday. Those would represent milestones as Williams strives toward becoming a franchise quarterback.
As for Sunday night, Williams’ growth was plenty clear. He was excellent, albeit in a losing effort.
Breaking down the last play
As a play-calling head coach, Johnson has displayed few flaws. He has consistently gotten the offensive play calls in on time amid the juggling act of leading the entire team.
But Johnson erred ahead of the Bears’ final play with a late call that left Williams and the offense scrambling on second-and-goal from the 49ers' 2-yard line.
The game clock was stopped, but the Bears got their wide receivers set with just one second remaining on the play clock and didn't have time to make any adjustments. Williams received the snap as the play clock hit zeroes. Afterward, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted he was ready to take a timeout – to potentially force Johnson and the Bears to regroup with a new play call – but then he noticed Chicago was having trouble getting set. Johnson took the blame afterward.
“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 (Williams) is trying to piecemeal it together. I got to do a better job with that.”
49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had the ideal play call on his side. San Francisco’s defense dropped two of its four down linemen into coverage at the goal line while rushing two off the edge. The Bears’ play call had primary reads for Moore and Burden as twins to the left, with both running in-breaking routes across the middle. The 49ers’ defensive surprise took away both from Williams, who then scrambled to his left and into pressure. His desperation throw to the end zone fell incomplete.
Leading into the play, the Bears ran an 11-yard hook-and-ladder play with 21 seconds remaining. It was executed nearly perfectly, with Williams throwing to Loveland, who pitched the ball to running back D’Andre Swift, but 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir stepped up with a strong tackle to prevent Swift from reaching the end zone.
Getting tackled inbounds with no timeouts remaining was always the risk that came with Johnson's hook-and-ladder play call, which required a scramble to spike the ball when it came up short. The time it took to do that cost the Bears an extra play, but it still set them up in a strong position two yards away for the win.
When Johnson is asked about the play again, he'll likely tip his cap to Saleh and take blame himself.
Even so, Johnson needs to get the final play call in faster to give the Bears a chance to make adjustments and give themselves the best chance to win.
Now the downside
The 49ers put on a clinic offensively, and the Bears were bystanders on defense. San Francisco posted 496 yards of offense in a dominant performance.
In its current form, this Bears defense isn’t good enough to win a Super Bowl championship. That much seemed clear Sunday against the 49ers, who are perhaps the best team in the NFL right now.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was sacked just once, the only time he was hit in the game. The Bears’ lack of a pass rush remains a problem that must be addressed in the offseason. For now, it’s the glaring weakness of a team with championship aspirations.
Purdy had all the time he needed to pick apart the Bears’ defense again and again. He was 24-of-33 for 303 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey rushed 23 times for 140 yards.
Injuries were an excuse for the Bears early in the season when key players were sidelined. Now, the only key player the Chicago defense is missing is nickelback Kyler Gordon. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson and cornerback Nahshon Wright weren’t at their best form health-wise Sunday, but Chicago's bigger problem is that highly pass rusher Montez Sweat couldn’t get to the quarterback.
With the regular season in its final week, there’s no hope the Bears will enjoy a big defensive turnaround. Most observers expect the struggles to continue in the postseason, where the Bears will need to get back to creating turnovers at a high rate.
Perhaps this Bears defense will be a vaunted unit in 2026. For now, the Bears are just trying to get by.
Extra points
--- It felt like this would be the Bears’ night when linebacker T.J. Edwards recorded a pick-six on the 49ers’ opening play from scrimmage. Purdy certainly settled in from there.
--- The Bears weren’t committed enough to the running game. The 49ers loaded the box early on, but Johnson didn’t stay with the ground game as the Bears rushed 22 times for 110 yards.
--- A post from NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah: “Caleb is in the discussion for the best arm strength in the NFL.” Without a doubt.
--- Second-year pass rusher Austin Booker recorded the Bears’ lone sack of the night, part of a recent run of strong play from him.
--- Johnson’s clock management of the final 2:15 remaining will be debated, but he handled it well. The Bears took the clock down to zero with a chance to win from two yards out. Perhaps the Bears' biggest regret before their ill-fated final play was burning their second timeout with the clock already stopped ahead of a key fourth-and-5 with 33 seconds left.
--- At least the Bears made the 49ers punt for the first time since November.
--- That was the first time in NFL history that a regular-season game was tied at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35.
--- The undefeated predictions run by Score producer Sean Sears is over. He forecasted the Bears would win 27-20. He still has a chance to go 16-1 in our Score predictions pool.
--- If that was a playoff preview, sign us all up.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.