Bears Vs. 49ers Week 16 Results, Box Scores, Key Stats, MVPs And Playoff Outlook

Getty Bears - 49ers Wrapup

On Sunday, the Chicago Bears improved their record to 11-4 with a 14-9 win over the San Francisco 49ers on the road. The Niners played well in spots–especially on defense–but dropped to 4-11. The Bears wrapped up the NFC North in Week 15 with a victory over the rival Green Bay Packers.

Sunday’s win helped to keep Chicago’s hopes of capturing a first-round bye alive, but they still trail the Los Angeles Rams who won and moved to 12-3. If the two teams finish tied, the Bears would move into second place in the NFC and earn the bye via their advantage in the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Here is a look at the box score:

Team Stats:

Keys

Trubisky On His Game

The Bears’ second-year QB played as close to a flawless game as he’s played all season. He took care of the ball and limited the risky throws. His insane 86% completion rate is evidence of his effectiveness. He had a number of well-thrown balls into tight spots, and he made almost all of the gimme-throws that he’d missed on in previous games. He did have one lost fumble, but other than that, he was as good as he’s been all season. If this is the Trubisky the Bears get in the postseason, they could be a Super Bowl team.

Defense, as Usual

Chicago’s defense bailed out its offense and head coach again this week. When Matt Nagy tried to get too cute in the first half with an oddly-contsucted option play on a 2nd and short that turned into Trubisky’s fumble on a botched lateral, the Bears’ defense erased it by forcing a three-and-out.

WheAllen Robinson fumbled after making what should have been the game-sealing catch in the fourth quarter, the defense shut down the Niners’ final drive. No unit on either side of the ball across the league has been as consistently good as the Chicago defense.

Too Many Niners Mistakes

Every time the Niners had an opportunity to take control of the game, they shot themselves in the foot with turnovers or penalties. Brenston Buckner played great, but his facemask on Jordan Howard hurt the team’s momentum.

In the fourth quarter, Trubisky was scrambling to keep a drive alive, but the Bears were guilty of a holding call on the other side of the field. Unfortunately, Marcel Harris’ late hit on the Bears’ QB drew a penalty and incited a brawl that led to a replay of the down. There were other issues, but you get the picture.

Futility in the Red Zone

San Francisco managed to drive inside the Bears’ 20-yard line on three occasions. As they have all season, the team had to settle for field goals. The inability to get touchdowns killed them again on Sunday.

Game MVPs

Chicago – Khalil Mack

As good of a game as Trubisky had, the Bears won this game with their defense, and that starts with Mack. He disrupted almost everything the Niners wanted to do on offense with constant pressure. He didn’t get a sack, but h harassed Nick Mullens all afternoon.

San Francisco – George Kittle

In case you haven’t noticed, Kittle has become an elite tight end. He cannot be covered one-on-one and he proved that against the league’s best defense. Kittle finished with 7 receptions for 74 yards.