LDN - Sports

Week 13 Game Scout: 49ers at Bears

[December 02, 2017] The Sports Xchange

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (1-10) AT CHICAGO BEARS (3-8)

GAME SNAPSHOT

KICKOFF: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Soldier Field. TV: CBS, Andrew Catalon, James Lofton.

SERIES HISTORY: 63rd regular-season meeting. Bears lead series, 31-30-1. Surprisingly for non-division foes, the clubs have met four times in the last five seasons, each winning twice. The Bears prevailed 26-6 at home last season, one year after the 49ers had won 26-20 at Chicago. The teams have met three times in the postseason, with San Francisco winning all three, including in the 1985 and 1989 NFC Championship Games.

KEYS TO THE GAME: For the 49ers, it's run the ball and stop the run. How many times have you heard that? But that's really what this game boils down to, especially if the weather is December-like in Chicago. The team that throws the most, especially with a young quarterback doing the throwing, figures to lose this snoozer.

The more traditional game plan the Bears came up with after a bye week against Green Bay -- looking to run and then play-action pass -- could work against a 49ers defense ranked 30th against the run.

Opponents try to run on San Francisco -- the 49ers' defense has faced more rushing attempts (367) than any team in the league. This has to be a Jordan Howard rebound game, and maybe even a chance for Tarik Cohen to do something on the ground again, as he did early in the season. The passing game could go first to the tight ends and then play-action downfield.

Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio should mix up the coverages and occasional inside blitzes to confuse Jimmy Garoppolo as much as possible, considering his lack of experience. There should be plenty of blitzes, too, since the pass rush is greatly diminished without Leonard Floyd. Christian Jones blitzing from inside, with short coverage responsibility then falling to an outside linebacker like Sam Acho, is another possibility.

It would behoove the Bears to try to establish a lead and keep it that way against a struggling team they beat up badly last year. It also would keep their former kicker, Robbie Gould, from having a chance to do what Alshon Jeffery did last week and burn them.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

--49ers RG Brandon Fusco vs. Bears DE Akiem Hicks. Fusco isn't the massive, strong type of guard who can stymie Hicks. Most of Hicks' big plays come from his power/speed combination, but he is more likely to overpower blockers. After a few subpar games, Hicks wants his name in the Pro Bowl conversation, and adding to his seven-sack total might do it. Hicks last year dominated the 49ers with two sacks and a forced fumble in a 26-6 win, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week. The 49ers' offense will go nowhere without an interior run push, so Fusco has a difficult assignment.

--Bears RB Jordan Howard vs. 49ers MLB Reuben Foster. Foster has the big assignment now in the middle after he wasn't quite ready earlier. The 49ers struggle greatly against the run (129.5 yards per game) and Howard rarely has consecutive poor games. The Bears' offensive linemen came off the last game angry about their effort. They will be attempting to re-establish the run after dropping to eighth in rushing with last week's 6-yard performance.

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FRIDAY INJURY REPORT

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

--Questionable: T Trenton Brown (shoulder), S Adrian Colbert (thumb), CB Ahkello Witherspoon (ankle)

CHICAGO BEARS

--Out: LB Isaiah Irving (knee)

--Doubtful: S Adrian Amos (hamstring)

--Questionable: S Deon Bush (ankle), CB Bryce Callahan (knee), S DeAndre Houston-Carson (ankle), CB Cre'von LeBlanc (illness), G Josh Sitton (concussion)

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: 49ers OLB Eli Harold. The Bears haven't thrown much to their tight ends since Zach Miller got hurt, so Harold will get a chance to show off his run-stopping abilities this week. No doubt, the Bears' plan will be to run Jordan Howard right at him, and Harold's ability to make stops that force vertically challenged Chicago into passing situations figures to be critical to the 49ers' success. It's this kind of matchup that could make or break Harold's future with the club.

FAST FACTS: QB Jimmy Garoppolo threw a TD pass in his 49ers debut last week. In two career starts with New England, he completed 42 of 59 (71.2 percent) for 496 yards and four TDs, with no interceptions. ... RB Carlos Hyde has 100 scrimmage yards in two of the past three games. He has two rushing TDs in the past two games on the road. He had 98 scrimmage yards (92 rushing) in his last game against Chicago. He ranks third among NFC RBs in receptions (49) and sixth in receiving yards (295). He is one of seven RBs with 600 rushing yards (639) and 250 receiving yards (295). ... S Eric Reid led the team with seven tackles and had an interception last week. He has two interceptions and a forced fumble in the past three games. ... Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky has two TD passes and no interceptions in his past three games at home. ... RB Jordan Howard ranks fourth in the NFL with 847 rushing yards. He has 1,442 scrimmage yards (103 per game) and 10 rushing TDs in 14 career home games. He rushed for 117 yards and scored three TDs in his last game against San Francisco. ... DE Akiem Hicks has five sacks and two fumble recoveries in the past six games at home. He had a career-high 10 tackles, with two sacks and a forced fumble, in the last meeting against San Francisco.

PREDICTION: In an otherwise unremarkable matchup of two bad teams going nowhere, Garoppolo's first start with the 49ers will add some spice. So, too, will the moment when Gould kicks the walk-off field goal in a revenge game against his old team.

OUR PICK: 49ers, 20-17.

--Bucky Dent

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