|
 With the game tied at 20 following Gabbert's 44-yard scramble for a
touchdown with 1:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bears got a
74-yard kickoff return from Deonte Thompson to start their next
drive at the 49ers' 28-yard line.
As time expired, however, Robbie Gould, who before the game had made
24 of 27 field goal attempts this season, was wide left on a
potentially game-winning 36-yard field goal attempt, his second miss
of the second half.
It was not a happy birthday for Gould, who turned 34 Sunday. He
missed two field goal attempts in the same game for the second time
in a month, something he had done only twice in 10 previous NFL
seasons.
"There's no excuse for it," Gould said. "I have a job to do, and I
didn't do that today ... Both are the worst kicks I've had all
year."
San Francisco went 3-and-out on the first series of overtime, and
then, on Chicago's third play from scrimmage, a Jay Cutler pass
floated right into the arms of linebacker Corey Lemonier for what
looked like an easy interception that would have set the 49ers up
for victory.
But Lemonier dropped the ball, giving the Bears what proved only a
temporary reprieve. They punted, and on the next play the Bears'
secondary lost track of Smith, and lost the game.
Asked what happened, Chicago coach John Fox was succinct.
"I would say (our defense) wasn't well executed," Fox said.
Neither was their offense for much of the game, at least not where
it counted. The Bears were across the 50-yard line eight times but
had to settle for four field goal attempts and two punts to go with
two touchdowns. The 49ers were across the 50 only three times until
the winning play.
"We've got to play better offensively," said Bears quarterback Jay
Cutler. "We've got a lot of work to do."
Unfortunately for the Bears, that work now must be geared toward
next season because their already-slim playoff chances were
minimized even more by this loss. Chicago is 5-7 and, remarkably,
has only a 1-5 record at home. San Francisco, winning for the first
time in six road games, is 4-8.
"We've got a long way to go, and we've got a lot of improving to
do," said Jim Tomsula, the 49ers' coach.
Cutler contributed to the Bears' problems by throwing an
interception returned for a touchdown in the first quarter, his
third pick-6 of the season. His passer rating of 64.2 was his lowest
of the season.
Gabbert, now 2-2 as a starter since supplanting Colin Kaepernick,
really was not much better. Most of his completions were short
tosses; the longest pass play before the winner went for 26 yards to
running back Shaun Droughn with most of the yardage coming after the
catch. No other San Francisco completion gained more than 12 yards.
[to top of second column] |
Until the winning touchdown, most of the damage Gabbert inflicted on
the Bears came with his feet, not his arm. In addition to his
touchdown, he had five other runs for 31 yards. He ignited a
second-quarter touchdown drive with an eight-yard scramble and ran
for 16 yards on two scrambles before his fourth-quarter touchdown.
Gabbert said those short plays, however, contributed to the winner.
"It was set up by the throws we had underneath early in the game,
all the runs we ran out of that formation," he said. "I tried to
(throw) it early with as much as air as possible, and let him find
it when the ball is in the air. It worked out beautifully."
Chicago missed chances early to take control of the game. The 49ers
went three-and-out on their first three possessions and finished the
first quarter with no first downs and just five yards on offense,
but the score was tied, 6-6, because the Bears' offense bogged down
in San Francisco territory and settled for field goals, and because
Cutler threw the pick-six to Jimmie Ward.
The teams traded second quarter touchdowns, Gould missed a third
quarter field goal try and the first 26 minutes of the second half
were scoreless until the frantic finish.
NOTES: The 49ers scored a first-quarter touchdown for the first time
this season. S Jimmie Ward jumped on QB Jay Cutler's screen pass and
returned it 29 yards to the end zone, Cutler's third pick-6 of the
season. ... The 49ers' first first down came with 12:51 remaining in
the second quarter, an eight-yard scramble by QB Blaine Gabbert. ...
San Francisco LB Michael Wilhoite (ankle) and TE Vance McDonald
(concussion) were lost for the second half and LB Aaron Lynch left
midway through the third quarter. ... Bears TE Martellus Bennett was
helped off the field with an apparent leg injury in the third
quarter but returned to the game.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
