LDN - Sports

Howard runs for 3 TDs as Bears upend 49ers

[December 05, 2016] CHICAGO -- Jordan Howard had never played in snow before Sunday, which made each yard he covered an adventure.

With a steady snow falling throughout the afternoon and field conditions less than ideal, Howard kept his feet moving and attempted to make the most of each slippery step. But each time the Chicago Bears got within proximity of the end zone, Howard made sure the effort paid off.

Howard ran for 117 yards and three touchdowns and the Bears snapped a three-game losing streak with a 26-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers. Howard anchored a Bears offense, which produced 19 straight points in the second half after leading by only a point at halftime.

Howard's 1-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds remaining in the first half perhaps meant the most. After Chicago's offense struggled for much of the half, the run set up a big second half for the Bears (3-9), who didn't allow a touchdown as the 49ers lost for the 11th straight time.

"It gave us a lot of great momentum going into halftime just getting a score at the end of the first half," said Howard, who finished with 32 carries. "I feel like that propelled us into the second half even more."

The Bears grabbed a commanding 21-6 lead by reaching the end zone on the first two second-half possessions. Howard's 5-yard touchdown run came just more than three minutes after his second scoring run -- a 2-yarder earlier in the quarter -- extended what had been a 7-6 halftime lead.

Connor Barth's 45-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter extended Chicago's lead to 24-6 before Leonard Floyd capped the scoring with a safety when he sacked 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert in the end zone with 1:55 remaining.

Before the Bears' second-half offensive explosion, both teams struggled to get anything going offensively.

Bears quarterback Matt Barkley and San Francisco starter Colin Kaepernick each finished the first quarter without any passing yardage -- the first time that had occurred in since 1998 when the New York Jets and New England Patriots accomplished the feat.

Two special-teams miscues -- a partially-blocked punt and a fumbled kickoff -- provided the 49ers with chances to capitalize in the second quarter. But after twice getting inside the Bears' 20-yard line, San Francisco (1-11) was forced to settle for two Phil Dawson field goals (31 and 28 yards), which accounted for all the offense the 49ers could muster.

The Bears' defensive performance, sparked by nine tackles from linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski's nine solo tackles and 10 total tackles by defensive end Akiem Hicks, held the 49ers in check before the Bears rallied late in the second quarter.

"The defense went in there and put the fire out," Bears coach John Fox said.

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Bears quarterback Matt Barkley (12) drops back to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

After struggling early, Barkley -- who threw for 192 yards on 11-of-18 passing -- completed three straight throws and marched the Bears down the field. A 49ers pass interference penalty in the end zone set up Howard's 1-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds remaining.

"That was pretty much the momentum changer," 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks said.

The 49ers, who were led by Carlos Hyde's 92 rushing yards, didn't score again. Kaepernick, who was sacked five times and was just 1 of 5 for four yards, was benched early in the fourth quarter in favor of Gabbert, who couldn't get anything rolling against the Bears in his limited time on the field.

Kaepernick admitted afterward he was surprised by being pulled.

Regardless who ran the 49ers' offense, the constant falling snow throughout the afternoon didn't help matters.

"Any time when you're playing in a game where there is snow and sleet and rain and the conditions are working against you, you have to do the best that you can as an individual to control the elements," said Gabbert, who threw for just 35 yards on 4-of-10 passing. "When you can do that and all 11 guys are doing that, you can execute. But we just had breakdowns here and there all day long and it definitely showed."

NOTES: 49ers OLB Aaron Lynch missed his fifth straight game with an ankle sprain. Lynch, who served a four-game suspension to start the season, has appeared in only three games this season. ... WR Quinton Patton was active Sunday a week after sustaining a concussion against the Dolphins. QB Colin Kaepernick was replaced by Blaine Gabbert early in the fourth quarter. Kaepernick was sacked five times. ... Bears QB Matt Barkley made his second career start four days after the Bears announced starter Jay Cutler would be placed on injured reserve with a torn labrum. ... WR Eddie Royal (toe), S Adrian Amos (foot) and DL Jonathan Bullard were also inactive for the Bears.

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