San Francisco 49ers

49ers at Bears: Preview, Predictions, and More

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

Two once great franchises, the San Francisco 49ers travel to Soldier Field in NFL Week 13 to face the Chicago Bears. This game features these two historically successful teams having just a combined three wins to their credit entering Sunday. Yes, it’s been that bad for both.

The injuries that the Bears have been forced to endure is downright cruel. They’re down to Matt Barkley at quarterback, guys you’ve never heard of at receiver and tight end thanks to injuries and suspensions, and the same thing for the defense as well. Things don’t look good for Chicago, to say the least.

At least the 49ers have shown sparks since Colin Kaepernick was named the starter over Blaine Gabbert. While it hasn’t translated to wins, Kap has been impressive when on the field. He still has the ability to run and break open big plays. It’s a ton of fun to watch, but they’d like for it to translate to a victory.

Here are the keys to victory in this matchup.

Keys to Victory

Barkley was solid and actually made the throws to win the game for the Bears last week. However, his cast of misfits at receiver were unable to catch almost anything thrown to them. It was embarrassing. And in the snow, those throws now have even less of a likelihood to be completed than before. Therefore, it’s all about Jordan Howard in this game. Chicago needs to feed the rookie and keep him full throughout the day if they want to defeat the visiting Niners.

For those Niners, it’s all about Kaepernick and what he can do with his legs. His arm has never been his biggest strength and the weather will make that more so the case. However, if he can get the edge or extend plays because of his athleticism, that changes the game in a major way. With how banged up the Bears defense is, that happening is very much in play. Chip Kelly simply needs to make sure he’s willing to dip into that well and take advantage of the matchups it creates.

Odds

Point Spread: San Francisco -1
Moneyline: San Francisco -120, Chicago EVEN
Over/Under: 44

Prediction

Despite having only three wins between the two teams, this one still might wind up being relatively entertaining. Barkley looked competent offensively in his first start and Kaepernick has been producing. The defenses are terrible, so we could see some snowy offensive fireworks. In that case, though, I like the 49ers offense to be a bit more explosive because of their quarterback’s running ability. That gives them the edge, ultimately.

Pick: San Francisco 49ers: 27, Chicago Bears: 23