49ers-Bears takeaways: San Francisco survives thriller to set up showdown for top seed
Brock Purdy hit Jauan Jennings with the winning TD pass and the 49ers held on in a game that featured 936 total yards and 10 offensive TDs.
The San Francisco 49ers outlasted the Chicago Bears 42-38 on Sunday night in a heart-stopping shootout that fittingly came down to the final play. Another dominant offensive performance by the 49ers put them in position to claim the NFC’s No. 1 seed and the West title by beating the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night at Levi’s Stadium.
Niners quarterback Brock Purdy accounted for five touchdowns, including the game-winner — a 38-yard pass to receiver Jauan Jennings with 2:15 remaining.
The Bears, who have won six games this season in which they trailed with two minutes or less remaining, drove 63 yards in 15 plays to reach the 49ers’ 2-yard line with four seconds left, but quarterback Caleb Williams’ pass for receiver Jahdae Walker in the end zone fell short.
San Francisco outgained Chicago 496 yards to 440. Purdy passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 28 yards and two scores. Niners running back Christian McCaffrey finished with 181 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown.
For the Bears, Williams threw for 330 yards and two touchdowns, receiver Luther Burden had eight catches for 138 yards and a TD, and running back D’Andre Swift rushed for two scores.
Purdy nearly perfect
Purdy made his only mistake on his first pass — a throw into tight coverage that was tipped, picked off and returned for a touchdown by Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards. Then, he was just about perfect, buying time in the pocket to find open receivers and running for those two touchdowns.
Purdy completed 24 of 33 for 303 yards and those three touchdown passes. On the second one, a 6-yard toss to Kyle Juszczyk that put the 49ers up 35-28, Purdy rolled left and juked two pass rushers before he was able to throw it to a waiting Juszczyk.
On the game-winner, he hit Jennings over the middle, and the wideout did the rest, going 17 yards up the right side of the field for the touchdown.
Purdy is showing no ill effects from his turf toe injury and has 13 touchdowns in the three games since the Week 14 bye. Now, if he could only play safety for the 49ers’ defense. — Vic Tafur, 49ers beat writer
Big night for McCaffrey
McCaffrey went over 100 scrimmage yards for the 11th time this season. In fact, he surpassed the 100-yard mark midway through the second quarter.
He finished with 181 yards – 140 on the ground and another 41 receiving. While the output puts him in the hunt with Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor for most yards from scrimmage this season, he’s unlikely to become the first player in NFL history with two seasons with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards.
He heads into the Week 18 finale with 1,179 rushing yards and 890 receiving yards. — Matt Barrows, 49ers beat writer