Bloodied but unbowed, Bears go down swinging vs. 49ers in matchup of contenders
If the Bears get rematch with the Niners, it won’t be until the NFC Championship Game. For now, they remain challengers looking for respect.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — What on earth did we just watch?
“Heavyweight fight,” Bears defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson said, forcing a wan smile at his locker. “Best team came out today with the best punch.”
We yearn for the bygone days of title fights and free-swinging boxers throwing uppercuts and jabs with desperation in their hearts and cement mixers on their hands.
And on Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium, in front of a national audience, it felt like we were witnessing a classic bout between an experienced contender in the San Francisco 49ers and a plucky challenger in the Chicago Bears.
This could’ve been billed as Ben Johnson vs. Kyle Shanahan, Caleb Williams vs. Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffery vs. the entire Bears defense.
And with the way the Bears and 49ers were trading blows, it felt like whoever had the ball last would come out of the ring with their gloves held high.
That was almost the scenario. But in the end, the Bears came 2 yards and a touchdown short. The decision went 42-38 in favor of the 49ers, who improved to 12-4 while the Bears fell to 11-5.
San Francisco was the home favorite, and after scoring two touchdowns in its first three drives, it looked like it could win going away, but then something unusual happened: The Bears kept answering. This wasn’t a case of the defense gifting the Bears field position. Or an onside kick bouncing the Bears’ way.
The Bears offense was humming. It was everything that had been missing from this franchise for decade upon decade. It was why they drafted Williams No. 1 and paid Johnson a king’s ransom to lead this franchise.
We knew the 49ers were a great offense. But who believed the Bears had this in them?
At one point in the first half, the teams scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions as football fans swooned in front of their TVs from coast to coast. The Bears got the ball to start the second half, down 28-21, and immediately tied it up. And the 49ers answered. And on and on.
The Bears took their second lead of the game on a field goal in the fourth quarter, as an 11-play, 78-yard drive stalled in the red zone. And that turned out to be the difference. San Francisco answered with a touchdown. Chicago had a shot to win it on its final drive, but just like in that loss to the Packers at Lambeau, Williams came up just short in the end zone.
The 49ers swarmed the field. The fans exhaled. And the Bears trudged off the field, losers for just the fifth time this season.
But what the Bears proved Sunday night is they’re good enough to be angry about it. They were bloodied but unbowed.
Chicago clinched the playoffs last week and won the division Saturday night before by virtue of the Packers’ loss, but there were no silver linings being offered in the losing locker room. No one was patting each other on the back for a job almost done.
“It’s frustrating, obviously, you don’t want to lose a game ever,” Williams said. “And then also just being in that position and having a shot at the end is all you can ask for in those moments. But we’ve got to do a better job overall.”