The San Francisco 49ers didn’t look good against the Chicago Bears. Even the numbers will show that they out performed the Bears, they just couldn’t get out of their own way. There is plenty of blame to go around. From coaching to player performance, everyone had a hand in the loss.
49ers Offense
Trey Lance didn’t play all that well and is receiving blame that he shouldn’t be. Lance went 13-28 for 164 yards and an interception. The offensive line play was not good and this was the biggest concern coming into the regular season and it showed against the Bears. Mike McGlinchey did not look good at all and some suggest that he is not fully recovered from his injury. Aaron Banks didn’t play well and it begs the question of should the 49ers be concerned that he hasn’t been able to take that next step yet. The one bright spot of the offensive line was rookie Spencer Burford who did not allow 1 pressure in his first start.
Weather played a huge factor in how the 49ers wanted to throw the ball. Aiyuk had just 2 catches for 40 yards on 2 targets. This is something that has to change and I believe it will as early as the next game. Aiyuk is too good of a receiver to not have him as a focal point of the passing game. Deebo Samuel had just 2 catches on 8 targets for just 14 yards. The running game where Deebo made the most impact, which will probably continue since the 49ers will be down their starting running back for 8 weeks.
Injuries
After Elijah Mitchell got hurt the running game just seemed to have left with him. The 49ers did bring in Jeff Wilson Jr but he never got going. Shanahan never went to Jordan Mason and 3rd round pick Tyrion Davis-Price wasn’t even on the active roster. This makes me wonder if they have any regrets on the decision to cut JaMycal Hasty and waive Trey Sermon. If Mitchell is out for a significant amount of time the 49ers will have to find production from the 3 remaining running backs.
49ers Defense
The defense came out hot and made it seem like they weren’t going to let the Bears get anything going. In the second half the defense took a turn for the worst and it didn’t look remotely close to the team that headed into the locker room with a 10 point lead. The most concerning part is how undisciplined that defense looked. 11 penalties for almost 100 yards is something that can’t happen anymore and the center of those was Dre Greenlaw. Greenlaw is starting to look more like a liability as he continues to get costly penalties, committing two that kept Bears drives alive. I never felt the sense of urgency from the defense in the second half. Talanoa Hufanga was the only bright spot in the defense tallying 11 total tackles and getting his first career interception.
Coaching
Coaching on both sides of the ball is something that needs to be looked at. Neither Shanahan or defensive coordinator Demeco Ryans seemed to be on their A games as the team just looked unprepared. The play calling offensively seemed to get very conservative after the 10 point lead. Ryans has to get this defense playing smart football again and has to figure out how to avoid avoidable penalties.
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