Bears’ Loss to the 49ers Raised Both Their Ceiling — and the Concern

I’m really not sure what to make of the Chicago Bears’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football.

I’m not sure anybody does.

This game wasn’t about the 42–38 final score, the clock management at the end, or even the final play that decided it all. Sure, if Caleb Williams had fired a touchdown to one of his wide receivers as the clock struck zero, Bears fans would be celebrating another signature win while the NFL world sang their praises.

A win would have raised expectations even further—and quite honestly, started to make this Bears team feel a little bit invincible.

They’ve pulled off miracle wins seemingly every week. Every time they’re down late in the fourth quarter, Williams has found a way to deliver a victory. 

But this is the National Football League. You can’t win them all. Bears fans know that. Bears players know that.

And yet, another walk-off touchdown would have made it feel like nothing in the world could stop this team—even if we all know that isn’t true.

That’s why this loss is so complicated. Because it truly wasn’t about the final score.

Anyone who watched the entire game came away with the same takeaways, win or lose at the end.

For the Bears, it somehow raised expectations for their ceiling while simultaneously raising a real level of concern.

On one hand, quarterback Caleb Williams is playing the best football of his young career. He looks like a top-10 quarterback right now. He’s escaping pressure with his legs, throwing the ball accurately and on time, and delivering beautiful deep balls from the pocket.

It has been a very long time since the Bears have had an offense capable of going blow-for-blow with an opponent—let alone one of the most prolific offenses in the sport.

They have that this season.

In a game where Chicago couldn’t afford to blink, they didn’t—until the very end. And even that wasn't on the shoulder of the young quarterback. 

The young pass-catchers continue to rise with their QB. Rookie tight end Colston Loveland and rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III are getting better weekly. Burden posted a career-high eight catches for 138 yards against the 49ers. He has arrived in a big way and figures to be a huge force if the Bears go on a playoff run.

Chicago's offense is in good hands for years to come. 

I’ve been convinced for weeks now that this Bears team can play close with anybody. Sunday night was just more evidence of that. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is—Chicago is going to be in the game until the very end. As Ben Johnson likes to say, they’re going to fight you for 60 minutes, and they never quit.

That, in my eyes, raises the ceiling of what this team is capable of. I truly believe they can beat anyone. And with the way Williams is playing right now, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the Bears are playing in Super Bowl LX.

It’s not always the best or most complete team that gets there. Sometimes it’s just the hottest team or the QB that finds ways to win.

That said, the 49ers also exposed the Bears’ biggest flaw. And heading into the playoffs, it could provide a blueprint for exactly how to beat Chicago.

There’s no hiding from the fact that this defense is a problem. The concerns that have been simmering under the surface for much of the season—often masked by an exceptional turnover margin—are now fully exposed.

The Bears’ defensive backs struggle in man coverage. Watching Nahshon Wright try to keep up with Ricky Pearsall one-on-one was painful.

And to make matters worse, the defensive front isn’t good enough to consistently generate pressure unless Dennis Allen is sending extra rushers.

So what’s the answer? Do you simulate pressure through scheme and leave your cornerbacks on an island to get beat? Or do you drop into zone to protect the secondary, only to give a quarterback all day to scramble or find an open receiver?

Brock Purdy got whatever he wanted on Sunday night. And it’s hard not to worry that the league’s best quarterbacks—the ones you see in January—will too.

And so I’m left where most Bears fans are left: not knowing exactly what to feel.

It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see this team go on a deep playoff run. But depending on the matchup, it also wouldn’t shock me to see someone hang 40 points on them during Wild Card Weekend for a quick, painful exit.

And inevitably, that would come with the haters feeling vindicated, calling the Bears frauds.

None of that is true.

We’ve known exactly what this team is all along. They've go serious upside, but real flaws. The Bears are still ahead of schedule with 11—maybe 12—wins in the first year under head coach Ben Johnson and there will be plenty of time to fix the defense and make the roster tweaks needed to better support this explosive offense in the future.

But for this year, for this team, there’s still an opportunity to make a mark.

It just depends on what shows up in the playoffs more—the Bears’ strengths, or their biggest weakness.

And that’s both exciting and terrifying at the same time.