While the Bears successfully turned their fortunes around | Forum

Soldier Field this year and defended their home turf to the tune of a 7-1 home record Youth Danny Trevathan Jerseys , their road record is a more pedestrian 3-3.Now with just two games remaining, they have two chances to get above the .500 mark and finish with a winning home and away record.First up is a trip to San Francisco Santa Clara, where the Bears have had their troubles before.San Francisco was a house of horrors for the Bears from the 1980s until Candlestick’s demolition a couple of years ago. Luckily, since the 49ers now play in Santa Clara at Levi’s Stadium, some of those horrors are long ago forgotten.The 49ers, like the Giants, are having a rough season but have been playing better of late, will the Bears take care of business, or lay another egg on the road?San Francisco 49ersSB Nation site: Niners NationGame Day/TV/Time: Sunday, 3:05 p.m. CT, FOXRecord: 4-10Last week: 26-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks in OTBears all-time record against: 34-31-1 (including postseason)Historical match ups: The last time the Bears traveled to Santa Clara was Sept. 14, 2014 for the opening game in Levi’s Stadium.Despite jumping out to a 17-0 lead and eventually a 20-7 lead, the 49ers lost to the Bears 28-20 as Jay Cutler led Chicago to 21 fourth quarter points and threw four touchdowns.Last meeting: The Robbie Gould Revenge Game.Dec. 3, 2017, the Bears hosted the 49ers. The 1-10 49ers came to Soldier Field and despite holding Jimmy Garoppolo and San Fran out of the endzone, the Bears couldn’t outscore their former kicker. Gould made five field goals, including one with :04 left to win 15-14.Offense: The 49ers come in ranked 22nd in points and 13th in yards.With Garoppolo on IR they are led by Nick Mullens (64.5 pct. cmp./1,754 yds./10 TD/6 INT) who has gone from undrafted practice squad player to surprising starter.Mullens has been effective as a starter, going 3-3. He’s been throwing to breakout TE George Kittle (72 rec./1,154 yds./4 TD), WR Kendrick Bourne (33/355/3) Womens David Montgomery Jersey , FB Kyle Jusczyk (29/309/1) and RB Matt Breida (26/255/2). Dante Pettis (24/446/5) and Marquise Goodwin (20/366/4) remain deep threats and effective weapons, although without the heavy targets of some of the others. Overall, the 49ers passing game is ranked 15th in yards.The San Francisco rushing attack is ranked 10th in yards. Led by Breida (149 att./794 yds./3 TD), they have been effective running the ball. Alfred Morris (95/317/1) is also contributing a little bit.Defense: The 49ers rank 26th in points allowed but are 12th in yards allowed.They’re 12th in passing yards allowed and 14th in rushing yards allowed. They’ve allowed thethird-most passing touchdowns and the 13th fewest rushing touchdowns.The 49ers have the fewest defensive takeaways in the league with just five.They are led by DeForest Buckner (11 sacks/16 TFL/19 QB hits) Ronald Blair (5.5 sacks/8 TFL/12 QB hits) and Arik Armstead (3 sacks/6 TFL/12 QB hits) up front.Behind them are LBs Fred Warner (105 TKL/6 PD/1 FF/ 1 FR) and Elijah Lee (44 TKL/2 PD/1 FF).The 49ers have been decimated by injuries, especially on the defensive side of the ball.In the backfield of the defense are Richard Sherman (32 TKL/4 PD/1 FR), Antone Exum (35 TKL/5 PD/1 INT/1 FF) and Jaquiski Tartt (42 TKL/1 INT/2 PD).Injury report: The 49ers listed eight players on their Wednesday injury report:Did not participate: T Joe Staley (not injury related), LB Mark Nzeocha (groin)Limited: RB Matt Breida (ankle), DB Antone Exum Jr. (hip), C Weston Richburg (knee), LB Malcolm Smith (achilles), S Jaquiski Trutt (shoulder), CB K’Waun Williams (knee)Key match ups: It’s pretty straightforward for the defense: shut down the running game and pressure Mullens.Mullens is not a scrambler or much of a threat to run at all (see his 17 attempts for -14 yards) so if the Bears can slow down Breida and make Mullens beat them from the pocket, you have to like the defense’s chance to win.In the defensive backfield, Roquan Smith, Danny Trevathan and Sherrick McManis are all likely to have to line up across from George Kittle at some point. Kittle is the main receiving weapon and defending him is paramount. Kittle has all the great TE features: size, speed and hands. If they don’t let him get downfield or make huge plays, the rest of the 49ers receivers aren’t big threats.For the offense, it’s about giving Mitchell Trubisky time, the San Francisco secondary has been really banged up so there will be guys open, but the 49ers’ main threat is DT Buckner. What to watch for: Can the Bears shake off their habit of sleepwalking through some of these road games early?This game reminds me a lot of the Giants game, although I think that the 49ers are a lot more banged up Cheap David Montgomery Jersey , but they are getting the most out of the players they have and play very well at home.San Francisco has played well of late and all of their wins have come at home. The Bears have better overall talent, but this game could stay closer than it appears.Key stats: The 49ers have 5 turnovers on defense, the Bears have 35San Francisco hasn’t had a defensive takeaway since Oct. 28. The Bears have had 18 since then.Mullens likes playing at Levi’s Stadium: He’s thrown 7 TDs to 3 INT at home vs. 3 TD to 3 INT on the roadKittle has 39 more receptions than the next closest 49erThe Bears have allowed 20.7 points per game on the road, vs. 17.5 at home. The Bears have played two more home games than road gamesThe pick: Bears 31, 49ers 24 - I think this game is going to be closer than we want but ultimately the Bears will win. To see my analysis and pick of the betting lines for the game click here to read my piece on Sports Bet Collective.What do you think the Bears need to do to win? Is this a trap game? BEAR DOWN, CHICAGO BEARS, BEAR DOWN!!!!BEARRRSSSSBears’ Akiem Hicks Happy For Cameo Appearance On Offense - 670 The Score - ”I’d be pissed if I had to tackle me,” Akiem Hicks says.Allen Robinson On Bears’ Tricks On Offense: ‘We Don’t Fear Anything’ - 670 The Score - Matt Nagy and the Bears were creative against the Giants on Sunday.Thompson: Eddie Jackson, the second playmaking coming of Ed Reed - The Blitz Network - Real recognize real: Eddie Jackson, the second playmaking coming of Ed ReedDannehy: Reason to Distrust the Defense - Da Bears Blog - The Bears had the Giants in a third-and-23. Even a 20-yard run means New York is punting and the Bears are either going to block it, return it or sit on it and go into halftime with a touchdown lead. Matt Nagy called timeout. It was the kind of aggressive decision we’ve longed for Bears coaches to make. It didn’t work. Because Nagy learned something we all learned: this defense can’t be trusted.Dickerson: Tarik Cohen’s value to Bears grows -- as a clutch passer - ESPN - The all-purpose back caught 12 passes for 156 yards against the Giants, but it was his TD pass that put the Bears in position to steal a win late.Medina: Chase Daniel Says He Let His Teammates Down, But He Wasn’t Really an Unmitigated Disaster - Bleacher Nation - Chase Daniel’s interceptions put the Bears behind the 8-ball, but his comeback effort shouldn’t be ignored.Medina: Allen Robinson Continues to Make Big Plays as the Bears’ WR1 - Bleacher Nation - Here’s to you, Mr. Robinson!Campbell: 5 observations from rewatching Bears-Giants: Matt Nagy's timeout, Chase Daniel's fumble-itis, the run game and more - Chicago Tribune - 5 observations from rewatching the Bears' 30-27 overtime loss to the Giants include how Matt Nagy's second quarter timeout backfired, Chase Daniel's fumbles, a blown coverage by Eddie Jackson, Tarik Cohen's receiving ability and more evidence of Matt Nagy's shaken confidence in his running game.Thompson: Bears receiver Allen Robinson plays Santa Claus for a day with kids from the Boys & Girls Club - Chicago Tribune - It was a day of community for the Bears. Allen Robinson visited the Gantz Boys & Girls Club. Roquan Smith passed out coats at St. Malachy School. Deon Bush visited a Boys & Girls Club in Waukegan. Adrian Amos, Pat O’Donnell David Montgomery Chicago Bears Jerseys , Cody Parkey and Pat Scales participated in team’s school outreach program.Moreano: The Bears' Loss To The Giants Creates Room For Adjustments - Da Bears Brothers - Plenty went wrong for the Bears in their loss to the Giants, but if the Bears want to have the best chance to beat the Rams, they must fix these mistakes.Stankevitz: Jordan Howard’s negative runs aren’t new, but Bears’ response to them is - NBC Sports Chicago - About one in every five of Jordan Howard's rushing attempts this year have gone for zero or negative yards. But that's not out of character for the third-year running back.Ellis: Diving far too deep into Josh Bellamy's Instagram video of Mitch Trubisky playing ping-pong - NBC Sports Chicago - You all knew we were going to write about this.PFF thinks Roquan Smith well below average against other 2018 draft class members - Pro Football Focus - PFF's Mark Chichester takes a look at the overall grades for every first-round rookie after the 13th week of the regular season. Ken's Note: PFF's analysts opinions make Jon Gruden look like Albert Einstein in comparison. And Gruden's an idiot.Mayer: Bears faring well in Pro Bowl voting - Sun Times - In the latest Pro Bowl results released Tuesday, four Bears remain the leading vote-getters at their respective positions in the NFC: Outside linebacker Khalil Mack, cornerback Kyle Fuller, free safety Eddie Jackson and return specialist Tarik Cohen.Power rankings: Third quarter of 2018 season - ChicagoBears.com - ChicagoBears.com takes a look at what national media outlets are saying about the Monsters of the Midway and how the team compares to the other 31 clubs in the NFL after the third quarter of the season.Mayer: Urlacher headed back to Pro Bowl—as a captain - ChicagoBears.com - Bears Hall of Fame middle linebacker Brian Urlacher will serve as one of four “legends captains” for the Pro Bowl, which will be played Sunday, Jan. 27 in Orlando.Lunch with Larry: 12.04.18 - ChicagoBears.com - Bears Senior Writer Larry Mayer discusses Tarik Cohen's big game, possible Bears Pro Bowlers, and what the team needs to do to beat the Rams in his weekly Q&A with fans.POLISH SAUSAGEReport: 49ers’ long snapper Kyle Nelson suspended 10 games – ProFootballTalk - The 49ers will be needing a new long snapper. Kyle Nelson, who has served as the 49ers’ long snapper for every game of the last five seasons, has been suspended for the next 10 weeks, Field Yates of ESPN reports.Jahns: Analyzing the Chicago Bears’ successes, hurdles as home stretch begins - Sun Times - The home stretch is here, with the Bears’ first playoff berth since 2010 well within reach.Finley: Analyzing the Bears as home stretch begins - Sun Times - Sun-Times expert Patrick Finley breaks down the Bears’ biggest challenges, and achievements, at the quarter pole:Finley: Do Mitch Trubisky’s ping-pong swings bode well for practice? - Sun Times - Mitch Trubisky’s right shoulder felt good enough for him to throw before Sunday’s game — and to fire ping-pong balls off a paddle Monday.KNOW THY ENEMYDetroit Lions defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois is done with the losing - Pride Of Detroit - He’s too old for this s%#$. Ken's Note: If he's done with losing, he picked the wrong team to play for... those clowns have a ton of losing ahead of them...Lions Roundtable: Should Detroit trade Matthew Stafford? - Pride Of Detroit - Once the franchise’s savior, the quarterback isn’t as beloved.Lions podcast: Does Matt Patricia deserve blame for the Detroit’ conservative, efficient offense? - Pride Of Detroit - The PODcast tries to figure out who’s culpable in the Lions’ offensive failures.An open letter to Vikings’ offensive coordinator John DeFilippo - Daily Norseman - All opinions are my own and only my own.John DeFilippo early favorite for Packers’ coaching job - Daily Norseman - I’m sure nobody will have an opinion on this.Is the Packers’ front office structure really a problem for the team or its future coach? - Acme Packing Company - Much has been made of Mark Murphy’s consolidation of power Chicago Bears Jerseys Stitched , but should anyone actually worry about it?Breech: Former Packers star says Aaron Rodgers looks like ‘prima donna’ after Mike McCarthy firing - CBSSports.com - One former Packers player didn’t hold back when talking about Aaron RodgersIN CASE YOU MISSED IT ON WINDY CITY GRIDIRONLeming: Chicago Bears third quarter report card - Windy City Gridiron - The Bears are 12 games through the regular season. It’s time to go back and grade their third quarter after a (3-1) stretch.Wiltfong: NFL Power Rankings - The NFC North goes 0-4 - Windy City Gridiron - The bad news is the Chicago Bears saw their five game winning streak snapped on Sunday against the New York Giants in overtime. The good news is the other three teams in the NFC North also lost,...Householder's stock up, stock down: Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants - Windy City Gridiron - An up and down road loss means plenty of players to choose from in this week’s stock watch.Wiltfong: Ten Thoughts on the NFL and the Bears - Windy City Gridiron - Lester takes his weekly trip around the NFL right here...WCG CONTRIBUTORS BEARS PODCASTS & STREAMS2 Minute Drill - Website - iTunes - Andrew Link; Steven’s Streaming – Twitch – Steven Schweickert; T-Formation Conversation - Website - iTunes - Lester Wiltfong, Jr.; WCG Radio - Website - iTunes - Robert ZeglinskiTHE RULESWindy City Gridiron Community Guidelines - SBNation.com - We strive to make our communities open and inclusive to sports fans of all backgrounds. 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