Maiocco’s 49ers Report Card: Team grades in blowout win vs. Bears

The 49ers on Sunday beat up a team that now has lost seven games in a row.

Based on how the 49ers looked the past two weeks, nobody could have been sure they were capable of the complete domination they showed against the Chicago Bears at Levi’s Stadium.

Quarterback Brock Purdy spread the ball around and receivers were running free in coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense — in a throwback to recent seasons.

And the defense turned up the heat on Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in the 49ers’ 38-13 victory to snap a three-game losing streak.

This game was decided by halftime, when the 49ers held an incredible 319 to 4 advantage over Chicago in total yards.

The Bears expected to be reinvigorated in their first game since interim coach Thomas Brown replaced Matt Eberflus, who was fired after Chicago’s Thanksgiving Day debacle.

Instead, they looked like a team that never had a chance.

San Francisco 49ers

Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.

 

 

Here is the report card from the 49ers’ Week 14 victory:

Rushing offense

Rookie running back Isaac Guerendo popped a 30-yard run in the first half, showing off his 4.33 speed as he turned the corner and got upfield.

Guerendo had two short touchdown runs. He has four touchdown runs on the season to pull into a tie with Brock Purdy for the team lead. Before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a foot injury, Guerendo rushed for 78 yards on 15 carries.

More like I-SIX Guerendo 🙌 pic.twitter.com/aCVz6hzyLS

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) December 8, 2024

Patrick Taylor entered and converted a fourth-down run. He also added a touchdown while rushing seven times for 25 yards. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk had a strong day as a blocker, as the 49ers rushed for 131 yards on 34 attempts.

Grade: A-minus

Passing offense

Quarterback Brock Purdy started strong with long-gainers to running back Isaac Guerendo and tight end George Kittle early on the opening drive. He hit Jauan Jennings on touchdown passes of 7 and 16 yards in the first half.

Kittle was a force in the passing game just one week after he had just one reception for 7 yards against Buffalo. On this day, the Purdy-to-Kittle combination was 6-for-6 for 151 yards.

Kittle is up to 138 receiving yards … in the first half 😳 pic.twitter.com/HsTMG7ucD9

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) December 8, 2024

Guerendo showed his ability to make plays out of the backfield with two catches for 50 yards.

Purdy finished the day with 20 completions on 25 attempts for 325 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 145.4.

Grade: A-minus

Rushing defense

The 49ers’ front seven controlled the game, as Bears running back D’Andre Swift managed only 38 yards on 14 rushing attempts.

De’Vondre Campbell led the 49ers with seven tackles. Talanoa Hufanga, who re-entered the starting lineup from injured reserve, and fellow safety Malik Mustapha registered five tackles apiece.

Grade: A-minus

Passing defense

The 49ers figured to have some opportunities to get after Williams, who entered the game as the league’s most-sacked quarterback. And, indeed, they got to him early and often.

Five of the 49ers’ seven sacks against Williams came on third downs. Another was a fumble that Evan Anderson recovered.

Yetur Gross-Matos came up with a career-high three sacks, while Leonard Floyd had two sacks to take over the team lead from Nick Bosa in that category.

What a game for Yetur Gross-Matos 🫡 pic.twitter.com/JPHdorlolU

— 49ers on NBCS (@NBCS49ers) December 9, 2024

The Bears had just 94 net yards passing. When the game was well out of hand, Williams threw two touchdown passes to rookie Rome Odunze.

Grade: A-minus

Special teams

Neither team got much cooking in the return game. The 49ers’ punter, Pat O’Donnell, had a net 39.0 average on two punts. And return man Jacob Cowing averaged 5.5 yards on four returns.

But the 49ers still found a new way to make mistakes on special teams.

Jake Moody made a short field goal and all of his extra points, but he inexplicably twice booted his kickoffs short of the landing zone. Those miscues gave the Bears possession at the 40-yard line.

Grade: C

Coaching

Coming off back-to-back blowout losses, the coaching staff deserves credit for getting the team to play sharp and with a sense of urgency.

Shanahan was dialing it up on Sunday, as the 49ers carved apart the Bears’ defense with an explosive mixture of run and pass.

The 49ers got on a roll and in the first half and the play-calling fed into that. Chicago’s defense had no answers for what San Francisco was doing.

Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen came up with some different third-down pressure packages that worked against the hesitant rookie quarterback.

The Bears were expected to get the new-coach bump. But the 49ers had a plan on both sides of the ball to bump them aside without much problem.

Grade: A

Overall

Hey, we realize the Bears have proven to be one of the NFL’s worst teams. They are currently on a seven-game losing streak.

But Chicago played some tight games over the past three weeks against Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay — three of the top four teams in the NFC. The Bears lost those games by a combined seven points.

The 49ers never gave Chicago a chance. Nobody could assume the 49ers would win this game after how they looked against Green Bay and Buffalo.

The 49ers were dominant in the first half, and that’s all they needed to put this one away.

Grade: A-minus

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

Related Posts

🔥 BREAKING: TIME UPDATE CONFIRMED: Colts vs. 49ers at Lucas Oil Stadium just shifted, and the new kickoff window is already being talked about like a chess move, not a routine schedule tweak. Fans are connecting dots around preparation rhythms and late game legs, because this timing can quietly change who controls the pace. INSIDE: one overlooked edge is emerging.

The countdown is no longer speculation. The NFL has officially confirmed the kickoff time for the highly anticipated matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the San Francisco…

🔥 BREAKING: TIME UPDATE CONFIRMED: Cowboys vs. Chargers at AT&T Stadium just shifted, and the new kickoff window is already being framed as a hidden lever in how this game will feel and unfold. Fans are reading between the lines, because this timing change affects more than travel and tailgate. INSIDE: one quiet advantage is starting to tilt expectations.

The schedule is locked, the clock is officially set, and one of the most attention drawing matchups of the NFL season is now fully defined. When the…

🔥 BREAKING: TIME UPDATE CONFIRMED: Titans vs. Chiefs at Nissan Stadium just shifted, and the new kickoff window is quietly rewriting how this matchup is being read across the league. One subtle scheduling change is already sparking talk about preparation, crowd rhythm, and a late game edge that does not show up on any stat sheet. INSIDE: the timing twist is creating a storyline nobody expected.

The countdown has officially begun, and the timing could not be more compelling. With the kickoff time now confirmed, the upcoming clash between the Tennessee Titans and…

🔥 BREAKING: TIME UPDATE CONFIRMED: Bears vs. Packers at Soldier Field just moved, and the new slot is already stirring a very specific kind of tension around this rivalry. Fans are calling it a “perfect storm” timing change, and the whispers about who benefits most are getting louder by the hour. INSIDE: one hidden advantage is quietly shifting expectations.

The clock is finally set, and with it comes a familiar tension that never fades. When the Chicago Bears host the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field,…

🚨 INSIDE NFL EMOTIONAL REACTION: Travis Kelce finally broke his silence on the Chiefs’ brutal season and Patrick Mahomes’ devastating injury, offering a raw reaction that revealed frustration, loyalty, and concern far deeper than fans expected. What he shared goes beyond one loss or one setback, hinting at a defining moment for this core and leaving many wondering how this chapter will reshape Kansas City’s future.

Find out what he said.

🚨 DEPTH CHART ALERT: The return of the Cowboys’ 2024 breakout star is quietly changing everything behind the scenes. Coaches are now facing uncomfortable decisions, and Trevon Diggs may no longer be as untouchable as before. What once looked like a strength could soon become a brutal internal battle.

There’s a real chance that Trevon Diggs never plays for the Dallas Cowboys again, especially with a 2024 breakout star returning.