Photo credit: @NBCS49ers

By: Joe Lami

The final home game of the season is here for the 49ers and their chance of a three-game winning streak is on the line. Unfortunately, they’ll have an extremely tall task in front of them with the NFC North champs in town.

Chicago rolls into Levi’s on Sunday with a 10-4 record, already owning a playoff spot and must win to keep up with LA or New Orleans for a first-round bye.

Their breakout season is powered by their defense, which ranks top-five in nearly every statistical category. After the acquisition of Khalil Mack, they’ve turned into a powerhouse that can compete for the Lombardi Trophy come February.

Mack will return to the Bay Area and face the team that tried to trade for him at the beginning of the year, currently sixth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks. His pass rush leads to a bunch of forced turnovers, as the Bears lead the NFL with 35 takeaways on the year and a +13 differential.

The Niners are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to turnovers. The red and gold defense has just five takeaways all season and is competing with the 1982 Houston Oilers for the least amount of takeaways ever.

Forcing second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky to make an error or two can help the Niners offense that has been decent of late. Trubisky has thrown 12 picks on the year, seventh most in the NFL. The 49ers secondary needs to step up and finish a play.

Nick Mullens is coming off back-to-back 100+ QB rating games. Protecting him is a must, as the Bears pass defense is allowing 227 yards per game, 10th in the NFL and their greatest weakness.

His main target, George Kittle, is continuing a career year. After being the first Niners’ tight end to break the 1,000-yard receiving plateau, he currently stands 10th in the NFL in yards and has earned his Pro Bowl bid.