San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) is outnumbered and tackled in first half action by the Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith (58) and defensive lineman Dominique Robinson (91) at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sun Sep 11, 2022 (AP News photo)
by Marko Ukalovic
A monsoon of mother nature and a tight lipped defense spoiled the season opener for the San Francisco 49ers.
The Chicago Bears took advantage of the weather and costly turnovers as they upset the the scarlet and gold 19-10 on a miserable wet Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
On a day where the heavens opened up and were relentless, the field made things difficult for both teams dealing with a drenched field. Penalties and turnovers were detrimental to San Francisco’s ability to overcome the weather.
San Francisco’s defense was dominant in the first half as they forced Justin Fields and the Bears offense into numerous three and outs.
Talanoa Hufanga intercepted Fields on the Bears second possession as he read the deep ball over the middle where Fields overthrew his receiver.
The 49ers (0-1) drew first blood in the second quarter. Hybrid receiver-back Deebo Samuel concluded a seven play, 52-yard drive when he rushed for a six-yards touchdown on an end around handoff from quarterback Tre Lance.
Samuel had fumbled the ball on the 49ers first drive that was the beginning of the missed opportunities San Francisco experienced throughout the game.
Chicago (1-0) tried for a field goal just before halftime but were flagged when they used a towel on the field to try sop up some of the water, which is illegal to do. The 15-yard penalty took them out of field goal range and then ended up punting to end the half.
San Francisco started the second half off with a promising drive. However, it stalled at the Bears 18-yard line as Lance was sacked on third down and they had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Robbie Gould instead of being able to double its lead.
“You don’t win a lot of games when you miss those opportunities to put a game away. Not to take anything away from them (Chicago), I’m disappointed in some of the silly mistakes we did to ourselves,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game.
The second half was a flip of the script. Chicago’s defense became the dominating force and didn’t allow San Francisco to score the rest of the game.
The Bears’ offense came alive late in the third quarter. Fields made a play where he scrambled out of the pocket to the right then to the left before finding a wide open Dante Pettis down the right sideline. Pettis raced in the rest of the way for a 51-yard touchdown reception to cut the lead to 10-7.
Chicago gained its first lead early in the fourth quarters. Fields led a 10 play 84-yard drive when he found Equanimeous St. Brown for an 18-yard touchdown with 12:45 remaining. Kicker Cairo Santos missed the extra point as the Bears led 13-10.
Lance was intercepted by Eddie Jackson on the next 49ers’ possession when he telegraphed a pass over the middle intended for Jauan Jennnings. Jackson returned the ball 26 yards to the 49ers 21 yard line.
Chicago cashed in the turnover when Khalil Herbert rushed for a three-yard touchdown to put the game out of reach despite Santos second missed extra point.
“Whenever you let a team hang around, it’s not gonna be good,” offensive tackle Trent Williams said.
It was a difficult game for Lance, who finished 13 of 28 for 164 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Lance led the team in rushing with 54 yards on 13 carries. His best carry was on a 3rd and 13 where he rushed for 13 yards to get the first down.
Jennings led San Francisco in receiving with four catches for 62 yards. Both Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk only had two catches a piece respectively.
Field finished the game 8 of 17 for 121 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also added 28 yards on the ground.
GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 8-for-17 on third down conversions. Chicago was 5-for-14.
INJURY UPDATE: San Francisco suffered two keys injuries during the game. Running back Elijah Mitchell left the game in the first half with a knee injury. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter and also didn’t return. Both player will be evaluated on Monday.
UP NEXT: San Francisco returns to Santa Clara for their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday 9/18 at 1:05pm at Levi’s Stadium.
Sports Radio Service 