Biggest Takeaways from Chicago Bears' Week 13 Loss

Wins are hard to come by in the NFL, and the Chicago Bears learned that the hard way in their 26-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13.

The Bears struggled on offense in the first half, but they were able to claim a 20-13 lead late in the fourth quarter before the 49ers stormed down the field and tied the game up on a touchdown run by quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

Chicago had a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter, but kicker Robbie Gould missed a game-winning field goal, and San Francisco was able to claim the victory in overtime on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Gabbert to wide receiver Torrey Smith.

After taking down the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving night at Lambeau Field, the Bears had momentum on their side, but head coach John Fox admitted on Sunday the team cannot get caught up in the past.

"It really isn't what you've done last week, it's what have you done for me lately in this league," said Fox, per ChicagoBears.com's Larry Mayer. "You've got to be ready every week and you've got to perform at a high level. We came up a little short today."

Sunday's loss dropped the Bears to 5-7 on the season, and they are just 1-5 at home in 2015. Chicago will host the Washington Redskins in Week 14 at Soldier Field.

What are our takeaways from Chicago's loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13?

Matt Forte Is Still an Important Part of Chicago's Offense

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Rookie running back Jeremy Langford became the talk of the town in Chicago after stringing together three solid performances in starter Matt Forte's absence earlier this year, but Forte proved against San Francisco he is still an important part of Chicago's offense.

Forte returned to the lineup against the Packers on Thanksgiving after missing three games with a knee injury, and he carried the ball 14 times for 44 yards and caught one pass for nine yards. On Sunday against the 49ers, Forte carried the ball 21 times for 84 yards with one touchdown and caught five passes for 39 yards.

The veteran running back and Langford had nearly a 50-50 split in carries in Week 12 against Green Bay with Langford receiving 12 carries to Forte's 14, but Forte received 21 carries on Sunday, while Langford carried the ball just 12 times.

Forte is an integral part of Chicago's offense because of his versatility. He has the ability to pound the football inside or outside the tackles, he is a reliable receiver out of the backfield and can line up as a wide receiver and he is reliable in pass protection. 

Langford has proven this season that he has the breakaway speed and acceleration to make plays in the open field, but he has struggled with drops and in pass protection in recent weeks.

Forte is currently in the final year of his deal in Chicago, and he admitted late last week that he does not think the Bears will be offering him an extension anytime soon.

"There's nothing I can do, really, except play football," Forte said on NFL Total Access, per Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. "The decision on whether I stay or whether I go is not really up to me. It's whether I get offered a contract extension, which I haven't been offered one and doesn't really look like it (will happen)."

Even though his future beyond this season in Chicago is in doubt, Forte proved on Sunday he is still an important part of the team's offense.

Robbie Gould Missed Two Key Field Goals

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Gould has been one of the league's best kickers since joining the Bears back in 2006, but he missed two key field goals against San Francisco in Week 13.

The former Penn State Nittany Lion connected on his first two field-goal attempts of the game on Sunday, but he missed a 40-yard attempt in the middle of the third quarter that would have given the Bears a 16-13 lead. 

Following a 74-yard kickoff return from Deonte Thompson with less than two minutes left on the clock and the game tied 20-20, the Bears were able to run the clock down with their running game to set up a game-winning 36-yard field-goal attempt for Gould with just two seconds left on the clock.

New long snapper Patrick Scales delivered a solid snap to holder Pat O'Donnell, but Gould missed the field goal wide left as time expired. Chicago struggled to move the ball on its only possession in overtime before the 49ers won the game on Gabbert's long touchdown pass to Smith.

After the game, Gould took the blame for his misses.

"There's no excuse for it," Gould said, per Tony Andracki of CSNChicago.com. "I just didn't get it done today. I feel terrible. I have a job to do and I didn't do that today."

Scales had some questionable snaps early in the game on both punts and field goals, but his snaps on Gould's misses were both clean.

"This one falls on me and my shoulders," Gould said, per Andracki. "I feel bad for my teammates because I didn't do the job that I'm supposed to do."

Gould has now missed five field-goal attempts this season, all of which have come in Chicago's last six games.

Chicago's Pass Rush Showed Up for Second Week in a Row

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Willie Young (97) finished with 1.5 sacks on Sunday afternoon.

In Week 12 against the Packers, Chicago sacked quarterback Aaron Rodgers twice, and according to Pro Football Focus, the defense finished the game with four quarterback hits and 20 quarterback hurries.

On Sunday against the 49ers, the Bears sacked Gabbert four times and finished the game with seven quarterback hits.

Rookie nose tackle Eddie Goldman led the way with two sacks, and the former Florida State Seminole was a force up the middle all afternoon for Chicago. He consistently exploded off the snap of the football, and he also did a nice job of using his hands to gain leverage against San Francisco's interior offensive linemen.

After recording sacks in back-to-back games against the Denver Broncos and Packers, outside linebacker Willie Young logged 1.5 sacks against the 49ers. Like Goldman, Young showed off his explosiveness throughout the afternoon, and he used his hands well to get opposing offensive linemen off balance.

Young looked uncomfortable at times at outside linebacker earlier in the season after making the transition from 4-3 defensive end, but he has looked like a different player in recent weeks. In addition to making plays as a pass-rusher, Young has also been reliable when asked to drop back in coverage.

Five-technique defensive end Jarvis Jenkins notched the team's other half sack on Sunday, and the veteran lineman was a solid contributor against both the run and the pass in Week 13.

Outside linebacker Lamarr Houston did not record a sack or a quarterback hit against San Francisco, but he did a nice job of forcing Gabbert off his spot throughout the afternoon.

While the pass rush did a nice job of applying pressure to Gabbert throughout the game, it failed to contain the former first-round quarterback on a 44-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

“Rush lanes, bad rush lanes,” explained outside linebacker Pernell McPhee about Gabbert's long run, per ChicagoFootball.com's Arthur Arkush. “We know we have to do a better job of containing him, because he’s pretty fast. We just gave up a big old rush lane in the middle there, and he saw it and he took off.”

Chicago's pass rush has had its share of ups and downs this season, but it has shown in recent weeks that it has the ability to put consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

QB Jay Cutler Looked out of Sorts

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Quarterback Jay Cutler has been playing some of the best football of his career this season under offensive coordinator Adam Gase, but he struggled with his timing and decision-making in Chicago's loss.

Cutler completed 18 of his 31 passing attempts for 202 yards, and he threw one interception that was returned for a touchdown in the first quarter by San Francisco defensive back Jimmie Ward. 

The passing game was out of sync throughout much of the afternoon, and Cutler admitted after the game the offense needs to improve.

“We’ve got to play better offensively. That starts with me,” Cutler said after the game, per ChicagoFootball.com's Kevin Fishbain. “I know for a fact we’re not going to like watching the film tomorrow.”

Chicago's offense did a nice job of moving the football on the ground with Forte and Langford, but Gase failed to counter San Francisco's attempts to stack the box against the run by using play action and rolling Cutler out of the pocket.

In recent weeks, the former first-round quarterback has done a great job of stepping up in the pocket or moving laterally to avoid pressure, but he struggled with his mechanics at times on Sunday when he tried to roll out of the pocket.

Cutler was slammed to the ground in the fourth quarter by 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt, and Fox later admitted Cutler underwent tests for a concussion on the sidelines.

"John Fox says Jay Cutler did go through (and passed) the concussion protocol after he was thrown to the ground on a sack," tweeted Fishbain after the game.

On the possession following Tartt's hard hit on Cutler, the veteran quarterback completed all three of his passing attempts for 63 yards before running back Ka'Deem Carey scored the go-ahead touchdown on a run to the left of the formation.

Cutler finished the game with a 64.2 quarterback rating—his lowest of the season—and he did not look like the quarterback who has played so well in recent weeks.

Bears Need Another Receiver to Step Up to Take Pressure off Alshon Jeffery

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When healthy this season, Alshon Jeffery has been Chicago's best wide receiver, but the team needs another receiver to step up to help take pressure off the former second-round pick.

Jeffery has hauled in 47 catches for 690 yards with two touchdowns in just seven games this season, and he caught four passes for 85 yards against the 49ers in Week 13. He was targeted 12 times in the passing game by Cutler, but San Francisco did its best to slow down the former Pro Bowl receiver by keeping a safety on his side of the field throughout the game.

Chicago was without veteran receiver Eddie Royal and third-year man Marquess Wilson on Sunday, leaving Joshua Bellamy, Marc Mariani and Cameron Meredith as Cutler's top options behind Jeffery.

Mariani came up with a big third-down catch in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 33 yards on two receptions, while Bellamy made just one catch for 16 yards on four targets. Meredith played sparingly on offense and was not targeted by Cutler on Sunday.

Mariani has proven to be a solid option on occasion out of the slot this season, but the Bears need a receiver to step up to take some of the burden off of Jeffery.

There is a chance Royal and Wilson could both return to the lineup in Week 14 when Chicago takes on Washington, and the team may have an opportunity to get a look at 2015 first-round pick Kevin White in the coming weeks if he can prove he has recovered from offseason shin surgery.

On Sunday, White was seen on the field running routes before the game.

"Kevin White just finished a workout at Soldier Field, which included running routes and catching passes from Jay Cutler," tweeted Adam Hoge of WGNRadio.com on Sunday morning.

White participated in minicamps and OTAs over the summer, but he suffered a shin injury just before training camp and was forced to have surgery before the start of the season. The Bears put the former West Virginia star on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list before the year began, and they have until December 15 to either activate him or place him on injured reserve.

The Bears have not said much about White's potential return, but his presence on the field could help take some of the pressure off Jeffery in the final few weeks of the season.

Statistical information courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.

Matt Eurich is a Chicago Bears featured columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Follow @MattEurich.