Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers: Breaking Down the Bears' Game Plan

There is a time and a place for everything.

This Sunday, the Chicago Bears could be meeting the San Francisco 49ers at the right time and place.

Coming off an embarrassing Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Bears are entering this week with a cloud of uncertainty hanging over head. Whether it be the play of Jay Cutler or the continued struggles of Chris Conte, everyone will be watching very, very closely.

Luckily for Chicago, San Francisco is also dealing with its fair share of issues.

Despite the 49ers winning their opening-week game over the Dallas Cowboys in blowout fashion, Jim Harbaugh’s team is currently dealing with a plethora of injuries at key positions. On top of that, Sunday night will mark the first game ever played at Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers’ new home field.

Here's a fun fact: The Bears beat the Indianapolis Colts in the first game played at Lucas Oil Stadium.

There will be a lot of hubbub surrounding the stadium opening. And it could be a distraction for the home team. The 49ers' focus will be tested against a Bears team that needs to right the ship after a rocky start.  

Bears Offense vs. 49ers Defense

Right now, the Bears’ offense matches up very well with a defense that has been one of the NFL’s best in recent years.

The key to success for Marc Trestman’s offense lies with its wide receivers. Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery will likely be squaring off against the 49ers’ third and fourth cornerbacks, Parrish Cox and rookie Dontae Johnson, unless Tramaine Brock and Chris Culliver are cleared before kickoff.

This bodes well for the Bears, as does the fact that stud defensive end Aldon Smith won’t play due to a suspension.

While Cox and Johnson, statistically speaking, weren’t all that bad in the win over Dallas, the receivers they went up against, aside from Dez Bryant, are no Marshall or Jeffery.

Cox played 64 snaps last week and was targeted three times, allowing two receptions for 65 yards, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). One of those completions went for a 56-yard gain to Dwayne Harris.

Johnson was on the field for 47 snaps. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo clearly made a point to target the rookie. Romo threw Johnson’s way seven times, completing three passes for 28 yards and a touchdown.

Assuming Jeffery can play at 100 percent, the Bears’ passing game should be able to put up some numbers against this injured secondary. His health is still in question, though, after he missed the final 37 plays last week due to a hamstring injury.

Expect Trestman to use Marshall and Jeffery on the same side of the field quite often, lined up next to one another or in some sort of “trips” formation. This opens the door for the Bears’ physical receivers to get an edge against San Francisco’s man-coverage scheme.

Martellus Bennett could be asked to step up if Jeffery can’t go or is limited. Bennett had one of his best games as a Bear last week against Buffalo. The tight end caught eight passes on 10 targets for 70 yards and a touchdown. Cutler clearly felt comfortable using Bennett as a go-to option, especially when Marshall and Jeffery both were off the field late in the game.

Bennett will find himself with some tough matchups, though. The 49ers’ linebackers are among the best in the game; Cowboys tight end Jason Witten only caught two passes on six targets last week for a whopping total of 16 yards. Witten definitely was stymied.

Lining up Bennett in different places could prove to be successful for the Bears. Bennett’s 6'6" frame will be a matchup problem down the field for whichever corner or safety San Francisco throws at him.

The Bears lack pass-catching depth, though. So the team could be in trouble if Jeffery has a misstep or Marshall re-injures his ankle. A lot would be asked of veteran Santonio Holmes, who has only spent a few weeks in this offense.

Another area the Bears might hold an edge is in the run game. Matt Forte arguably was the Bears’ best player last week, even though Trestman called 51 pass plays to just 18 runs. Forte finished with 169 total yards (82 rush, 87 receiving) on 25 touches (17 runs, eight catches).

Last week, Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray gashed the 49ers’ defense for 118 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown, with 76 of those yards coming on runs to the right side, according to PFF.

The Bears’ offensive line showed no signs of weakness last week after losing left guard Matt Slauson and center Roberto Garza. Running behind right guard Kyle Long and right tackle Jordan Mills could play into the Bears’ favor. Forte typically runs the best behind Long and Mills.

Here Are the Keys on Offense for the Bears:

1. Limit turnovers—obvious.

2. A well-balanced offense: The only way to keep San Francisco’s defense on its heels is by featuring balance.

3. Play physical in passing game: Marshall, Jeffery and Bennett should be able to create space for themselves by playing physical football near the line of scrimmage.

4. Long drives, long drives, long drives: The best way to keep the defense from losing the game is to keep the offense on the field.

Bears Defense vs. 49ers Offense

This is the matchup that will make or break the game for the Bears. If Mel Tucker’s squad can limit the 49ers to 24 points or less, the Bears should win this game. Should is a funny word, though. The Bears should have beaten the Bills last week, and we all know how that turned out.

Buffalo rushed the ball 33 times on 57 plays, using formations that forced the Bears to play out of the nickel package more frequently than they were comfortable with. This forced Tucker to play with one less linebacker and one more cornerback. San Francisco has two big, strong running backs in Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde. If Harbaugh mimics what Buffalo did, watch out once again.

Tackling could be an issue, too. The Bears couldn't tackle anything last week, as was evident by Fred Jackson completely bowling over Chris Conte on a long gain that set up the Bills’ game-winning field goal (see below).

The Bears couldn't tackle last season, either. Opposing back made it through the line without being touched far too often, which then forced those at the back end to come up and make open-field tackles against a rusher who was barreling toward them with a full head of steam. It’s a recipe for disaster, and that’s exactly what we saw last week against the Bills.

Linebacker Lance Briggs said Wednesday, via the Chicago Sun-Times:

"

This week is [about] proving people wrong. A lot of people don’t think we can stop the run. But when we turn the [game] tape on, it’s a very different outlook than what everybody else sees. We lost to a team we really shouldn't have. Defensively we were a couple of plays away from playing the type of defense we really want to play.

"

While Gore and Hyde are dynamic backs, the Bears will likely struggle more defending quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The fourth-year pro has the green light to leave the pocket whenever he wants, and he’s even better when he moves the pocket, which is something the Bears really struggle against.

You saw what EJ Manuel did to them last week. Manuel displayed athleticism, zone reads and well-designed misdirection plays. Kaepernick is twice the quarterback that Manuel is at this stage of his career.

There is no way this Bears defense will be able to completely shut down every facet of the 49ers’ offense, so the goal should be to keep Kaepernick quiet.

If the Bears can keep Kaepernick contained behind the line of scrimmage with pressure, keep their defensive gaps and play disciplined football, they might just stand a chance.

Let Kaepernick beat you using his arm, not his legs. The Bears should try to key in on the 49ers’ zone-option scheme by using a linebacker to spy, spy, spy. What the 49ers do on offense is like a super-charged version of what the Bills do with Manuel under center.

The Bears defense didn't fare all that poorly against the Bills if you eliminate the big run gains of 47 and 38 yards. Buffalo would have been under three yards per carry. The game’s result would have looked much different, too. Tucker said Wednesday, via CBSChicago.com:

"

We don’t foresee any type of changes in our lineup. As the game plan unfolds and we settle upon whatever packages we want to play, they we’ll know a little bit more at the end of the week. We feel good about the guys they had, how much play time they got, what they did.

"

But Kaepernick is turning himself into a pretty solid passer. Last week, he completed 16-of-23 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Eleven of his 16 completions went for first downs.

To win this game, better efforts will be needed from defensive end Jared Allen, every linebacker on the roster—especially Briggs—and half the secondary. Ends Lamarr Houston and Willie Young were hands down the best line players on the field last Sunday. Expect Young to see quite a bit more action.

Here are the Keys on Defense for the Bears:

1. Got to tackle better: Six tackles were missed last week, a few of which led to huge gains on the ground.

2. Play disciplined football: The Bears need to take what the 49ers give them, and not try to freelance against the spread option.

3. Spy on Kaep: This is the one player who can single-handedly ruin this game for the Bears. Put one person in charge of his whereabouts at all times.

4. Give Willie Young more snaps.

Final Thoughts

Playing in San Francisco hasn't turned out well for the Bears of late. In the last eight road games, dating back to 1987, the Bears have been outscored 271-49. The last time the Bears played in San Francisco was back in 2012, when Kaepernick completed 16 of 23 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns in his NFL debut. The 49ers won that game 37-2. Ouch.

Briggs remembers the night and so does Allen, who wasn't even on the team at the time.

This is a winnable game for the Bears. No team wants to drop into an 0-2 hole with a tough schedule ahead. No doubt, the stakes will be high in this Week 2 matchup.

Thanks, Lance. That's good to know.

Bears 28, 49ers 31