Bears vs. 49ers: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers took wildly different paths last week, neither of which felt quite right, as they now head into a clash under the national spotlight of Sunday Night Football.

After one of the league's most tumultuous offseasons, San Francisco hit the road and stole a win in Dallas. They were supposed to lose given the wild ride to that point, right?

Chicago, at home no less, saw Buffalo barge in to Soldier Field, embarrass a new-look defense and leave with a win. But after upgrades on defense and MVP hype for quarterback Jay Cutler, the Bears were supposed to win that game. Right?

It all gets sorted out under the watchful eye of the globe Sunday. San Francisco will look to impose its will on the ground, while Chicago attempts the same through the air—both against defenses with more questions than answers.

What's not to like?

Defenses with Everything to Prove

Chicago fielded one of the worst defenses in the league last season, especially thanks to the laughably bad linebacker play that marred most of the campaign.

Coach Marc Trestman and the front office attempted to improve upon this issue with additions in the trenches such as ends Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston. Really, the combo of Jay Ratliff and Stephen Paea, backed by talented rookies Ego Ferguson and Will Sutton, figured to do the trick—on paper.

Instead, the once-dominant Bears defense went out in Week 1 against Buffalo and allowed 193 yards on the ground and let three different backs register more than 50 yards apiece.

For linebacker Lance Briggs, this week's matchup subsequently means everything for the unit.

“This week is [about] proving people wrong,” Briggs said, per Mark Potash of Suntimes.com. “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.”

The unit has a tough task ahead, to say the least. As Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle points out, San Francisco's offense gets a shot at two rather similar defenses in consecutive weeks based on recent history:

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick had no issue going for 201 yards and a pair of scores against Dallas, while the combo of Frank Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde rumbled for a combined 116 yards and a touchdown.

The San Francisco defense has questions of its own, though. These don't stem necessarily from performance—the unit picked off Tony Romo three times, one of which went back for a score—but overall health at critical spots.

Safety Jimmie Ward and corners Tramaine Brock and Chris Culliver went down with injuries last week, which forced defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's hand.

“It affected the way we called the game, and it affected who was playing,” Fangio said, per Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “We had some packages up where we were going to play six DBs at a time, and obviously that got wiped out kind of early.”

As the injury report notes, a handful of those names figure to be back in action against Chicago, but at what percentage health-wise is the biggest question of all—the secondary has to find a way to shut down the Bears' elite set of wideouts Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, who combined for 13 receptions, 142 yards and a touchdown last week.

Which unit can overcome its hurdles to slow prolific offenses gives the team as a whole a major advantage Sunday night.

New Digs, Old Foes

Like it or not, much of the attention Sunday will go toward the field itself rather than those who will partake in the action on its surface.

The contest marks the first time the 49ers play in their new home, Levi's Stadium. Of course, the powers in charge of the schedule picked out a classic rivalry to celebrate the festivities, as the 49ers illustrate on Twitter: 

Expect plenty of in-depth looks at the stadium itself during the NBC broadcast, but understand that the historical implications on the field dwarf what sort of hot dogs a stadium sponsored by a pair of jeans happens to sell.

For example, the very first win for the 49ers at their previous establishment came against these same Bears, as noted by Zach Zaidman of CBS 2 Chicago:

Conversely, Chicago surely wants to end a lengthy streak that may set the team on a special journey, as the broadcast's Twitter account details:

Normally, a Week 2 contest would not carry such weight, but the NFL has found a way to create plenty of warranted interest and storylines for this one.

In other words, don't miss out.

When: Sunday, September 14, 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Watch: NBC

Betting Info: (via Odds Shark)

• Over/Under: 48.5
• Spread: San Francisco (-7)

Team Injury Reports

Name	Position	Status
Alshon Jeffery	WR	Questionable
Brandon Marshall	WR	Questionable

Name	Position	Status
Jimmie Ward	S	Probable
Tramaine Brock	CB	Probable

Injury info will be updated once released, via ESPN.com.

Prediction

San Francisco is favored by a full touchdown for good reason.

The new stadium is obviously going to bring with it a deafening crowd, so the usual home-field advantage is amplified when one looks to diagnose the matchup.

Kaepernick and the 49ers showed well enough last week against a bad team in a performance that saw pretty much everyone get in on the action. A unit that features a pair of strong backs and a wildly deep wideout corps with Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree and Stevie Johnson make the task for Chicago's reeling unit all but impossible.

The Chicago offense is potent, yes, but silent counts in a noisy new stadium will prove messy. More than anything, the unit's inability to pull away from Buffalo at home speaks volumes as to the struggles it will encounter in a sloppy affair Sunday night.

Prediction: 49ers 24, Bears 14

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).