6 Burning Questions Facing the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13

Will the San Francisco 49ers defense finally play hard on the road?

The Niners defense played extra hard in Week 12, holding the top-ranked Arizona Cardinals to just 19 points. But, that was a home game. On the road, the Niners have allowed a league-high 35.2 points per game this season.

In Week 11, the Niners defense simply went through the motions during a road game in Seattle. The only defender who played hard was Eric Reid—a true professional.

Will the rest of Reid’s teammates match his intensity Sunday when the Niners face the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field?

That’s one burning question. Here are five more facing the 49ers in Week 13.

Can the 49ers Stop the Bears’ Running Game?

Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press

Sunday afternoon, the 49ers will face two good running backs—Matt Forte and rookie Jeremy Langford.

Adam Gase, Chicago’s new offensive coordinator, uses the run to set up the pass. According to NFL GSIS, the Bears run the ball 56.4 percent of the time on 1st-and-10 and rank seventh in NFL in overall rushing attempts this season.

The Niners must shut down Forte and Langford to beat Chicago. This season, the Niners have shut down some good running backs such as Adrian Peterson, Devonta Freeman and Chris Johnson. But, San Francisco shut them down at home. On the road, the Niners are allowing a whopping 4.5 yards per carry.

Will Eric Mangini Use a Blitz-Heavy Game Plan?

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

According to Pro Football Focus, 49ers defensive coordinator Eric Mangini blitzed Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer 38 percent of the time he dropped back to pass last week.

This Sunday, Mangini should blitz Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler even more frequently than he blitzed Palmer.

When defenses don’t blitz Cutler this season, he’s great. He completes 69.2 percent of his passes, averages 8.0 yards per pass attempt and has a passer rating of 98.2, per Pro Football Focus.

But when defenses do blitz Cutler, he’s not good. He completes only 52.5 percent of his passes, averages only 6.6 yards per pass attempt and has a passer rating of just 82.5.

Will Mangini keep the pressure on Cutler?

Can Geep Chryst Match Wits with Vic Fangio?

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

From 2011 to 2014, Geep Chryst and Vic Fangio coached together on the 49ers. Chryst was the quarterbacks coach, and Fangio was the defensive coordinator.

Fangio is one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL and now coaches the Bears defense—the Niners let him go this offseason when they parted ways with Jim Harbaugh and most of his coaching staff.

The Niners didn’t part ways with Chryst, though—they promoted him to offensive coordinator. And, he has been terrible. The Niners offense ranks dead last in the league.

The team probably kept the wrong coach.

Now, Chryst is on the hot seat—he may get fired at the end of the season. He may never be an NFL offensive coordinator again. Does he stand a chance this Sunday against his former colleague? Or, will Fangio put him out of business for good?

Will Shaun Draughn Carry the 49ers Offense?

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

The best way to attack the Bears defense is on the ground, not through the air.

This season, the Bears rank second in the league against the pass and 30th in the league against the run. They’re allowing 4.8 yards per carry. Why would an opposing offense do anything other than run the ball against Chicago?

Sunday, the Niners may not have their starting running back, Carlos Hyde—he has a stress fracture in his left foot and hasn’t played since Week 7. But his replacement, Shaun Draughn, has played well for a guy who got cut by the Cleveland Browns earlier this season. He has gained more than 77 yards from scrimmage in all three of his starts with the 49ers.

The Niners should let Draughn carry the offense Sunday. The more he carries the ball, the better the Niners’ chances are of beating the Bears.

Will Blaine Gabbert Play His Best Game of the Season?

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Since becoming the 49ers’ starting quarterback Week 9, Blaine Gabbert has played better than most expected he would.

Gabbert’s quarterback rating after three starts is a respectable 91.0, even though he has faced the Atlanta Falcons, the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals—three of the top-ranked defenses in the NFL.

Chicago’s defense ranks 14th, slightly below those three. Technically, Sunday will be Gabbert’s easiest test of the season.

Gabbert could explode against the Bears. For the first time with the 49ers, he should have a viable running game, and everything is available to an offense that runs the ball well.

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