Bears vs 49ers final score: Chicago scores 21 unanswered to beat San Francisco, 28-20
The San Francisco 49ers were well on their way to starting out 2-0 and winning the home opener in Levi’s Stadium, but then Brandon Marshall and Kyle Fuller took over for the Chicago Bears and scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win 28-20.
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Marshall and Alshon Jeffery were both listed as questionable with an ankle and hamstring injury, respectively, but after checking out fine in pregame warmups were ruled active about 90 minutes prior to kickoff for Chicago, and their presence in the was was immense.
However, the first 45 minutes were looking like Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers were going to win in a rout.
Michael Crabtree caught the first regular season touchdown in Levi’s Stadium three plays after the 49ers blocked a Pat O’Donnell punt on the opening series.
The Bears were on the wrong end of a couple challenges in the first half as Charles Tillman had an interception overturned and The 49ers got a 27-yard field goal from Phil Dawson to make it 10-0 and Martellus Bennett’s completion overturned what would have given the Bears a first down at the San Francisco 20 with 14:02 in the 2nd quarter and down 10.
Chicago settled in near the end of the first half when a 17-yard touchdown from Jay Cutler to Marshall with 13 seconds remaining in the half gave the Bears life heading into the locker room.
The 49ers came out after halftime and marched down the field and picked up one third down after another but the Bears defense held Phil Dawson to his second field goal on the night after the Bears finally got a third down stop on the seven.
On the ensuing the drive the Bears responded with a long drive of their own but finished with a second touchdown to Marshall from five yards out after a 13 play, 80-yard drive that took 7:21.
The game started to shift in the Bears direction after Kyle Fuller intercepted Kaepernick on the first play of the series and Cutler found Bennett one play later to give the Bears a 21-20 lead and 14 unanswered points in 21 seconds.
Fuller was playing for the injured Tillman who left with what appeared to be a serious triceps injury. He was the Bears first round pick in the draft and proved worthy of the selection when he intercepted his second pass on the following series and four plays later Cutler found Marshall for the third time to give the Bears a 28-20 lead.
The Bears got the game-clinching defensive stop in the final 75 seconds after a fourth-down pass went incomplete in the end zone.
Cutler finished 23-od-24 with 176 yards and four touchdowns with 48 yards going to Marshall and 47 going to Jeffery. Bennett led the team with seven receptions as Matt Forte found very little running against the 49ers defense and finished with 21 yards on 12 carries.
Kaepernick had three interceptions, lost a fumble and was sacked three times, finishing with 194 yards and a touchdown. San Francisco also committed 16 penalties as they were as much to blame for the loss as Marshall and Cutler who showed tremendous poise after taking a big shot to his rips.
This win could do wonders for the Bears psyche moving forward after a significant road win against a team the caliber of San Francisco.
The Bears lost Tillman, Jeremiah Ratliff to a concussion and Chris Conte to a shoulder injury as the win did come at a cost, and the 49ers lost Vernon Davis to an ankle. None of the players returned.