Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers preview, predictions, betting odds, live stream info
By Jack Crosby
Chicago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers
In the Sunday night match up on NBC for Week 2 of the NFL season, the Chicago Bears will go on the road to help the San Francisco 49ers open up Levi’s Stadium for the first time in regular season action. The Bears come into this one with a record of 0-1 on the season, suffering what many consider to be an upset last week at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. The 49ers come in at 1-0 on the season, following their dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1.
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Details for Sunday’s game are below:
Date: September 14
Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: San Francisco, CA
Stadium: Levi’s Stadium
TV Info: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Radio: For Bears radio, click here. For 49ers radio, click here.
Ticket Information: For 49ers ticket info, click here. For Bears ticket info, click here.
Keys to Victory
After what was a somewhat disappointing preseason, the 49ers were about as effective as could possibly be all around in their Week 1 win over the Cowboys. The defense was on point, picking off Tony Romo three times. We have all see throughout his career that Bears QB Jay Cutler could become turnover prone on occasions, and if the Niners defense can get into his head early and often, then they could be on the fast track to the win.
Offensively, if they can keep the balance they had last week against the Cowboys against a Bears defense that allowed 360 yards to the Bills, they could easily walk away with this one. Last week against Dallas, Colin Kaepernick and the offense racked up 319 yards of total offense, with 127 coming on the ground and 192 through the air.
While it was narrow, the Bears dropped their opener to a Bills team that, at this point early in the season, isn’t seen as a solid all-around team. The aforementioned turnover issues from Cutler showed, as he threw two interceptions to his two touchdowns. Against a much better defense in San Francisco, he has to take better care of the ball, or this could get away from he and the Bears right off the bat, just like what happened to Dallas last week.
Defensively, they frankly need to stop the run better. Last week against Buffalo they allowed nearly 200 yards on the ground, a stat that veteran running back Frank Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde are licking their chops at. They need to not allow the Niners to control the ball on the ground, setting up Kaepernick to basically do whatever he wants when he drops back off the play-action.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: San Francisco -7.5
Moneyline: San Francisco -290, Chicago 245
O/U: 51
Prediction
The 49ers offense last week against Dallas looked about as on point and balanced as it has ever been during this current run they’re on. The Bears defense, meanwhile, looked little like a traditional Bears defense at times during their loss to the Bills last week.
However, the 49ers went against a Dallas defense with a lot of question marks, and we’ve seen in the past how quickly this Bears defense can come together, and they should be much improved this week.
But in the end, the Niners should be able to control the ball on the ground just enough to create some good opportunities for Kaepernick throughout down the field.
Final Score: 49ers 21, Bears 17