We all know that feeling of waiting for what seems like forever for a sequel to a beloved movie or a new season of a favorite show to come out. That's what it's felt like for Chicago Bears fans since Matt Eberflus was fired on the day after Thanksgiving. We can't wait to see the Bears play football again, and on Sunday, we'll finally get the chance.
If it seems obvious to say that Bears fans love to watch the Bears, you haven't been paying attention for the past ... three years? Ten years? Thirty years? This is as loyal a fanbase as there is, one that loves its team despite being given precious few reasons to do so for a long time. We want to love the Bears, but they just won't always let us.
This season, with all of its end-of-game, soul-stealing moments, has been an even more trying one than Bears fans are used to, but now that Eberflus is out, there's genuine optimism that the Bears can finally get on the right track as an organization. That positivity is, of course, tempered by the terrifying possibility that the Bears will also screw up the next hire, but now isn't the time for fear. Bears fans already experienced the "It's so over" part of the fan curve. Now it's time for "We're so back."
When the NFL released its schedule earlier this year, Bears fans thought that this late-season matchup with the San Francisco 49ers would carry playoff implications for both teams. Unfortunately, that isn't the case, but it should be a very entertaining game.
Just like so many defending Super Bowl runner-ups before them, the Niners have had the proverbial season from hell. The team has been decimated by injuries all year, but despite being bruised and battered and riding a three-game losing streak, Kyle Shanahan's team is still only two games out of the NFC West lead. San Fran may be without Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk and others, but it still has a lot to play for.
The Bears will be motivated as well, despite being all but eliminated from the playoff picture. Interim head coach Thomas Brown has made a positive first impression off the field, but now it's time to see if he can do what Matt Eberflus couldn't and win some games.
The final nail in Eberflus' coffin as Bears head coach was when he lost the locker room. Players such as Jaylon Johnson made their displeasure known, and will now have the chance to prove that it really was Eberflus that was holding this team back all along.
The Bears and Niners are just 9-16 combined, but this figures to be one of the most entertaining and interesting games of the weekend. Let's make three bold predictions for how it will go.
Bold prediction No. 1: Rome Odunze will have his best game of the season
There are a lot of mouths to feed in the Chicago offense. This has kept Rome Odunze from putting up historic rookie numbers like Puka Nacua did for the Rams last year, but there's more than enough tape to show that the Bears were smart to take the former Washington receiver with the ninth overall pick in the draft.
Odunze is technically behind both DJ Moore and Keenan Allen on the team's depth chart, but it's clear that he's the future number one receiver on this team. He not only has the size, speed, route-running and hands to be a big-time player, he also already has the trust of Caleb Williams, who has turned to him in big spots repeatedly throughout the season.
There have been two games in which Odunze has really popped, and they were both on the road. In a Week 3 loss against the Colts he caught six balls for 112 yards and his only touchdown of the season, and his five catches for 104 yards was the lone bright spot in one of the Bears' worst games of the season, a 29-9 loss at Arizona in Week 9.
Odunze grew up on the West Coast. He was born in Utah, grew up in Las Vegas and starred at the University of Washington. It's safe to say that he likes playing in the Pacific time zone, which is one reason why I think he's going to go off this week, especially if DJ Moore can't play with his quad injury.
Moore has yet to practice this week, and Keenan Allen isn't 100 percent either with a sore ankle. Odunze is already averaging over seven targets per game since the Bears' bye week (and just under nine since Brown took over playcalling duties), and that number could skyrocket if he's given a larger role.
Caleb Williams has thrown for over 270 yards per game since Thomas Brown replaced Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator. Brown will continue to call the plays even after being named interim head coach. The Bears have nothing to lose at this point of the season, so expect Caleb to let it fly again, with Odunze going for eight catches, 125 yards and a touchdown.
Bold prediction No. 2: This game will be a shootout
This prediction goes hand-in-hand with the first one, but there's more to it than just the Caleb-to-Rome connection. The Niners have been gashed on the ground lately, with Josh Jacobs of the Packers and James Cook of the Bills each rushing for over 100 yards on them in the past two weeks.
Like DJ Moore, D'Andre Swift missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday as he tends to a quad injury, but with Roschon Johnson still in the league's concussion protocol and Khalil Herbert traded away to the Bengals, it would be surprising if he wasn't able to play.
Swift needs 296 yards rushing in the Bears' final five games to finish with 1,000 on the season for the second time in his career, and 345 to break his own personal best. This matchup could get him well on his way.
On the other side of the ball, it's going to be verrrry interesting indeed to see what effect losing Matt Eberflus has on the defense. Eberflus' major failing was as an in-game decision maker, but his defense, for the most part, has been good. Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon are two players that weren't exactly in Eberflus' corner, and now it's time for them to show that this defense can succeed without him.
I believe in Johnson, Gordon and the rest of the players on the Bears D, but the secondary is banged up, especially at safety, where Jaquan Brisker is still on IR, Elijah Hicks looks unlikely to play again, and Kevin Byard has been limited with a shoulder injury. Eberflus called all the defensive plays before, but now that responsibility falls to defensive coordinator Eric Washington.
The Niners have been in a rut offensively, which is no surprise when you consider the massive toll that injuries have taken. San Fran has been held to 10 points in back-to-back weeks in blowout losses, but Kyle Shanahan is too good an offensive mind for that to continue.
Isaac Guerendo, the team's third string running back, is set to get the start with McCaffrey and backup Jordan Mason out. Guerendo, a fourth-round rookie out of Louisville, is an unknown quantity, but just how those old Denver Broncos teams (coached by Kyle's dad Mike, not coincidentally) could plug in any back and get a strong return on the ground, I expect the Niners to be able to run the ball effectively, especially since the Bears' rushing defense has regressed this season.
If I was a Niners fan, I'd be concerned about the possibility that Trent Williams doesn't play. George Kittle and Deebo Samuel should at least give Brock Purdy someone to throw to, though, and Samuel especially is a guy that can get the ball in a variety of ways that don't involve Purdy needing to hang in the pocket.
The Bears are going to score in this game, and the Niners will need to keep pace. The over/under is 44.5 according to FanDuel, and there's -115 juice on the under. This is just one man's opinion, but the over is a great bet.
Bold prediction No. 3: The Bears will finally close out a game in the final minutes
Bears fans are tired of seeing the stats that highlight Matt Eberflus' ineptitude. The grisly road record, the unfathomably lopsided record in close games, the numerous instances when the Bears lost despite having a 90 percent win probability — we're done with all of it.
While it would be incredible to march into Levi's Stadium and beat the metaphorical denim pants off of the 49ers, the best way to turn the page on the Eberflus era is to actually win a close game. Bears fans have had a pit of dread hovering in their stomachs during every fourth quarter for over a month now, and to stave off the onset of tens of thousands of ulcers in the Chicagoland area and around the country, the Bears need to be in a close game and find a way to come out on top.
I think they will. This locker room was so fed up with Eberflus' schtick that the players would love nothing more than to prove that he really was the one holding them back. Thomas Brown's offense will continue to click, and his leadership style will resonate with the veterans that are sick of losing.
Though the Niners will be playing with the desperation one would expect from a team whose season is on the ropes, the Bears are still catching them at a good time thanks to San Fran's cavalcade of injuries. Kyle Shanahan's offense will keep pace, but in the end, Caleb Williams will lead the Bears down the field for the fourth week in a row with the game on the line, and this time Cairo Santos will come through after Brown uses all of the clock to get in close for a game-winning chip shot. 30-27 Bears.
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