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On Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers were defeated 19-10 by the Chicago Bears while playing in horrendously bad field conditions at Soldier Field. Here are some takeaways from the 49ers' Week 1 loss to the Bears.
Everything that could go wrong did for the 49ers in this 2022 season opener in Chicago. They led by ten points at halftime, but the Bears scored 19 unanswered points in the second half to earn a season-opening victory. It was plainly an epic collapse by San Francisco that included fumbles, penalties, and all the variables that factor into NFL tragedies.
Naturally, everyone's knives are out and sharpened. Niners critics are all but ready to plunge their angry tweets and lay the whole burden on the shoulders of new starting quarterback Trey Lance. Meanwhile, Week 2 can't arrive fast enough for 49ers fans.
Before we look too far ahead, though, here are four 49ers takeaways after Week 1 loss vs. the Bears.
Final from Chicago. pic.twitter.com/yFYL2QSyql
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 11, 2022
4. Painful penalties
San Francisco began the regular season with costly penalties on both sides of the ball and dismal third-down conversion rates. The 49ers committed a total of 12 penalties for 99 yards against the Bears in this game. Late in the third quarter, the 49ers' defense was penalized heavily. Three third-down infractions by the 49ers defense on consecutive possessions allowed the Bears to score their first two touchdowns, wiping out San Francisco's 10-0 lead.
“We did what we were supposed to do in the first half,” 49ers DE Nick Bosa said in the post-game presser. “We were stopping the run all day, but then just killed ourselves with penalties. We continued to let them drive the ball, and that monsoon, it's going to be penalties and turnovers.”
The San Francisco 49ers are rightfully concerned about those penalties and the lost yardage. It doesn't get much more disheartening than seeing your defense stand up to make important third-down stops only to have them erased by reckless mistakes that would eventually lead to a pair of Bears TDs.
3. Proud defense
On to one bright spot — the 49ers had their first multi-sack performance of the 2022 season. Samson Ebukam took precisely three snaps to get to Bears quarterback Justin Fields for the first sack of the game. That forced a fast three-and-out on Chicago's first drive. Later in the quarter, Bosa recorded his own sack for a six-yard loss on a third-down play. That effectively ended the Bears' third offensive series.
On Sunday, second-year safety Talanoa Hufanga did well for the 49ers defense. Hufanga recorded the defensive unit's lone interception, picking Fields in the first quarter and returning it for three yards. No. 29 recorded 11 total tackles, including two for loss, and a pass broken up. He's one to watch in the 49ers secondary.
2. Deebo Samuel was just okay
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On a day when heavy rain was an issue and RB Elijah Mitchell was forced to leave early, having Samuel contribute to the ground game gave the offense a chance. Samuel's six-yard running score in the second quarter gave San Francisco the lead. No. 19 had 52 rushing yards and grabbed two catches for 14 yards for San Francisco.
“That was something we practice a lot,” Samuel told 49ers.com when asked about the lane created for his touchdown. “It was blocked perfectly, and everything else was left in my hands with it being blocked perfectly. I just went out there and made a play.”
As a side note, it was just terrible that starting RB Elijah Mitchell got injured. This was a crushing blow especially given the weather conditions.
Remember that Mitchell was humming along beautifully with 41 yards on six attempts before being hurt in the second quarter. It was less than ideal to lose your major rushing weapon so early on while playing in what appeared to be a rainstorm. Mitchell's sudden absence further increased the pressure on Lance to perform well in the passing game at a time when doing so was nearly impossible. Mitchell's injury and the terrible field conditions factored into how Lance would play the rest of the way.
1. Hold up, Trey Lance is not that bad
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers relied heavily on the running assault in this regular season opener. Samuel contributed for around one-third of the team's total running yards, while Lance accounted for another third. The 49ers' starting quarterback actually ran for a team-high 54 yards on 13 attempts, averaging 4.2 yards per attempt. The second-year also quarterback completed 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards and an interception.
“I thought he did some good things coming out,” Shanahan said after the game. “I thought he did some good things, but the way it got there at the end, everything kind of fell apart.”
Lance's stats may not exactly be the kind of figures that would have fans or anybody associated with the Niners to pump their fists or go have jumping chest bumps. The badly-timed interception to Eddie Jackson, in particular, was extremely horrific. Still, we cannot pin the defeat solely on Lance.
Lance was sacked twice, but he also ran 13 times, some of which were off broken plays. While having a dual-threat quarterback is almost a requirement rather than a luxury these days, having your first-year starter fleeing for his life in important situations will not convert to winning football anytime soon. He needs his offensive line to perform better, and they have several days to get ready before hosting the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2.
Keep in mind that as the hot takes start flying like wild geese from every direction, Lance is the type of young QB who needs time and sunshine. That was clear after San Francisco's humiliating Week 1 setback. He's no Steve Young (yet), but he ain't that bad.
