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With a San Francisco 49ers Week 1 game scheduled against the Chicago Bears, a lot of eyes will be on Trey Lance. Ahead of the 49ers-Bears matchup, we’ll be making our San Francisco 49ers Week 1 predictions.
For a club that mortgaged its future to go all-in on quarterback Trey Lance, 2022 might be the “year of truth” for the 49ers. It all begins in Week 1 against the Bears.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan surely wants to open the Trey Lance era in SanFo with a shining victory. It won't be easy, though, considering they lost offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as well as a handful of good offensive position coaches. Despite that, however, the 49ers will have one of the league's most talented teams, at least on paper.
If Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Trent Williams, and Elijah Mitchell can stay healthy, Lance will have one of the most powerful offenses at his disposal. That's not even counting the improving Brandon Aiyuk and steady Kyle Juszczyk.
Starting guard Laken Tomlinson and center Alex Mack are gone, however, and right tackle Mike McGlinchey is just coming back from injury. This means that the offensive line's performance may determine the 49ers' overall scoring success and perhaps even Lance's health throughout the season.
If San Francisco can open the season with a win over the Bears, that would be an awesome start to the Trey Lance era. Having said that, let’s move on to our 49ers Week 1 predictions.
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Only Trey Lance more days til gameday.#SFvsCHI x #FTTB pic.twitter.com/Pqmd9hz4Wr
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 6, 2022
4. Deebo Samuel & George Kittle should play
The San Francisco 49ers secured a key element of their future by signing wide receiver Deebo Samuel to a three-year deal in the summer. Samuel will play a crucial part in Shanahan's offense again this season, but his health is already in doubt.
Samuel has been out of practice for the previous week due to a knee contusion, especially a bruised knee. He suffered the injury during the preseason game against the Houston Texans, and while it is not considered significant, his availability for Week 1 was uncertain as of last week.
Deebo returned to practice on Monday, though. This bodes well for his availability against the Bears.
The outlook for TE George Kittle, on the other hand, is bleaker. Kittle missed the 49ers' practice on Wednesday due to a groin ailment he received on Monday. He might, therefore, miss Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. Given that Kittle is one of the 49ers' finest offensive weapons, this may be a big break for the Bears. Keep in mind that last season, he was nominated to his third Pro Bowl after accumulating 910 yards and six touchdowns.
Still, knowing how competitive Kittle is, he should see at least some action in Week 1.
3. Nick Bosa gets 2 sacks
The Chicago Bears offensive line isn't much in awe of star 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa. That could be a big mistake.
Braxton Jones and Larry Borom of the Chicago Bears offensive line, in particular, know they're in for a tough game against Bosa in Week 1.
Recall that the 49ers finished seventh in the league in sacks last season, one guy deserves to get the most attention, and that's Bosa.
He has sacked the quarterback 24.5 times, recorded 105 tackles, and caused six fumbles since being taken with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He also accomplished all of this despite just appearing in two games throughout the 2020 season.
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As confident as Jones and Borom are, count on Bosa's brilliance to shine through. The veteran defensive end should net two sacks against the Bears. Justin Fields better beware.
2. Trey Lance records 2 rushing TDs
Lance, with his dual-threat skills, might be the breakthrough quarterback of 2022.
Take note, though, that he played in only three games last season where he took the majority of the snaps. He averaged 53.7 running yards per contest in those games, proving his dangerous ground game.
He'll face a Bears defense that is transitioning to a 4-3 scheme under new coach Matt Eberflus this week, so there might be some growing pains. Additionally, Chicago lost standout pass rusher Khalil Mack in a deal with the Chargers this offseason. With Mack gone, Lance has an opportunity to make a really big splash in this clash.
The Bears were also among the league leaders in running touchdowns surrendered to quarterbacks last season, with five. Two of those came from Jimmy Garoppolo when these two teams faced in Week 8. Lance scoring two running touchdowns in the rematch would be awesome.
Everyone will be curious to see how Lance does as San Francisco's full-time starter. Don't be shocked if he kicks off the season with a great game against the Bears in Week 1.
1. 49ers win by one score
The 49ers' pass rush might present some issues for the Bears up front, and Lance's rushing game could shine through as well.
In the end, however, it might boil down to which QB will perform better — Justin Fields of the Bears or the 49ers' Lance.
Fields has gone through some of the growing pains in the NFL from last season, whereas Lance hasn't seen enough action to know what he'll be like in regular season play. Fields may have the edge individually, but Lance has the unquestionably deeper team.
The 49ers have the stronger offense and supporting cast, without a doubt, though keep in mind that Kyle Shanahan's team has historically struggled as a favorite. We should also expect Shanahan to try out some new schemes with Lance under center.
Still, the 49ers should be able to run the Bears down even if Fields continues to build on his excellent preseason.
This won't be a blowout, for sure, with the 49ers probably winning by one score to kick off the Trey Lance era in SanFo.
