Tonight’s contest involved two leading NFC teams with two backups making their first starts for their current teams. One of those backups, Jason Campbell, a former first-round pick by the Washington Redskins, had started more than 60 games during his NFL career, and the other backup, Colin Kaepernick, a former Nevada Wolfpack star and second-round pick 49ers round. in 2011, he had made exactly zero starts in his NFL career. With Campbell being a seasoned official and regular starter as recently as last season, it was Kaepernick who most people thought he might be shaky. Yet we were so, so, so wrong.
With a dominant performance from their defense and a spirited performance from Kaepernick and the 49ers offense, the San Francisco 49ers easily outscored the Chicago Bears 32-7.
Led by the fastest and most talented defense in the NFC, the 49ers showed their team play and great game planning in the first drive to score and take an early 3-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal by David akers. Kaepernick passed the 49ers to the Bears 14-yard line, however, the drive stalled on an incomplete pass intended for Vernon Davis.
When it was Campbell and the Bears’ turn to respond, they were limited to -2 yards in 3 plays. Matt Forte drove 8 yards on the first two plays of the drive, but, in a snapshot of the rest of the night, Aldon Smith came through the Bears’ offensive line to sack Campbell for a 10-yard loss.
After a punt by Podlesh, it took just four plays for Kaepernick and the 49ers to put the nail in the Bears’ coffin. Facing a third and a 7 from the San Francisco 40, Kaepernick hit Kyle Williams for a massive 57-yard gain to put the 49ers inside the five. Vernon Davis caught a pass from Kaepernick in the right corner of the end zone to cap the 4-play, 67-yard drive.
Once again, the Bears failed to generate a significant response on their next drive moving the ball 24 yards in eight plays and punting the 49ers after a series of short passes and runs. However, they got a great punt from Podlesh, who covered the 49ers deep in their own territory at their own 4-yard line.
The 49ers once again hit through the air and on the ground as it took just four minutes for them to go 96 yards for the touchdown. The 49ers used a bunch of different formations that seemed to confuse the Bears’ talented and experienced defense, and Kaepernick’s ability to escape pressure and complete a pass downfield was simply too much for the Bears’ once-proud defense. Kendall Hunter ended the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run for a 17-point lead with 12:47 remaining in the second quarter.
The rest of the half was relatively uneventful with Akers kicking another short field goal and the Bears struggling to make it all work. At the half, the game was safe for the 49ers who led 20-0. The battle of the starting quarterbacks was being dominated by Kaepernick, who had only thrown three incomplete passes and led four scoring drives.
The second half started with another 49ers drive. Time and time again, Kaepernick escaped pressure from Peppers and the Bears defense to move the ball downfield. The drive ended with a 10-yard reception by Michael Crabtree. On that touchdown play, Kaepernick showed veteran poise as he made his three progressions before finding Crabtree in the left corner of the end zone.
However, the Bears would not go down without a fight. Campbell managed to rally his troops for a safe ride. After successful runs by Campbell and Michael Bush, the Bears moved the ball deep into San Francisco territory to the 45-yard line, where on second down and 10, Campbell hit Bush on a screen to the left side for an 18-yard pickup. . On the next play, the former 49er, Rachal was given a holding order that set up the Bears on 1st down and 20 on 28th. After an incomplete pass on second down, Campbell was sacked on third down for a loss. 7 yards. However, Aldon Smith was called for illegal use of the hands, and what looked like a disastrous drive ultimately paid off when Campbell hit Brandon Marshall five plays later for a 13-yard touchdown.
The rest of the game was controlled by defenses, as the 49ers defense stopped any chance of a Bears comeback by constantly pressing and causing penalty after penalty on the 49ers. Give credit to the Bears’ defense, though, as they could have given up on a game they clearly weren’t going to win. They held the 49ers to just five points, all of which were on turnovers, and showed some grit and pride by keeping the score semi-respectable.
Kaepernick finished the game 16-23 for 243 and 2 touchdowns. Vernon Davis had his most productive day in a long time when he went 6-for-83 and had a touchdown. Campbell finished his night 14-22 for 107 with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.
The 49ers now sit 7-2-1 with a trip to New Orleans on Sunday. The Bears drop to 7-3 and will face the Vikings on Sunday. With this game being vital for playoff standings, the 49ers got a much-needed win, and with a brutal division schedule remaining for the Bears, they passed up the opportunity for a team with a new quarterback who could really chase them down. when it’s time for the playoffs.
In a game with two new quarterbacks, Kaepernick and the 49ers proved that sometimes experience isn’t everything.
