The front got to Blaine Gabbert for four sacks, the third time the Bears have had four or more sacks in a game; they lost all three.
Eddie Goldman caved in the 49ers middle for a third-quarter sack. Goldman repeated the effort in the fourth quarter, getting an edge on 49ers center Marcus Martin and getting enough depth to prevent Gabbert from stepping into any throw and getting away from edge rushes from Houston and Young. The results gave Goldman 4.5 sacks for a solid rookie season.
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Two of Goldman’s three tackles were for losses and he added an additional hit on Gabbert.
Willie Young cleaned up for a first-quarter sack when Jarvis Jenkins and Lamarr Houston collapsed the pocket and Young took down Gabbert. The rush was again in Gabbert’s lap through the first quarter as Jenkins in particular was able to bull-rush early and force the 49ers to turn to quick-release pass plays that got the football out of Gabbert’s hands with a minimum of risk.
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“The game plan basically revolved around him, trying to keep him out of tough situations,” Young said. “Early they were trying to keep us out of the nickel package because we were getting pretty good pressure on the quarterback. They did everything they could to keep us off the field for the most part. But we’ve got to just figure out a way to get that win.”
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“For the most part we had our opportunities to get there. We collapsed the pocket for the most part and that’s why they wanted to keep us out of our nickel package.”
Mitch Unrein was a surprise starter at one of the end spots with the Bears able to open in their preferred 3-4. Unrein closed down while holding the point to stuff a first-down run with solid technique and pad level against Pro Bowl LT Joe Staley.
Moon's Grade: B