Nick Mullens, 49ers face biggest challenge yet: Vic Fangio's defense

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SANTA CLARA -- Every week Nick Mullens remains as the 49ers’ starting quarterback brings with it different challenges.

When the NFC North champion Chicago Bears come to Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, Mullens will look across the line of scrimmage at the chess pieces that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has arranged in meticulous fashion.

[RELATED: 49ers facing Khalil Mack in 'what could have been']

Chicago’s defense is reminiscent of the great ones Fangio controlled during his four seasons on Jim Harbaugh’s staff with the 49ers. The defense led the way to three consecutive trips to the NFC Championship game, including one Super Bowl appearance.

The Bears’ defense is at the top of the NFL in the single-most important factor that determines wins and losses, while the 49ers rank at the bottom. Chicago leads the league with 35 takeaways, including 26 interceptions. The Bears are plus-13 in takeaway margin, while the 49ers are minus-22.

“They’re a good defense,” Mullens said. “They have a great front seven and their secondary does a good job of playing with the pass rush. They do a good job of just using the pass rush to their advantage. Their DBs are pretty good. They see things, they jump things quick and we’re aware of the challenge.

“They can sit on certain routes because they know the pass rush is going to get there quicker. So they can take a couple more risks. They do a good job of that.”

The Bears’ pass rush is led by an outside-inside combination of Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks, who have recorded 12.5 and six sacks, respectively. On the back end, cornerback Kyle Fuller has seven interceptions, while safety Eddie Jackson has six. All four players were named to the NFC Pro Bowl team this week.

“We’re just going to do the things that we do and we’d like to think that we do them pretty well,” Mullens said. “My mindset’s not going to change. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. Just stick to your progressions, stay calm in the pocket, lead the offense and distribute the football. They do a good job in the secondary, but we’re pretty excited about what we have planned.”

[RELATED: Mullens finishes in Top 20, NFL QB power rankings]

Mullens’ confidence -- and coach Kyle Shanahan’s confidence in him -- has grown in Mullens’ six starts. Not only has Mullens given Shanahan no reason to go back to C.J. Beathard, but Mullens has also strengthened his hold on the job.

Based on his performance, Mullens appears to be the clear favorite heading into 2019 to be Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup.

Mullens has completed 131 of 203 pass attempts for a team-leading 64.5 completion percentage. His 8.64 yards per attempt is also tops on the team and fourth in the NFL among quarterbacks with 200 or more pass attempts. Mullens has thrown 10 touchdowns and six interceptions with a passer rating of 96.0.

He has also earned the trust of his coach and play-caller to take a few more chances.

“Nick’s been real consistent,” Shanahan said. “There’s definitely a number of times I haven’t called a good play and it hasn’t ended up bad. That’s what allows you as a play-caller to be more aggressive.”

A big part of the challenge of facing Fangio’s defense -- with the talent the organization has assembled -- is that he does not have to expose his unit to unnecessary risks in order to come up with big plays. The Bears do not have to open holes in coverage by bringing more than four pass rushers.

“Vic’s just unique in that everything is tied together,” Shanahan said. “Whatever you think you have on him, it could be good, but they have a counter off of it. It’s very, very similar to our offense. There’s a scheme you’ve got to run to stop a certain play. Whatever scheme you do to stop that play, you opened up another play. That’s really how their defense is.

“They’re going to have a defense that completely shuts down a play. Then, you’ve got to go to the next play and if you hit them on it, they’re going to adjust something and that play is going to be over very fast. So you’ve just got to keep playing the game within the game.”

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