Brock Purdy is dancin’ tonight.
After Chicago opened the second half with a touchdown, Purdy brought San Francisco’s offense down for a score of its own to put his team up 35-28.
Purdy made the play on first-and-goal from the 6, rolling to his left before evading a pair of would-be tacklers, moving up to the line of scrimmage, and firing over to the left side to a wide-open Kyle Juszczyk for a touchdown.
Purdy is now 18-of-24 for 209 for two touchdowns and an interception, plus five carries for 23 yards with two TDs.
With 4:52 left in the third quarter, the 49ers are averaging 7.1 yards per play while the Bears are averaging 7.6 yards per play.
But before Purdy’s touchdown, Bears linebacker Noah Sewell was carted off the field after suffering an apparent lower-leg injury midway through the third quarter.
The injury was non-contact, with Sewell grabbing at the back of his leg after the play.
Sewell, 23, was a Bears fifth-round pick in 2023. He entered Week 17 having appeared in 12 games with eight starts, recording 58 total tackles with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Additionally, Bears defensive end Joe Tryon-Shoyinka has been ruled out with a concussion.
The Bears have tied the matchup with the 49ers early in the third quarter.
D’Andre Swift took in a 2-yard touchdown to make the score 28-28 with 9:51 left in the third quarter.
Swift’s score capped Chicago’s 10-play, 65-yard drive to open the second half. The possession took 5:09 off the clock after the Bears held the ball for just 8:04 in the first 30 minutes.
Quarterback Caleb Williams connected with receiver Jahdae Walker on third-and-14 for a 19-yard gain to keep the chains moving.
On the next play, Williams hit Luther Burden for a 24-yard gain down to the 3.
A couple of plays later, Swift converted third-and-goal from the 2 with his touchdown run.
Notably, 49ers left tackle Trent Williams has been downgraded to out with the hamstring injury he suffered in the first quarter.
The 49ers and Bears have gone back and forth in the first half on Sunday night, but San Francisco is holding a 28-21 lead at halftime.
Things got off to an inauspicious start for San Francisco when Brock Purdy threw a pick-six on the first play from scrimmage, as linebacker T.J. Edwards returned the seventh interception of his career 34 yards for a touchdown.
But from there, the 49ers scored 14 straight points with a Purdy 1-yard touchdown pass followed by a Purdy 10-yard touchdown run. Per the NBC broadcast, it was the first time a QB had ever thrown a touchdown, rushed for a touchdown, and thrown a pick-six all in the first quarter.
Purdy’s touchdown run was the start of five consecutive TD drives by the two teams. Luther Burden caught a 35-yard strike from Caleb Williams to tie the score. Christian McCaffrey rushed for a 5-yard touchdown, his 10th rushing TD of the year. Colston Loveland caught a 36-yard touchdown to tie it up again. Then Purdy ran in his second TD of the night, this time from 3 yards out to put San Francisco up by seven.
The Bears finally ended the string of scores when they had to punt with about 1:15 left in the half.
McCaffrey has rushed for 121 yards on 18 carries, also catching two passes for 20 yards.
Purdy is 14-of-20 for 164 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The 49ers have racked up 330 total yards, 22 first downs, and are 5-of-7 on third down — dominating time of possession 21:56 to 8:04.
But Chicago has gotten some good throws out of Williams, who is 6-of-12 for 108 yards with two touchdowns at halftime.
On the injury front, 49ers left tackle Trent Williams had to exit after Purdy’s pick-six with a hamstring injury and has not returned. At this point, it appears doubtful that he will, though he’s only been announced as questionable.
The Bears will receive the second-half kickoff.
Remember an NFC North quarterback who used to get defenders with his hard count?
We might have another.
Caleb Williams drew the 49ers offside then took advantage of the free play by firing a strike to tight end Colston Loveland in the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown.
The three-play drive took just 1:24 off the clock.
Still early in the second quarter, the matchup between Chicago and San Francisco is becoming a bona fide shootout.
Williams has completed 6-of-10 passes for 108 yards with two TDs.
The 49ers are back on top.
Running back Christian McCaffrey made his way into the end zone for his first score of the night, giving San Francisco a 21-14 advantage early in the second quarter.
McCaffrey took a pitch to the right for the 5-yard score.
The veteran running back has found plenty of success early against the Bears, rushing for 82 yards on 10 carries in just over a quarter of action.
McCaffrey now has 10 rushing touchdowns in 2025.
