Are the Bears who we thought they were? We’re about to find out.
After starting 0-2, Chicago has won eight of nine games. They’re the unlikely, for now, first-place team in the NFC North, at 8-3.
Everything changes today.
The Bears had a convincing win against the Cowboys in Week 3, 31-14. After that, the Bears accomplished a pair of 25-24 escapes against the Raiders and Commanders. Both games could have been, and arguably should have been, lost.
They handled the Saints (it felt closer than 26-14) before losing by 14 to the Ravens in their last game without Lamar Jackson. After that, the Bears staged four straight come-from-behind wins against the Bengals, Giants, Vikings, and Steelers, with each game decided by five points or fewer. It wasn’t exactly murderer’s row.
Something much closer to murderer’s row is now here. The Bears play the Eagles in Philly today. Next, a visit to the Packers. Then, the Browns come to town, followed by a three-game test to close things out: Packers, at 49ers, Lions.
A loss today would drop the Bears to 8-4, giving the Packers first place in the division at 8-3-1. Next Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field becomes pivotal.
That’s not to say the Bears can’t handle it. They’ve been winning. But they need to keep winning against collectively better opposition, or they’ll slip into the wild-card morass from which multiple teams with winning records will not emerge.
Yes, we’ll soon learn much about what the 2025 Bears truly are. Kickoff is coming at 3:00 p.m. ET.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy said after Monday night’s win that he still feels the toe injury that kept him out of eight games this season, but said that it wasn’t a factor in his three-interception performance against the Panthers.
It also wasn’t a factor in his practice participation on Wednesday. Purdy was listed as a full participant as the 49ers turned their attention toward this Sunday’s game against the Browns.
Defensive end Robert Beal (concussion), wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (knee) and guard Dominick Puni (shoulder) were also full participants. Linebacker Luke Gifford (hip, calf) was the team’s only limited participant.
Linebacker Tatum Bethune (ankle), running back Christian McCaffrey (rest), defensive end Sam Okuayinonu (ankle), kicker Eddy Pineiro (hamstring), and left tackle Trent Williams (rest) were out of practice.
Veteran linebacker Eric Kendricks turned down the Ravens’ practice squad last month. He signed with the 49ers’ practice squad on Wednesday.
The 49ers released linebacker Stone Blanton from the practice squad in a corresponding move.
Kendricks underwent shoulder surgery this offseason. He started 15 games for the Cowboys last season and had 138 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
He played for the Chargers in 2023 and spent his first eight NFL seasons in Minnesota.
For his career, Kendricks has appeared in 147 games and has totaled 1,174 tackles, 21.5 sacks, 11 interceptions, 60 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.
49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown helped make sure that Brock Purdy’s three-interception night didn’t send the team to a loss on Monday night.
Brown followed up Purdy’s first pick by snagging a Bryce Young pass in the end zone to kill a Panthers scoring chance. The game remained in doubt into the fourth quarter, but Brown helped seal the 20-9 win by intercepting Young a second time.
Brown, who also had five tackles in the win, was named the NFC defensive player of the week in recognition of his efforts. It is the first time that the third-year player has received the award.
Brown has started the last seven games for the Niners and more outings like Monday will extend his run with the first team indefinitely.
Earlier today, we pointed out that the Panthers missed an opportunity to keep the point that made the third-quarter score 17-10 while ensuring the next drive would have started at the San Francisco 25.
We missed an opportunity to point out another opportunity the Panthers missed.
As a head coach with another team observed this afternoon, the Panthers could have tried an onside kick from the 50. Failure of the attempt would have most likely resulted in the 49ers getting the ball somewhere between the San Francisco 35 and 40.
(For those who play Madden, that was a very common move after any roughing the kicker fouls after a PAT — before the new formation was adopted.)
Last year, the Panthers wouldn’t have been able to do it, because the team trailing couldn’t attempt an onside kick until the fourth quarter. This year, the team that is trailing can try an onside kick at any time.
Which raises another point: Why is the onside kick limited to the team that is trailing? After a 15-yard penalty on the try, the kicking team should be allowed to try an onside kick from the 50, if it wants. Regardless of the score.
Looking at it more broadly, any team should be allowed to try an onside kick, whenever it wants. There’s never been, in the history of the game, a rule that limits options based on the score.
Regardless, the knee-jerk decision by the Panthers to take one point off the board and attempt a two-point conversion from the one (with a pass from shotgun formation) seemed to disregard the flexibility they would have had on a kickoff from the 50. They could have ensured that the next drive would have started from the 25, and they could have rolled the dice on an onside kick that wouldn’t have given the 49ers a short field, if the onside attempt had failed.
