Zakelj (upper body) exited San Francisco's practice Wednesday, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Willis (concussion) didn't participate in San Francisco's training camp Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
The 49ers signed Okoronko on Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Juszczyk (finger) did not participate in Wednesday's training-camp session, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Okuayinonu suffered an apparent ankle injury during the 49ers' training camp practice Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Cowing (hip) did not participate in Wednesday's training camp session, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Greenlaw (undisclosed) did not participate in Wednesday's training camp session, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Odighizuwa (undisclosed) did not participate at the 49ers' training camp practice Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Juszczyk (finger) did not participate in Wednesday's training camp session, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
The 49ers signed Hodge to a contract Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
While the 49ers have been profitable of late, it’s tough to put stock in their run given the quality of opponents. Conversely, the Bears have been among the NFL’s luckiest teams despite making clear improvements under Ben Johnson. What impresses most about San Francisco is how it has overcome constant injury obstacles this season. It will need to do the same Sunday night as George Kittle is out; Jake Tonges is a more than capable yet less electric replacement. Christian McCaffrey should have a field day against Chicago’s weak front. If the Niners take care of the ball and the defense improves a bit from the last two weeks, they should cover. (The hook is tough to stomach, so consider playing a live line.)
The Bears have been dealing with an illness to several players, but DJ Moore and Darnell Wright are active and the 49ers won't have George Kittle. Those are the biggest takeaways from the inactives released a little while ago. Getting the hook is important here, as Caleb Williams is very capable of leading a late TD drive for a backdoor cover. The 49ers' defense has gotten healthier but just gave up 27 to the Philip-Rivers led Colts.
Bears rookie wideout Luther Burden was cooking before his ankle injury, notching 151 yards on 10 catches over two games. He missed last week but is ready to go for Sunday Night Football. With the rest of the receiver corps dealing with injury and illness, I bet Burden to clear this prop total.
We cashed on Jauan Jennings TD last week, so let’s go right back to the well. Jennings has scored in 6 of the last 7 games, and has been Brock Purdy’s first read in the red zone. George Kittle’s status is in question, and if he doesn’t go I especially like this prop.
Christian McCaffrey is over this rushing yards line in 5 of his last 7 games, and could be in for a big workload in this Sunday night matchup. The 49ers are -3.5 home favorites, and have the more potent offense in this matchup. If they are playing with the lead, look for CMC to control the game against Chicago’s 27th ranked defensive rush DVOA.
DraftKings. Tatum Bethune has been a tackling machine for the 49ers, replacing All Pro Fred Warner. Bethune has managed at least nine tackles in all six healthy games he’s played in, and should be in prime position against the Bears. Chicago has allowed the second most tackles per game to linebackers this season (18.5, per PFF), and nine of eleven opponents since their bye have had an off ball linebacker clear this line. I’d bet this up to over 9.5 tackles at plus odds as well (to win one unit).
Sunday night should give us a quality game, as San Francisco looks to continue their win streak as they are 5 and 0 since Brock Purdy returned. Chicago may be dealing with an illness hitting the team, but they are 8-2 ATS over their last ten games. They also have a two day rest advantage from playing last Saturday versus the 49ers playing on Monday. Look for the Bears magical regular season to continue with a cover Sunday night.
DraftKings. Colston Loveland has cleared this line in six of his last eight games, despite a string of brutal matchups and weather. He’ll have neither of those in Sunday Night in San Francisco. The 49ers have really struggled to defend tight-ends since losing star linebacker Fred Warner for the season. Pass catching tight-ends have thrashed this defense. Overall, the 49ers have allowed the most catches per game out of the slot (7.8, per Fantasy Points), and the seventh most to in-line tight ends (3.4). Loveland should thrive in a better passing environment than what he’s experienced over the last few weeks. I’d bet this up to -145.
The Chicago Bears do not have a very good defense. They rank as one of worst in the league in yards per pass given up and in yards per carry surrendered. They were extremely successful for most of the season because of turnovers. As of late, against good teams, Steelers, Eagles, and Packers twice, their turnover margin has leveled off. Brock Purdy has thrown 9 TD's and only 1 interception in his last 3 games. If Chicago can't force turnovers, the 49'ers offense ought to be able to pick them apart. The Bears will likely have some success on offense too but not enough to win the game or stay within a field goal in my opinion. Lay the 3 before it goes to 3.5.
Christian McCaffrey is having a tremendous season and looks poised to win Comeback Player of the Year for a 49ers team still in contention. CMAC struggled from an efficiency standpoint early in the season, however he’s been running the ball much more effectively in the second half of the season. He gets an excellent matchup against a soft Chicago run defense who rank 20th in EPA per rush, in addition to ranking 26th in Success Rate since Week 10. This game has the highest projected total on the slate, in addition to very high stakes, and I expect CMAC to be heavily featured in what is a must win game. Considering his rushing attempts line is 18.5, this is my favorite prop this week.
San Fran has ripped through its last five games with double-digit wins. In the two latest, it never punted. The offense, a model of consistency, has scored in 23 periods in a row. Chicago’s M.O. is well-established: trail deep into the fourth quarter, then score for a dramatic victory. Problem for the Bears is, they likely must score twice late in the period, which is unlikely. There are concerns. A bum ankle could prevent TE George Kittle from playing. The Niners must recover from a Monday Nighter in the Eastern Time Zone. That should be overriden by the incentive to gain the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round playoff bye.
So I will just be honest here that I don't give my Bears much shot. But I also didn't in Philadelphia and then last week in the most incredible comeback in franchise history. I think good things are coming in 2026. But they are not winning at red-hot SF after all these crazy comebacks. It will take a toll. And if certain things go right earlier (which might) they already would have the division. I am so enjoying this season but I also have asked my health provider about a pacemaker. And I'm in my 40s (possibly). The Saw guy responded anyways. ...
The 49ers have won and covered five games in a row, and nobody talked much about them being a candidate to win the first seed in the NFC. It's either Rams or Seahawks that everyone's talking about, but if they beat the Bears on Sunday night and then follow it up with a home win against the Seahawks, the 49ers will be the NFC's No. 1 seed. All season, the 49ers have been hiding behind the weeds, but they look to be a powerful opponent for the remainder of the season. I can't deny that the 49ers are looking Super Bowl-ish with Brock Purdy and, maybe most of all, the outsider in the MVP race, Christian McCaffrey. 49ers to cover
