Recap: 49ers can’t handle the snow, Bears win 3rd game of the year
Wet, cold and snowy weather appeared to be just what the doctor ordered this Sunday. The Chicago Bears used team play and these favorable weather conditions to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 26-6. Matt Barkley and Jordan Howard had career days in the win and helped the Bears put a tally in the win column.
The Chicago Bears started the game against the San Francisco 49ers with a ground-and-pound mentality as Matt Barkley and the offense neglected to throw the ball for majority of the first half. The first completion for the Bears came within the last two minutes of the first half, but what a two-minute drill it was. They marched down the field to score the first touchdown of the game off of a Jordan Howard run. That touchdown was definitely a momentum builder for the Bears, because they went into the half with the lead 7-6.
The second half belonged to the Bears: they rallied off 17 unanswered points to take the lead 24-6 early in the 4th quarter. Their combination of pass plays and run plays kept the 49ers on their heels. Barkley used the two-minute drill at the end of the first half to display his ability to pass in the snowy conditions. The Bears took full advantage of his ability and had a more balanced pass-to-run ratio in the second half. The Bears won their third game of the season in pretty good fashion. Barkley picked up his first NFL win as a starter and Howard had a career high of three touchdowns in one game. Bear Down, Chicago Bears!
MVP
I’m going to take this opportunity to give all of the players and coaches who contributed to this win some love. Defensively, we are going to pay homage to Akiem Hicks and Nick Kwiatkoski. They were all around the ball and definitely impacted the flow of the game. Hicks finished with 10 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble, while Kwiatkosky finished with seven tackles and two deflections.
The offense had a rocky start, but all it took was a late two-minute drill to build momentum and they didn’t look back. Matt Barkley threw for 192 yards, with five of those passes over 20 yards. Jordan Howard had a career high day with three touchdowns. Joshua Bellamy finished with four receptions for 93 yards and Cameron Meredith ended up with three recptions for 67 yards.
Let’s not forget about the coaching staff though. John Fox, Vic Fangio and the rest of the staff showed patience and confidence in both the offense and defense. They used the weather conditions to their advantage.
LVP
This award has to go to the special teams, since they allowed the 49ers to block a punt to set up a field goal. However, they made up for it throughout the course of the game by not allowing many yards on kick/punt returns.
Stat of the Game
Matt Barkley: 11-18, 192 yards, 97 QB Rating
Jordan Howard: 32 attempts, 117 yards, three TDs
Joshua Bellamy: Four receptions, 93 yards
Akiem Hicks: 10 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble
Play of the Game
Matt Barkley completed two passes in a row to Deonte Thompson for a total of 19 yards to start the two-minute drill at the end of the first half. These passes were marked as the first completions for the Bears in the game. This also marked the start of a takeover, as it helped playcalling by proving that the ball can be passed in wet and snowy weather.
What’s Next
Chicago Bears (3-9) @ Detroit Lions (8-4)
Sunday, December 11, 2016
12:00p.m. CT
Ford Field, Detroit Michigan
TV: Fox
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