Before the Chicago Bears could even take the field against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night, they were declared the NFC North champions after the Green Bay Packers lost on Saturday night. Despite a tough 42-38 loss in prime-time, the Bears have locked down a home playoff game.
The Bears came into the weekend with a chance at being any of the top three seeds in the NFC. For this to be the first season under rookie head coach Ben Johnson, they’ve exceeded all expectations.
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The 49ers are one of the teams competing for that top spot in the conference. It was a disastrous start for them and a perfect start for Chicago, however, as the first offensive play of the game was an interception returned for a touchdown by linebacker T.J. Edwards.
Dec 28, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) passes against the San Francisco 49ers in the first half at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
From there, the teams exchanged touchdowns throughout. It is the first regular-season game in NFL history to be tied at 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35. Tied up at 35, the Bears’ defense got a stop for the first time in a while. The next offensive drive ended with just a field goal for the Bears, which was then answered by a 49ers touchdown to go up by four.
With 2:05 remaining in regulation time, quarterback Caleb Williams had another opportunity to create a game-winning drive for the Bears. Succeeding would’ve given Chicago a league-leading seven wins when trailing within the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. Although they had a chance, they ran out of time as they couldn’t find the endzone on fourth-and-4 on the final play of the game.
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For a young team, a rookie head coach, a second-year quarterback, and a roster loaded with injuries and illness, it was a valiant effort. They were not even supposed to be a playoff team this year, and they competed for the No. 1 seed in Week 17. They will be fine settling for the second or third seed as NFC North champions.
Although the Bears’ defense had a disastrous outing, this was a shootout from the beginning. The offense, which has tended to wait until the second half to play well, was incredible from the start.
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 28: Luther Burden III #10 of the Chicago Bears catches a pass for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter of the game at Levi’s Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Williams completed 25-of-42 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions or sacks. His top receiving target was receiver Luther Burden III, who had eight receptions for 138 yards and a score. Tight end Colston Loveland also deserves mention, as he had 94 yards on six receptions with a touchdown. The two rookies played incredibly and gave their quarterback a good target all game long.
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The running game was solid. It wasn’t as dominant as it normally is, but that is in part due to Williams picking apart the San Francisco defense. D’Andre Swift had nine carries for 54 yards, and two of those carries ended in the endzone. Rookie Kyle Monangai had 38 yards on eight carries.
In this game, Ben Johnson went against Kyle Shanahan. The latter has been one of the best offensive coaches in the NFL for a long time now, and Johnson is catching up quickly. They both deserve mentions in the “Coach of the Year” discussion, and they clearly have evenly matched teams coming out of this game.
Next up for the Bears is their regular season finale against the Detroit Lions, who blew Chicago out in Week 2. Now, Detroit will pay a visit to Soldier Field. The Lions are eliminated from playoff contention, but they would love to make sure that the Bears end the season on a low note. Expect Chicago to prepare well ahead of a very important playoff dress rehearsal.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. 49ers: Instant analysis from Chicago’s Week 17 loss
