The 49ers needed their offense to come alive if they hoped to secure a much-needed win over the Bears, and that’s exactly what happened.
To say the San Francisco 49ers offense has been anemic in Weeks 12 and 13 would be a bit of an understatement.
After back-to-back blowout losses to the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Brock Purdy and Co. pinned their dwindling playoff aspirations on beating the visiting Chicago Bears at Levi’s Stadium in Week 14.
Granted, Chicago is going through its own headaches in the wake of firing head coach Matt Eberflus, but the Bears defense could still pose a threat.
All Purdy needed to do was look like his vintage self, which is precisely what happened.
After setting a career-low in passing yards during the Week 13 loss at Buffalo, Purdy looked more like his 2023 MVP-candidate self against Chicago, helping San Francisco get out to a 24-0 lead by halftime, thanks largely to immense output from tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Jauan Jennings.
The red and gold cruised to a 38-13 victory to improve to 6-7.
Kittle was up over 100 yards just a few minutes into the second quarter, and the All-Pro finished with a team-best 151 yards.
Meanwhile, Jennings looked like his early season self with a multi-touchdown game, including this gem of a score in the second half:
The two receiving weapons helped Purdy bounce back from an ugly Week 13, and the quarterback’s final line was 20-of-25 passing for 325 yards, two touchdowns against zero interceptions and a 145.3 passer rating.
Not bad after the previous week’s forgettable effort.
In many ways, the trio of Purdy, Kittle and Jennings echoed when the 49ers offense would be fully functional.
But the throwback-type of performance featured some new faces, too.
Isaac Guerendo helps spur 49ers offense amid injuries at running back
Prior to Week 14, the Niners were forced to place both of their top running backs, Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason, on injured reserve. And both players’ setbacks could potentially end their seasons.
Thankfully, rookie tailback Isaac Guerendo answered the call in what was his first NFL-level start.
Guerendo added two touchdowns of his own, finishing with 78 rush yards rushing and an average of 5.2 yards per carry. On top of that, the fourth-round pick out of Louisville served as a McCaffrey-like pass-catching option, hauling in two passes from Purdy for 50 yards before exiting to the locker room with an injury late in the fourth quarter.
That should help San Francisco feel a little better about not having either McCaffrey or Mason back for the foreseeable future.
Granted, the 49ers still have an awfully difficult road ahead of them to get into the postseason, but it’s a little bit better after beating the Bears.
And the offense played a massive role.
