SANTA CLARA – Here is how the 49ers (12-4) graded in Sunday night’s 42-38 win over the Chicago Bears (11-5) at Levi’s Stadium:
PASS OFFENSE: A-
Brock Purdy was mesmerizing, not only in shaking off a first-play pick-six but in becoming the 49ers’ first-ever quarterback to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns while also running for two touchdowns. He did so without left tackle Trent Williams (hamstring; first play) and tight end George Kittle (ankle; inactive). Purdy’s second touchdown pass was highlight-reel creative, as he duped two defenders on a bootleg/scramble before finding Kyle Juszczyk open for a 6-yard score and 35-28 lead. That clever play overshadowed the decisive one: Jauan Jennings’ 38-yard catch-and-run for the winning points with 2:15 remaining, on only his second catch. While Austen Pleasants filled in well for Williams to keep the offense rolling, Jake Tonges reprised his role as Kittle’s super sub (seven catches, 60 yards, 49ers’ first touchdown catch). Purdy was sacked once, and he somehow ducked in time to avoid a catastrophic hit from Austin Booker.
RUN OFFENSE: B
Christian McCaffrey ran for a season-high 140 yards, and among his 23 carries (6.1 average) was a season-long 41-yard dash down the sideline. McCaffrey scored his 10th rushing touchdown in the past 11 games, and that 5-yard score came on a lane blocked well by Kyle Juszczyk, Colton McKivitz, Jauan Jennings and Jake Brendel. Purdy ran for two touchdowns in the first half, and for those who call that “sneaky” athleticism: “I don’t think it’s sneaky. I think he’s athletic,” McCaffrey said.
PASS DEFENSE: D-
The 49ers came so close to failure in allowing 330 yards and two touchdown passes to Caleb Williams. But it all boiled down to the last play, from the 2-yard line, with Williams escaping Bryce Huff’s potential sack and then getting hurried into a game-ending incompletion as Yetur Gross-Matos pressured him in a sprint from the goal line. But, man, the 49ers had no sacks, no interceptions, and their coverage units leaked all night, especially on critical downs; the Bears were 6-of-12 on third down and 2-of-2 on fourth down.
RUN DEFENSE: C
The 49ers were surprised the Bears didn’t attempt to run more, seeing how D’Andre Swift burst through for two touchdowns after halftime. Swift had only nine carries (54 yards), Kyle Monangai had eight runs (38 yards), and Williams ran just five times (18 yards). Making tackles for loss were Tatum Bethune, Dee Winters, Kalia Davis, and Sam Okuayinonu. The Seahawks surely will test this unit more than the Bears and the Colts the past two games.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Locked in a touchdown tug-of-war, coach Kyle Shanahan “felt like we lost” having to punt from the Bears’ 43 with 11:23 remaining, and that had nothing to do with Thomas Morstead’s effort, which pinned the Bears at their 11 on an eventual go-ahead field-goal drive. Morstead, after not punting the previous two games, punted twice in this one. Return specialist Skyy Moore muffed the final kick return and that forced the 49ers to march 75 yards for their winning touchdown.
COACHING: C+
While Shanahan’s offensive wizardry is peaking at the perfect time, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s unit looks extremely vulnerable, but that’s been so for most of the season without Fred Warner and Nick Bosa. The No. 1 seed is one win away, and four more home victories will have the 49ers holding the Lombardi Trophy.