San Francisco crushed Chicago 38-13 at Levi’s Stadium on December 8, 2024, in a game that was never competitive. Brock Purdy carved up the Bears defense with 325 passing yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-25 passing. George Kittle exploded for 151 receiving yards on six catches. Caleb Williams managed just 134 yards and absorbed seven sacks as the Bears dropped their seventh straight game in Thomas Brown’s debut as interim head coach.
Table of Contents
Scoreboard and Team Totals
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 14 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 38 |
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Attendance: 71,662
Team Performance Metrics
| Category | Bears | 49ers |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 162 | 452 |
| First Downs | 14 | 22 |
| Passing Yards | 94 | 321 |
| Rushing Yards | 68 | 131 |
| Third Down | 4-10 | 6-12 |
| Red Zone | 2-2 | 5-6 |
| Time of Possession | 28:12 | 31:48 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
The 49ers outgained Chicago by 290 yards and controlled possession for over 31 minutes. San Francisco’s defense held the Bears to just four total yards in the first half, the ninth-largest halftime differential since 1991. Chicago managed one first down before the break while trailing 24-0.
Quarterback Breakdown
| Player | Team | Comp/Att | Yards | TD | INT | Sacks | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brock Purdy | SF | 20/25 | 325 | 2 | 0 | 1-4 | 145.4 |
| Caleb Williams | CHI | 17/23 | 134 | 2 | 0 | 7-46 | 116.9 |
Purdy completed 80 percent of his attempts and averaged 13.0 yards per completion. He spread the ball to seven different receivers and hit 16 of 18 passes for 258 yards in the first half alone. His 145.4 passer rating marked his third 300-yard performance of the season, according to the ESPN game recap.
Williams took seven sacks and lost 46 yards behind constant pressure. His season sack total reached 56, the most for any Chicago quarterback since the 1970 merger. The rookie did extend his streak without an interception to 255 consecutive attempts. That broke both the Bears franchise record and the NFL rookie mark. He connected with Rome Odunze twice in the second half for touchdowns, but Chicago trailed by three scores both times.
Ground Game Statistics
| Player | Team | Carries | Yards | Average | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isaac Guerendo | SF | 15 | 78 | 5.2 | 2 | 30 |
| D’Andre Swift | CHI | 14 | 38 | 2.7 | 0 | 8 |
| Caleb Williams | CHI | 4 | 27 | 6.8 | 0 | 10 |
| Patrick Taylor Jr. | SF | 7 | 25 | 3.6 | 1 | 7 |
| Deebo Samuel | SF | 5 | 13 | 2.6 | 0 | 8 |
Guerendo made his first NFL start with Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason both on injured reserve. The rookie fourth-round pick from Louisville gained 128 total yards and scored twice. He broke a 30-yard run in the second quarter and added 50 receiving yards on two catches. Coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game that Guerendo left in the fourth quarter with a possible foot sprain.
Swift carried 14 times but found no room against San Francisco’s front seven. The Bears have rushed for fewer than 80 yards in four of their last five games. Williams delivered the only explosive runs, picking up 27 yards on four scrambles when plays broke down.
Receiving Production
| Player | Team | Targets | Receptions | Yards | Average | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Kittle | SF | 6 | 6 | 151 | 25.2 | 0 | 33 |
| Jauan Jennings | SF | 8 | 7 | 90 | 12.9 | 2 | 39 |
| Isaac Guerendo | SF | 2 | 2 | 50 | 25.0 | 0 | 27 |
| D.J. Moore | CHI | 8 | 6 | 49 | 8.2 | 0 | 14 |
| Rome Odunze | CHI | 5 | 4 | 42 | 10.5 | 2 | 17 |
| Keenan Allen | CHI | 5 | 3 | 30 | 10.0 | 0 | 14 |
Kittle caught all six targets and racked up 103 yards after the catch. His 151-yard performance pushed him into exclusive company as the third tight end in NFL history with 500-plus catches and 7,000-plus yards through eight seasons. He joins Antonio Gates and Travis Kelce in that group.
Jennings hauled in both San Francisco touchdowns. He scored on a seven-yard grab in the first quarter and celebrated with a Levi’s Leap into the crowd. His second touchdown came from 16 yards out midway through the second quarter. The connection between Purdy and Jennings was nearly unstoppable in the red zone.
Odunze provided Chicago’s only scoring catches. He hauled in touchdown passes of four and 14 yards in the second half, giving the Bears offense some dignity after a miserable first 30 minutes. Moore led the Bears with six catches but gained just 49 yards on eight targets.
For comprehensive breakdowns of individual performances across all NFL games, Match vs Player Stats tracks detailed statistics for every matchup throughout the season.
Defensive Performance
Tackles and Coverage
| Player | Team | Tackles | Solo | Sacks | TFL | QB Hits | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T.J. Edwards | CHI | 10 | 6 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Tremaine Edmunds | CHI | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| De’Vondre Campbell | SF | 7 | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Owens | CHI | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Kyler Gordon | CHI | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pass Rush Impact
| Player | Team | Sacks | QB Hits | Tackles for Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yetur Gross-Matos | SF | 3.0 | 3 | 3 |
| Leonard Floyd | SF | 2.0 | 2 | 2 |
| Maliek Collins | SF | 1.0 | 2 | 1 |
San Francisco’s pass rush delivered without Nick Bosa, who missed his third straight game with hip and oblique injuries. Gross-Matos recorded three sacks and three quarterback hits in his best performance of the season. Floyd added two more sacks. The 49ers defensive line generated seven total sacks and seven tackles for loss, destroying Chicago’s offensive rhythm.
Edwards led the Bears with 10 tackles and recorded Chicago’s only sack when he brought down Purdy for a four-yard loss in the first quarter. Owens intercepted backup quarterback Brandon Allen’s deep pass in the fourth quarter, returning it to the Chicago 24-yard line. The Pro Football Reference box score shows San Francisco forced four three-and-outs in the first half alone.
Special Teams Numbers
| Player | Team | FG | XP | Punts | Avg | Long | Returns | Yards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Moody | SF | 1/1 | 5/5 | – | – | 23 | – | – |
| Cairo Santos | CHI | 0/0 | 1/1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tory Taylor | CHI | – | – | 6 | 52.7 | 60 | – | – |
| Pat O’Donnell | SF | – | – | 2 | 46.0 | 47 | – | – |
| Jacob Cowing | SF | – | – | – | – | – | 4 | 22 |
| Josh Blackwell | CHI | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | 14 |
Taylor averaged 52.7 yards on six punts, including a 60-yarder that flipped field position in the second quarter. He placed two kicks inside the 20-yard line. Moody converted his only field goal try from 23 yards and made all five extra points. DeAndre Carter left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury after one kickoff return for 25 yards.
How the Game Unfolded
San Francisco scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions and built a 24-0 halftime lead. Purdy opened the game with a perfect five-play, 70-yard drive, completing all four passes. Jennings finished the series with his seven-yard touchdown catch just 2:40 into the first quarter.
Chicago went three-and-out on its first three possessions. The Bears gained negative three yards passing in the first half thanks to four sacks. Guerendo’s one-yard plunge made it 14-0 late in the first quarter. He set up his own score with a 27-yard reception on the previous play.
Jennings caught his second touchdown to push the lead to 21-0 with 7:41 left in the second quarter. Moody added a 23-yard field goal with 1:50 left in the half. San Francisco outgained Chicago 319-4 in the opening 30 minutes.
The Bears finally reached the end zone on a 16-play, 70-yard drive to open the third quarter. Williams hit Odunze for a four-yard touchdown, though the two-point conversion failed. Chicago trailed 24-6.
San Francisco answered quickly. Guerendo’s four-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter pushed the lead to 31-6. Williams connected with Odunze again for a 14-yard touchdown with 11:48 remaining, making it 31-13 after Santos converted the extra point.
Taylor sealed the victory with a three-yard scoring run with 5:15 left. The 49ers team site recap detailed how San Francisco controlled possession throughout the second half and prevented any Chicago comeback attempt.
Coaching Change and Context
Thomas Brown took over as Chicago’s interim head coach after the Bears fired Matt Eberflus following Thanksgiving’s clock mismanagement against Detroit. The dismissal marked the first in-season head coaching change in franchise history. Brown had served as offensive coordinator and called plays for the previous three games under Eberflus.
Williams didn’t sugarcoat what happened. “We got our butts kicked today,” the rookie quarterback said. “There’s no way around it. We got it handed to us. Offense, defense, special teams, we have to come out and be better.”
Brown echoed that honesty in his own press conference. “I’ll always be straightforward, honest and open about things that transpired,” he said. “We’ve got to do a better job of putting in a better game plan on both sides of the ball so we execute better.”
San Francisco improved to 6-7 and kept slim playoff hopes alive. The 49ers had been outscored by 53 points in the previous two weeks against Green Bay and Buffalo. Their postseason chances were in serious jeopardy. Shanahan had Purdy and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir address the team Saturday night before the game.
“We just got back to being us, honestly,” linebacker Fred Warner said afterward. “The product we were putting on the field the last couple weeks just wasn’t us. We knew that.”
The 49ers still trailed Seattle by two games in the NFC West after the Seahawks beat Arizona earlier Sunday. San Francisco hosted the Rams on Thursday night in Week 15, while the Bears official recap noted Chicago traveled to Minnesota for Monday night football.
Injury Impact
Multiple key players missed the game or exited early. San Francisco played without Bosa, left tackle Trent Williams, and left guard Aaron Banks for the third consecutive week. Backup guard Ben Bartch left in the first quarter with an ankle injury and was later carted off. Spencer Burford played the rest of the game at guard.
Guerendo’s foot injury came in the fourth quarter after his 15 carries. For Chicago, Carter left with a hamstring injury in the first quarter. Running back Travis Homer exited in the second half with a head injury. The Bears entered the game already without Roschon Johnson, who was ruled out with a concussion.
Advanced Metrics Breakdown
San Francisco averaged 7.4 yards per play compared to 3.1 for Chicago. The 49ers generated 26.53 expected points above average while holding the Bears to negative 26.53 in expected points. That 53-point swing in expected points matched the actual 25-point margin of victory.
Purdy faced pressure on just 14.8 percent of dropbacks. He averaged 6.7 completed air yards per attempt and 7.9 yards after catch per completion. Williams got pressured on 25.0 percent of his dropbacks and took hits throughout the afternoon behind a struggling offensive line that allowed constant penetration.
Kittle averaged 17.2 yards after the catch per reception and forced one missed tackle. The 49ers receivers generated 158 total yards after the catch. San Francisco converted five of six red zone opportunities while Chicago went two-for-two on its limited chances inside the 20.
The comprehensive statistics from this matchup show San Francisco’s complete control across all phases. Purdy’s efficient passing and Kittle’s explosive receiving led an offense that rediscovered its rhythm after a three-game skid. The 49ers defense dominated without several key starters, limiting Chicago to just 162 total yards.
