CHICAGO — Right here is how the 49ers graded in Sunday’s 19-10 season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears:
PASS OFFENSE: D+
Clearly the wet climate made passing tough, but it surely’s not why Trey Lance had a fourth-quarter cross intercepted on a drive during which the 49ers wanted to reply the Bears’ go-ahead landing. Lance stated his eyes didn’t trick security Eddie Jackson lengthy sufficient on that failed try to Jauan Jennings. Now, Lance did throw one of many mystical darts in a very long time by a 49ers quarterback when he zipped a 20-yarder by means of a number of defenders and into Ray-Ray McCloud’s mitts. Lengthy completions to Jennings (40 yards) and Brandon Aiyuk (31 yards) additionally had been encouraging. However Lance and Shanahan mourned an overthrow of a possible landing to Tyler Kroft, who, keep in mind, was making his 49ers debut rather than the injured George Kittle. Mike McGlinchey aptly scolded himself for a first-half sack that prevented a field-goal try, and Brandon Aiyuk had a catch worn out for cross interference. Lance’s passer score: 50.3 (13-of-28, 164 yards).
RUN OFFENSE: D+
Deebo Samuel’s first-series fumble apart, the speeding assault began promisingly. There was a pleasant mixture of Samuel, Lance and Elijah Mitchell. Then Mitchell obtained harm within the second quarter. Then the speeding recreation slowed down, aside from Lance desperately speeding to maneuver chains. The choice assault provided some artistic appears to be like, and the 49ers completed with a median of 4.8 yards per carry (37 for 176 yards). Three false-start penalties didn’t assist issues.
PASS DEFENSE: D
Third-down sacks by Samson Ebukam and Nick Bosa set an early tone … that Justin Fields ultimately modified together with his scrambling capacity. Protection snafus additionally arose, particularly on the 51-yard bomb to 49ers castoff Dante Pettis that ignited the Bears’ comeback. Fields was simply 8-of-17 for 121 yards, and he had a cross intercepted by Talanoa Hufanga. However the 49ers ought to have pinned him in additional, and too typically there was an escape hatch up the center for him to run or throw.
RUN DEFENSE: D
The Bears stubbornly saved giving the ball to David Montgomery (17 carries, 26 yards) to run right into a pile of our bodies on the line of scrimmage. Khalil Herbert discovered extra success and scored their remaining landing. However what actually wrecked this unit had been penalties, questionable ones or not. Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair each knew Fields preferred to slip on the final second, but each linebackers obtained penalized for hitting the quarterback after he surrendered with a slide. Worse than that, Greenlaw drew a facemask penalty — he insisted he solely brushed the facemask and didn’t seize it — to nullify a third-down cease.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Effectively, the 49ers wished to enhance on this class this season, and Ray-Ray McCloud didn’t botch any punt or kickoff that he fielded. Robbie Gould solely obtained to try (and make) one subject purpose and one point-after kick; his counterpart missed two point-after makes an attempt. Mitch Wishnowsky pinned 3-of-4 punts contained in the 20, together with one which Pettis foolishly fielded inside the ten.
COACHING: D
Blowing a 10-point result in a talent-starved Bears crew with a first-year coach? Ooph. This was a catastrophe created by a dozen penalties, a few turnovers and a second-half freefall.