Bears vs 49ers Week 13 Preview with Niner Noise
2. Moving to the gridiron, the big story this week is Chicago area native Jimmy Garoppolo starting for the 49ers. I know it’s really early in his tenure, but what have the initial impressions been? What can the Bears expect to see from him and the Niners offense on Sunday?
He’s vastly better in the pocket than San Francisco’s former starter, C.J. Beathard. Beathard wasn’t great at sensing the pass rush, and Garoppolo seems to manage that well enough, both based on his small sample size with the Niners last week and tape from his time with the Patriots. And his decision-making process appears to be much better.
The Niners are hurting for top-tier receivers right now, but I think Garoppolo will work with what he has much more effectively than Beathard. It should make for an interesting challenge against a pretty experienced Bears secondary.
3. This is a first for me in my Q&A’s; asking about a placekicker, but when it comes to the Bears all-time leading scorer, it’s worth a mention. How has Robbie Gould been doing for the 49ers? Is he the Niners kicker when they’re relevant again or is this a short-term stint?
It’s been a while since the 49ers had a long-term kicker… perhaps a guy for two or three years, but that’s it.
Gould has been fine. He’s missed a couple of field-goal attempts and an extra point, but only one (Week 3 against the L.A. Rams, I think) potentially cost the 49ers the game. I don’t see any reason why the Niners would want to change anything here going into next season.