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Chicago Bears: Previewing Week 16 with Niner Noise

By Mike "Boomer" Burzawa

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: San Francisco 49ers fans celebrate a touchdown against Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: San Francisco 49ers fans celebrate a touchdown against Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 03: San Francisco 49ers fans react after the 49ers defeated the Chicago Bears 15-14 at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 03: San Francisco 49ers fans react after the 49ers defeated the Chicago Bears 15-14 at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The Chicago Bears head west to face the San Francisco 49ers in a Week 16 showdown.  We preview the matchup with Niner Noise.

The 2018 NFC North champion Chicago Bears (that has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?) head out west to face the San Francisco 49ers for a Week 16 game that has playoff seeding implications.  The Bears are coming off a HUGE 24-17 victory over their division rivals, the Green Bay Packers.  (By the way, did you know Aaron Rodgers will be going to the playoffs – with a TICKET!!!!)

I won’t go as far as to say this feels like a trap game, but it’s certainly a game where the Bears could look past a 49ers team with a 4-10 record.  The Niners are coming off two straight wins at home, where they’ve posted a respectable 4-3 record, starkly contrasting their 0-7 road record.

The Bears offense will be led by Mitch Trubisky, who will always have a little significance for the Niners, with whom the Bears traded up a spot to select their franchise quarterback.  I’d like to see the Bears get their ground game going and take some pressure off Mitch.  While it’s a longshot, there’s still a chance to get Jordan Howard to 1000 yards on the season but he’ll need to average over 120 ypg in the last two.  As I said, it’s a long shot.

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The Bears go the way the defense goes.  In their last two road losses, they’ve missed tackles and had mental lapses.  If the Bears are serious about nabbing a playoff bye, they can’t let this one slip away like they did in games against the Dolphins and Giants under similar circumstances.

Vic Fangio brings his stellar defense back to the bay where he helmed some great 49ers defenses including one that went to Super Bowl XLVII.  I am sure that Vic will have his group fired up and ready to play in a homecoming of sorts.  However, the bears will likely be without Pro Bowl free safety Eddie Jackson, who is nursing an ankle injury.  This is after they just lost slot corner Bryce Callahan a week before.  That can present some opportunities in the passing game for Nick Mullens.

The Bears have been remarkably lucky with injuries so far this season (knock on wood), so most important to get out of San Francisco with their health than a W.  To help us preview this important Week 16 matchup, we connected with Chris Wilson from Niner Noise to exchange some questions.

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