The 49ers are back at home, and that comes with a matchup against the reeling Chicago Bears.
After an ugly 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the San Francisco 49ers were outmatched once again in a 35-10 defeat against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, dropping them to 5-7 on the year with their recent three-game losing streak.
San Francisco showed some fight early and had their chances, forcing an early punt and getting into Buffalo territory on each of their first five drives. However, that resulted in just three points, putting them in a major deficit that they could never climb out of.
Now, looking ahead to Week 14, the 49ers will return home for a matchup with 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. Chicago has been on a slide of its own, losing each of its last six games, which led to the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus late last week.
So, returning home against a 4-8 Bears team, how are the 49ers seen, odds-wise, in Week 14?
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the 49ers are 3.5-point favorites against the Bears heading into next weekend’s matchup, with the over/under set at 44.5 points.
This line dropped considerably from Monday morning when San Francisco was a 5.5-point favorite in the matchup, but the 49ers are still seen as a slight favorite when considering in the home-field advantage aspect.
At 5-7, the 49ers’ playoff hopes are slipping away, as they now have a multiple-game lead deficit in the NFC West with matchups against the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and Arizona Cardinals still on deck.
But first, they face off against the Bears, who have shown promise this year, losing three straight one-score games by a combined seven points. Six of Chicago’s eight losses have been within six points, as their defense has been consistently strong this season, while their offense has been inconsistent.
That led to the firing of former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron prior to the dismissal of head coach Matt Eberflus. Now, passing game coordinator Thomas Brown is serving as the interim head coach, while wide receivers coach Chris Beatty is the interim offensive coordinator.
If there’s any hope of making the playoffs for San Francisco, they’ll need to win every single game from here on out, while getting some help from their fellow divisional teams to extend their postseason streak to four straight years.
But, it may be a difficult task, as the 49ers injury list is only growing. Running back Christian McCaffrey was effectively ruled out for the year with a PCL injury, while fellow back Jordan Mason is headed to Injured Reserve with a high-ankle sprain.
Trent Williams and Nick Bosa are still week-to-week, while Aaron Banks and Jordan Elliott remain in concussion protocol. In good news, cornerback Deommodore Lenoir is slated to return to practice on Wednesday.
However, it’ll still be a tough job for the 49ers, considering where their roster currently stands, but every game is a must-win from here on out.