7 winners and 1 loser from the 49ers blowout win over the Bears

The 49ers offense got back to the basics in Week 14

The San Francisco 49ers wiped the floor with the Chicago Bears in Week 14 with a 38-13 victory. The Niners outgained the Bears by nearly 300 yards, won the yards per play margin by an eye-popping 4.3 yards per play, and converted five of their six red zone trips to touchdowns.

Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams looked like a deer in headlights, while Brock Purdy resembled a seasoned vet. The interim coach bump was supposed to give Chicago life, but by the time they woke up, they were down 24-0.

The 49ers looked the best in months, but I’d chalk some of that up to the Bears’ ineptness. We should still credit San Francisco for doing what good teams are supposed to do to lesser opponents, and that’s beat them by multiple touchdowns.

Here’s a look at the winners and losers from Week 14.

Winners

Brock Purdy

The 49ers 319 yards of offense in the first half was the most by any team in the NFL of the first half this season. It was also the most yards the offense had gained in a half since they dropped 48 points against the New Orleans Saints in 2019.

The offense clicked on all cylinders. Kyle Shanahan deserves the most credit for focusing on his players’ strengths, specifically his quarterback.

What makes the 49ers offense so potent? Why have they been more successful under Brock Purdy than any other quarterback during Shanhan’s tenure? It’s Purdy’s willingness to push the ball down the field. He goes out of his way to throw the ball to the third level. That opens up the rest of the field for everybody else and forces the defense to defend everything.

Against the Bears, we saw the version of Purdy, the quarterback. On an early 20-yard completion, he gave Deebo Samuel an opportunity on an intermediate crossing route. Samuel did a fantastic job of coming back to the ball. It’s a pass that never gets completed if it’s not attempted. When Purdy goes to throw that ball, Deebo is covered.

Brock’s 32-yarder to Kittle may have been his best play. He pumps down the sideline, recognizes a coverage bust, and fires to Kittle down the field after a quick regather. That highlighted Purdy’s processing.

Purdy finished 20-25, with a 59 percent success rate. He added nearly a point to the scoreboard every time he dropped back and had 4 completions of 20+ air yards. It was a near-flawless performance that could have been even better if not for not being on the same page with Ricky Pearsall on one throw down the field.

Shanahan’s aggression played right into his quarterback’s hands. Half his completions went for first downs, and he was on the money at every level.

Isaac Guerendo

The 49ers will trade a couple of big plays from their running back if it means they won’t be as efficient down to down.

Guerendo finished with 78 rushing yards, averaged 4.6 yards after contact, and had a 30-yard run to flip the field. He was also the first running back to top 20 miles per hour this year. Guerendo’s three plays of 20+ yards were the first of the season for a Niners running back.

He consistently fell forward while running in between the tackles. Guerendo adapted, as he had more rushes in a gap scheme in Week 14 than all season combined. If the 49ers are going to be effective, they need their running backs to be capable both in and outside the tackles.

Guerendo did both and also was a weapon through the air. The former wide receiver adjusted to a pass down the field, reminiscent of Christian McCaffrey. We’ll have updates Monday afternoon about Guerendo’s foot injury, but he did everything the Niners needed out of the backfield against the Bears.

George Kittle

Kittle had triple the targets from last week and made each one count. All six of Kittle’s receptions went for first downs. Only one player has more receiving yards than Kittle in Week 14. He’d be in the top 10 based on having 102 yards after the catch.

Kittle had a reception against five different defenders. The Bears tried but didn’t have any answers. Kittle had catches of 23, 13, 22, 32, 18, and 32. There isn’t much to say about Kittle that has already not been said. The only beef I’d have is that there aren’t at least six targets every game for No. 85. That should be his floor in terms of target distribution.

Loser

Caleb Williams

It was alarming to watch the No. 1 overall pick look gunshy against a pass rush without Nick Bosa. Williams was pressured 11 percent less than Purdy yet sacked six more times.

There were coverage sacks mixed in there, but 134 passing yards on 23 attempts against a defense that hasn’t stopped anybody with a pulse since before Halloween says more about the opponent.

Williams threw it directly to Dee Winters on the first drive of the game. The rookie quarterback had a couple of turnover-worthy plays and was consistently late while holding the ball. As much as I want to give the 49ers credit, I thought Week 14’s result was more of a product of a rookie quarterback.

Winners

Renardo Green

Green is the type of quality starter you take for granted when playing revisionist history and counting the number of picks the 49ers have traded away. The second-round rookie allowed three receptions — with a couple of those coming underneath in zone — on five targets for only 21 yards. Green undercut an in-breaking route from D.J. Moore that he should have intercepted.

Green’s biggest challenge of the season lies ahead on Thursday, but he’s given us every indication that he’ll pass the test.

Talanoa Hufanga

Hufanga played 39 snaps and started in his return. Ji’Ayir Brown was demoted and only saw the field on 15 snaps. Hufanga, for the first time this season, played on the kickoff team.

Hufanga brought attitude. He made three run stops and plays near the line of scrimmage but didn’t shy away from taking on an offensive lineman in the open field. Again, he’ll have to do it against a Sean McVay offense on a short week, but Hufanga’s presence and energy were palpable on a defense that has lacked the latter.

Dominick Puni

Puni is a people mover. He doesn’t miss blocks when the 49ers run the ball. Even better, he paves the way for whoever has the ball. If you remove Guerendo’s 30-yarder that game behind Puni, the 49ers still averaged nearly a full yard more per carry than when running behind any other lineman.

Jauan Jennings

Kittle and Jennings combined for 14 of Purdy’s 25 targets. Jennings led the way with eight and had 90 yards. Shanahan used Jennings as a chess piece, as he lined up out wide just one more snap than he did in the slot. It was the second-most routes Jennings ran from the slot since the bye week in Week 9.

Eighty-three of Jennings’s yards came from the slot, which was the fourth-most in Week 14. Jennings caught all six of his slot targets, with four going for first downs and two for touchdowns. It’s where Jennings has his biggest advantage, and the offense got back to that against the Bears.