Pompei: Observations From Bears-49ers
By Dan Pompei–
(CBS) Given the ease with which the 49ers possessed the ball and moved the chains and the difficulty the Bears had in getting first downs Sunday, the score of that game could've been very lopsided. The Bears were lucky to even have a chance at the end of their eventual 15-14 loss. They were dominated by a one-win team.
Here are my observations.
1. The one thing the Bears did do previously on offense was run the ball. Now they apparently can't do that anymore.
2. Tarik Cohen came up big. There just wasn't enough of him.
3. Cohen became the first NFL player to score passing, rushing, receiving and punt returning touchdowns in a rookie season since Gale Sayers in 1965. Imagine what he'd be doing if the Bears knew how to use him.
4. Can someone explain why Markus Wheaton is on the roster? He had one snap Sunday. He has one catch for the season.
5. I feel confident saying Jimmy Garoppolo is going to be an excellent NFL quarterback. I can't say that about Mitchell Trubisky at this point.
6. But I'm not saying Trubisky won't develop, either. He really hasn't been set up to succeed.
7. Considering Chris Prosinksi was the Bears' fifth choice to play safety next to Eddie Jackson, it was an accomplishment to hold Garoppolo to 293 yards.
8. Props to Prosinski for a pretty remarkable performance, all things considered.
9. If Kyle Fuller is so good, why does everybody keep throwing at him?
10. Lamarr Houston was a nice late-season pickup. He upgraded the defense immediately. All of which leads me to conclude pass rusher is a major need for this team moving forward.
11. Something tells me the game would've been a lot uglier for the Bears if Danny Trevathan couldn't play.
12. You think it was a mistake to cut Robbie Gould?
13. Last week Gould said this game wasn't about revenge. He lied.
14. I understand why many think the Bears should have let the 49ers run it with 1:34 remaining in the game. However, let's not delude ourselves. That almost certainly was a loss for the Bears no matter what John Fox decided to do there. Bears coaches apparently had identified a vulnerability in the 49ers' field goal protection that they thought they might be able to exploit. And they thought their chances of exploiting that vulnerability were better than their chances of a game-winning touchdown drive with a thoroughly incompetent offense. The chances of either were slim to none.
15. If you want a silver lining, this is it: The Bears (3-9) are now one game behind the Niners and Giants in the competition for the second pick of the draft.
Dan Pompei has been covering the NFL since 1985 and is a regular contributor to 670 The Score and a host on 670's Bears pregame show. He writes for Bleacher Report and theathletic.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Dan Pompei.
