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The 49ers are no stranger to late-season win streaks under Kyle Shanahan.
The 2022 49ers won 10 consecutive games to close out the regular season, the 2023 49ers won six straight games before a Christmas Day loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and now, the 2025 49ers have won five in a row, all by a double-digit margin.
Shanahan’s team has survived injuries to Nick Bosa and Fred Warner thanks to an offensive surge led by quarterback Brock Purdy, who tossed a career-high five touchdowns in Monday’s win over the Colts.
Now, the 49ers face their biggest test in nearly two months as the 11-4 Chicago Bears travel to Levi’s Stadium for Sunday Night Football.
Can Shanahan’s team keep its bid to secure the NFC’s No. 1 seed alive? Here are our predictions.
Offensive star of the game
Kawakami: Jauan Jennings. On a night when the 49ers might be without Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle, the Purdy-Jennings combo (five TD passes in the last four games) becomes essential. And avoiding interceptions even more essential. The Bears’ defensive operation is based on creating turnovers (31, most in the NFL this season). And 49ers QBs this season have thrown six interceptions on passes intended for Jennings — the most for anybody on the team.
Lombardi: Christian McCaffrey. He’s eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards. He now needs 149 more receiving yards to become the first player in NFL history to go 1,000-1,000 twice. McCaffrey has fallen a bit behind pace in recent weeks, but it’ll take just one explosive gain to be right back on track. And the 49ers will use him frequently to keep the ball safe against a Bears defense that leads the NFL in takeaways.
Defensive star of the game
Kawakami: Ji’Ayir Brown. The 49ers will need their safeties fully engaged on run defense or else they could get run over by Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift. Brown and Malik Mustapha were up for it last week against Jonathan Taylor. They could be getting into a groove.
Lombardi: Mustapha. Safety is indeed of critical importance. The problem last week is that the 49ers were so geared up for the run that they essentially forgot to cover the downfield pass early in the game. Their safeties were not well positioned at several critical moments. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh must find more defensive balance on Sunday.
The 49ers’ potential X-factor
Kawakami: Saleh vs. Bears’ Ben Johnson. In last year’s matchup, it was 49ers DC Nick Sorensen vs. Bears interim OC Thomas Brown — with Sorensen’s unit playing one of its best games of the season and shutting down Caleb Williams & Co. Let’s just say that this schematic battle will be slightly elevated. Saleh wants another HC gig. This would be a prime showcase.
Lombardi: Purdy. It seems that he’s finally getting some long-deserved recognition as one of the best players in football. The 49ers have Purdy and the Bears don’t — that’s a huge advantage for San Francisco.
The key stat to track
Kawakami: 49ers’ takeaways. Not only are the Bears the NFL’s No. 1 takeaway team, they also have only 10 giveaways, tied for second fewest in the league. Chicago is 7-0 when it doesn’t commit a turnover, 4-4 when it does. One early 49ers takeaway — just like last week in Indianapolis — could give them control of this game.
Lombardi: 49ers’ rushing efficiency. McCaffrey broke through with a 117-yard performance against the Colts as the 49ers’ offense hummed at its highest level of the season. They’ve been the league’s most productive unit ever since Purdy took the reins in Week 11. If the 49ers can run well again, Purdy will definitely torch Chicago through the air.
Game prediction
Kawakami: 49ers 30, Bears 20. Purdy, McCaffrey, and Shanahan are on too much of a roll right now to predict anything less than four 49ers touchdowns. And everybody else in the organization can ride the momentum toward potentially earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC. I don’t know that the 49ers will get all the way there, but I don’t think this game will be the impediment. (Yes, my nine-game streak of correct predictions ended last week. Let’s see if I can get a one-game streak going.)
Lombardi: 49ers 31, Bears 28. Shanahan is on a short week. Chicago coach Ben Johnson has the benefit of a long week (the Bears last played on Saturday). That’s a major disadvantage for the 49ers, who are better than Chicago. It probably evens this matchup out. But again, the 49ers have Purdy and the Bears don’t.