Five Bears whose stock went up or down in NFL Week 17 loss to 49ers

The final Sunday in 2025 provided football fans with a memorable game that featured plenty of offensive firepower.

With how the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers moved the ball and scored, it felt like a game that would end with whatever team had the ball last.

Caleb Williams and the Bears had their shot with 2:15 left in the game, down by four points.

The Bears quarterback led his team on a 15-play drive that ended on the 49ers’ 2-yard line after Williams attempted to extend the play to find an open receiver. With the 49ers’ defense closing in, Williams threw a pass into the end zone, but it fell short.

The Bears lost 42-38, which eliminates them from contention for the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. Still, as NFC North champions, they will host at least one playoff game at Soldier Field.

Here are the five players who raised and lowered their stock in the Week 17 shootout at Levi’s Stadium.

Williams had one of his best passing performances of the season, completing 25 of 42 throws for 330 yards and two touchdowns.

His first TD pass of the day — to rookie Luther Burden III — was a perfectly thrown 35-yard strike in the first quarter.

Williams’ second TD pass — to Colston Loveland in the second quarter– displayed some of his elite quarterback traits. Williams drew the 49ers’ defense offside with his cadence, kept his eyes downfield after the snap, then threw a dart to his rookie tight end for a 36-yard score.

With how well the 49ers’ offense played, Williams needed to match Brock Purdy on the other side. For a majority of the game, that’s exactly what he did. However, he missed some throws.

On the final drive, Williams was heavily pressured on a first-and-10 play. He ran away from the pressure to his right but couldn’t complete a pass to wide-open Devin Duvernay on what might have been a game-winning TD.

It only took one play for the former All-Pro cornerback to change the game.

Johnson jumped Jauan Jennings’ slant route and deflected Purdy’s first pass on the first play of the game into the air. T.J. Edwards intercepted the ball and returned it 34 yards for a pick six.

Johnson finished the game with zero receptions allowed on one target. He wasn’t targeted for the remainder of the game after helping cause the pick six, but he also played limited snaps in the second half.

Johnson has given up just seven receptions on 12 targets for 142 yards in six games this season, and he has one interception. It shows just how important keeping Johnson healthy is to the Bears’ defense.

The Bears’ rookie wide receiver returned to action after missing last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers and quickly made an impact.

Entering their third drive, the Bears had failed to record a first down. Then Williams found Burden for a 10-yard gain on second down. Three plays later, Williams connected with Burden on an explosive 35-yard TD pass, giving Chicago’s offense its first points of the game late in the first quarter.

Burden finished as the game’s leading receiver with eight receptions on nine targets for 138 yards and the TD. He was injured on the final play of the game, and head coach Ben Johnson didn’t have an immediate update on the rookie’s condition.

The Bears’ veteran linebacker had the daunting task of trying to contain Christian McCaffrey. The entire defense, especially Edmunds, failed to keep the 49ers’ versatile playmaker in check.

McCaffrey finished the first half with 18 carries for 121 yards and one TD. He added two receptions for 20 yards as a pass catcher before halftime.

Per Pro Football Focus, Edmunds allowed seven receptions on seven targets for 55 yards and two TDs.

The 49ers’ offense, which features plenty of motions and shifts, forced Edmunds and the rest of the Bears’ defensive front to react slowly, and San Francisco benefited throughout the game, finishing with 496 total yards (200 rushing, 296 passing).

The Bears cornerback dealt with a hamstring injury and an illness throughout the week, but he was able to start against the 49ers.

He’s had a remarkable season, but this wasn’t a good showing. Per Pro Football Focus, Wright gave up four receptions on five targets for 73 yards in just the first half.

Wright looked a step slow and couldn’t stay in front of opposing receivers.

The post Five Bears whose stock went up or down in NFL Week 17 loss to 49ers appeared first on Marquee Sports Network – Home of the Cubs, Bears, Red Stars and Sky.

Five Bears whose stock went up or down in NFL Week 17 loss to 49ers

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