49ERS AT BEARS
The San Francisco 49ers open the 2022 regular season as they travel to Chicago to take on the Bears at Soldier Field. San Francisco leads the all-time series against Chicago 35-32-1 and has won three of the last five matchups between the two teams.
This week marks the 14th overall time the 49ers have played at Soldier Field, where they hold a record of 6-7. This also marks the fourth time the 49ers have opened the regular season against the Bears, with San Francisco winning two of those three matchups. This is the first time the 49ers have ever opened a season at Soldier Field.
The 49ers finished the preseason with a 2-1 record as their offense averaged 326.7 yards per game. The Niners defense held opponents to 171.3 passing yards per game which ranked fourth in the NFL. The unit also finished tied for the most takeaways in the preseason with seven.
BY THE NUMBERS
1-0 The 49ers look to start the regular season 1-0 for the eighth time in the past 11 seasons.
1 Over the last 3 seasons (2019-21), the Niners defense ranks first in the NFL in both total net yds. allowed per game (302.2) and passing yds. allowed per game (194.8).
6.1 In 2021, the 49ers offense averaged a league best 6.1 yds. per play.
18 Over the last three seasons under head coach Kyle Shanahan (2019-21), San Francisco’s 18 victories for a .720 winning percentage on the road is the 3rd-highest in the NFL over that span (KC – 20; NO – 19; Buf. – 17; TB – 17; GB – 17).
18.2 WR Deebo Samuel averaged 18.2 yds. per reception in 2021, ranking 1st in the NFC among WRs.
64 Since 2019, the 49ers have registered 64 rushing TDs, which is the 2nd-highest mark in the NFL during that span (TEN – 70).
ROAD WARRIORS
• San Francisco finished the 2021 regular season with a 6-3 record on the road. Combined with a 5-3 road record in 2020 and a 7-1 road record in 2019, it marked the first time since the 2011-13 seasons that the 49ers reached 5-or-more road wins in three-consecutive seasons.
• From 2019-21 under head coach Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco’s 18 victories for a .720 winning percentage on the road is the 3rd-highest in the NFL over that span
WILD, WILD, WEST
• San Francisco’s 10 wins over NFC West opponents over the past 3 seasons (2019-21) are tied for the 4th-most wins for a team in the NFC.
• During that span, no NFC West team has scored more points than the 49ers (434).
SERIES HISTORY VS. CHICAGO
Overall: 35-32-1 Home: 22-14 Away: 13-18-1
SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
Matchups: 68
Series Record: 49ers lead series 35-32-1
49ers Home Record vs. Bears: 49ers lead series 22-14
49ers Away Record vs. Bears: Bears lead series 18-13-1
First Meeting: 9/24/50, Bears win 32-20, at SF
Last Meeting: 10/31/21, 49ers win 33-22, at Chi.
Current Streak: Won 1
Longest 49ers Win Streak: 6 (12/6/69 – 11/16/75)
Longest Bears Win Streak: 3 – 4 times (Last 10/31/04 – 10/29/06)
Most 49ers Points: 52 – 2 times (Last 12/23/91): 49ers win 52-14, at SF
Most Bears Points: 61 (12/12/65): Bears win 61-20, at Chi.
49ers Shutouts: 5 (Last 12/17/00), 49ers win 17-0, at SF
Bears Shutouts: 2 (Last 10/22/61), Bears win 31-0, at Chi
GET OUT IN FRONT
• The 49ers have outscored their opponents 1,282- 1,065 since 2019. The team’s +217 point differential ranks 4th in the NFC and 8th in the NFL (Bal. – +409; Buf. – +375; KC – +370; NE – +327; TB – +304; NO – +291; GB – +282) over that span.
• San Francisco saw their 2 TD drives at Phi. (9/19/21) go for 97 and 92 yds. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it marked the first time the 49ers had 2 TD drives that started from inside their own 10 yard line since 12/6/92 vs. Mia.
• The 49ers offense opened the game vs. LAR (11/15/21) with an 18 play, 93-yd. TD drive that was capped off on a 8-yd. TD pass from QB Jimmy Garoppolo to TE George Kittle. On the team’s 2nd possession, Garoppolo engineered an 11 play, 91-yd. TD drive punctuated on an 8-yd. TD run by WR Deebo Samuel. The 49ers offense had two TD drives of 90-or-more yds. in the same game for the 2nd time in 2021.
• The 49ers offense opened the game at Jax. (11/21/21) with a 20-play, 87-yd. drive that lasted 13:05 and was capped off by a 20-yd. FG from K Robbie Gould. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the team’s 13:05 drive was the longest in the NFL since the Tennessee Oilers had a 13:27 drive at Dal. (11/27/97).
STRETCH THE FIELD
• San Francisco has registered 349 big plays since 2019 (rushes of 10-ormore yds. and receptions of 20-or-more yds.), the 4th-most in the NFL over that span. Of those 349 big plays, 169 have been rushing while 180 have been receiving.
IN THE RED
• The Niners scored TDs on each of their first 9 trips to the red zone in 2021, the only team with a red zone TD efficiency of 100% in the NFL in Weeks 1-4.
• With a red zone TD percentage of 100% in Weeks 1-4 of the 2021 season, the 49ers registered a 100% red zone TD percentage in 4-consecutive weeks for the first time since Weeks 14-17 of 2016.
• San Francisco finished with a red zone TD percentage of 66.7% in 2021, the highest in the NFL.
RACK ‘EM UP
• After their 41-33 Week 1 victory at Det. (9/12/21), San Francisco’s 41 pts. scored were the 3rd-most by the team in a season opener and the most on the road.
• The 49ers led the Lions 31-10 at halftime. The team’s 31 pts. were the most by the team in the 1st half since scoring 35 in the 1st half vs. StL (11/16/08).
• San Francisco’s +21 halftime scoring differential was the 3rd-highest in a road season opener by the 49ers in franchise history [+25 at Dal. (9/7/14) & +24 at Min. (9/17/67)].
• San Francisco’s 41 points scored in Week 1 were the most in the NFL.
• The 49ers scored 30-plus pts. in Weeks 10-12 of 2021, marking the first time reaching 30-or-more pts. in at least 3-straight games in the same regular season since doing so in 5-straight games in Weeks 4-8 of 2013.
CONTROL THE CLOCK
• The Niners have an average time of possession of 31:06 over the past three seasons (2019-21), ranking t-4th in the NFL over that span (Bal. – 32:45; GB – 32:13; NO – 31:28; Buf. – 31:06).
NO FLY ZONE
• Since the beginning of the 2019 season, 49ers opponents are averaging 194.8 net passing yds. per game allowed, the fewest allowed in the NFL over that span.
DEFENSIVE QUICK HITS
• Over the last 2 seasons (2020-21), San Francisco has allowed 312.1 yds. per game, ranking 2nd in the NFL (Buf. – 311.4).
• The 49ers have allowed opponents to reach the red zone 145 times since 2019, ranking 4th in the NFL (NE – 126; Bal. – 139; NO – 143).
• San Francisco’s defense held opponents to an average of 310.0 yds. per game in 2021, ranking 3rd in the NFL (Buf. – 272.8; Car. – 305.9).
• The 49ers defense did not allow a 100- yd. rusher in 25-consecutive games from 12/8/19 at NO through 10/10/21 at Ari., the longest streak in the NFL over that span.
