Bears Miss Last-Minute Opportunity Against 49ers
The Bears came tantalizingly close to pulling off a dramatic finish on “Sunday Night Football.” With just four seconds remaining in a nail-biter against the 49ers, Chicago found themselves trailing 42-38, positioned at San Francisco’s 2-yard line without any timeouts.
Quarterback Caleb Williams was in the shotgun formation as running back D’Andre Swift attempted a swing pass to the left. Unfortunately, rookie safety Malik Mustafa quickly closed in, forcing Williams to scramble for an open target.
As Williams moved toward the left sideline, he felt the pressure of the approaching defense and tried to throw on the run, looking for rookies Jahday Walker and Luther Burden. However, his throw fell short, and the game ended with the 49ers celebrating their victory.
Reflecting on the chaotic final moments, Bears coach Ben Johnson took responsibility, saying, “We didn’t quite coordinate with the formation we wanted, and that’s on me. I couldn’t call him early enough, and he was trying to piece everything together bit by bit. I’ve got to be better at that.”
Williams echoed his coach’s sentiment, noting the disarray on the field. “We ended up lining up without a lot of time left. We were a bit out of position, and with the clock running down, we just had to make a play out of nothing. We took our shot, but yeah, we lost time and got out of sync.”
Interestingly, receiver DJ Moore managed to find space in the end zone but was overlooked as Williams struggled against the defensive push.
As the play clock ticked down to almost zero before the final snap, a delay of game penalty could have been an issue for Chicago. Yet, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan opted not to call a timeout, noting he was curious to see how the Bears would handle the pressure. “We wanted to see what it was like, but they just ran fast, so we let it go,” he explained.
This moment brought to mind the infamous 2014 Super Bowl, where the Seahawks, out of timeouts, struggled to execute a final play and ended up turning the ball over to the Patriots, who clinched their victory with an interception.
In a prior attempt to score, the Bears tried a hook-and-ladder play with 13 seconds left, which was an adventurous move. It ended with Swift being brought down at the 2-yard line, leading to a quick spike of the ball with just four seconds remaining for their last attempt.
Despite the loss, which came after a previous defeat against the Packers in their bid for the NFC North title, the Bears’ hopes for securing the top seed in the conference were dashed. That decision will take place on Saturday night, with the winner of the 49ers-Seahawks game earning a bye and home-field advantage.
