What to Expect Sunday Between the Bears & 49ers

Week 1 is finally upon us 49ers fans as the Red & Gold go on the road this week, facing Chicago in the opening slate of games Sunday.

A matchup between NFC foes, the 49ers currently hold the advantage in all-time record, 35-32-1, heading into this weekend. However, the matchup everyone wants to see is between second-year quarterbacks Trey Lance and Justin Fields, especially after the latter threw some shade towards San Francisco this week.

“I don’t take anything personal,” Fields said Wednesday. “I’m happy to be here [Chicago]. I’m glad they passed on me.”

“He’s going to prove everything that everybody doubted him on, especially Week 1. That team passed on him. So, they’re going to have to pay a little bit for that,” his teammate Darnell Mooney also stated.

We’ll see if the Red & Gold can make the Bears eat those words. Before we get there, let’s take a look at what to expect in the Windy City.

Trey Lance’s First Start of the Season

Most of the buzz surrounding the team is the long-anticipated return of second-year QB prospect Trey Lance, getting the keys to the kingdom this offseason.

The former North Dakota State product was more of an observer during his rookie season, playing understudy to Jimmy Garoppolo, who led the 49ers to a Super Bowl and NFC championship game in five seasons. Now playing second fiddle to his predecessor after agreeing to a restructured contract at the end of the preseason, Garoppolo steps into the role of mentor for the 49ers, something Lance is happy to have in the locker room.

“I’m excited. Real similar to the weeks I started last year in terms of a preparation standpoint,” Lance said Wednesday before practice. “It’s great to have guys in the [quarterback] room, great to have Jimmy in there to bounce ideas off of.

“Kind of a breath of fresh air for sure. Excited to game-plan for somebody, not kind of just running our training camp scripts and going against our defense. Get to kind of put plays in for certain situations and different things like that. So it’s been an awesome experience,” he continued.

Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo running simultaneous throws at 49ers practice ahead of the season opener at Chicago pic.twitter.com/ZlmbfTBaWC

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 7, 2022

While the fans are eager to see Lance, expect head coach Kyle Shanahan and the coaching staff to devious a potent rushing attack the could see 25 to 30 carries Sunday afternoon.

There will be some designed runs for Lance as well, but expect him to be eased into the action in Chicago, hoping to grind out an away victory to start the regular season.

Offensive Line Issues?

The cause for concern with the 49ers during the preseason has been injuries, with many players falling victim to soft-issue woes already.

The offensive line has ben no stranger to this, losing Daniel Brunskill to a hamstring strain after the preseason opener agains the Packers, and starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey to knee irritation. The latter returned to practice his week and is expect to play, but nonetheless not how you want to start the regular season if you’re the 49ers.

Also no Daniel Brunskill (hamstring) yet today, so the 49ers' O-line will almost certainly start the season as…

LT Trent Williams
LG Aaron Banks
C Jake Brendel
RG Spencer Burford
RT Mike McGlinchey

— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 8, 2022

“He looks the best he’s looked,” offensive line coach Chris Forester said regarding McGlinchey’s status Thursday. “Knock on wood that he holds in there…These last few days, he’s looked like the Mike that we’ve all hoped he would look like. That’s been encouraging. And again, same thing, he’s got to string some games together here, and I hope that he goes out on Sunday and has a really nice outing.”

Jake Brendel has been the starting center for the majority of training camp and is likely to get the nod with Brunskill still out. Big shoes to fill for the 29-year-old offensive lineman, replacing former pro-bowl center Alex Mack who retired after last season.

“It was a work in progress as always. The one thing about [OL] Aaron [Banks], [OL] Spencer [Burford], [OL] Jake [Brendel], all the guys we have working inside, they work really hard every day. They prepare well, they go out there, work really hard at getting better and you saw improvement every single day. They go out there, there’s the ups and downs. The preseason game, the work against Minnesota, things like that, but they all work through it and they’ve grown a lot in the process,” Forester stated.

As previously stated, the run game will be in full effect for San Francisco throughout the season, especially with the team housing five RBs on the roster. But with an offensive line that struggled in the preseason, it’ll be interesting to see how holes open up for ballcarriers this weekend.

Tight end George Kittle also missed practice Thursday after suffering a groin injury Monday. His status for Sunday’s game is still to be determined but missing two consecutive practices is never a good sign.

Sunday’s forecast in the Windy City is expected to bring rain showers throughout the afternoon, with wind gusts up to 17 mph, according to the national weather service.

Kickoff from Solider Field is set for 10 a.m. PST and is available to watch on FOX, and streaming on NFL Game Pass.

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