49ers can’t take many positives from loss to Bears

By Marc Hudgens  |   Sunday, August 26, 2007  |  Comments( 18 )

San Francisco 49ers
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On the surface, looking at the 31-28 score from this past weekend would lead one to believe that the 49ers were keeping up with the defending NFC champion Chicago Bears. Scoring four touchdowns against the Bears' vaunted defense looks pretty solid.

Not so fast, though.

At closer inspection, the 49ers' performance was littered with mistakes.

Two of San Francisco's touchdowns came from scenarios that can't often be counted on. One was Walt Harris' second-quarter interception of a Rex Grossman attempt to tight end Greg Olson. After picking the pass off, Harris jetted 52 yards for the score. The other came when Marcus Hudson recovered a fumble from a muffed punt return by Chicago's Drisan James on the Bears' 6-yard line. That set up a 2-yard touchdown scamper by Niners running back Maurice Hicks three plays later.

Both of the above TDs occurred in the first half. Simply put, the San Francisco offense was nonexistent. That's not a good sign with the regular season just two weeks away.

Highly touted QB Alex Smith didn't fare that well, completing 4 of 8 attempts in two-plus quarters for 47 yards. The third-year man threw neither a TD nor a pick, but he did fumble a snap.

The defense wasn't exactly a problem-free unit, either. While Harris was impressive, his performance was retroactively diluted by a 45-yard pass from Grossman to Bernard Berrian on the game's opening play that took the Bears to the Niners' 15. Pretty much having a field day with the 49er secondary, Grossman finished 13 of 20 for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Again, that was just in the first half. Chicago led 31-13 through two quarters.

The second half, however, looked better. Trent Dilfer trotted onto the field with a little over a couple minutes left in the third quarter, and he grabbed the reins with authority. From that point on, Dilfer completed 9 of 12 throws for almost 100 yards and two touchdowns.

Aside from Dilfer, a few more bright spots for the 49ers were nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga (three tackles, two for losses); newly added receiver Ashley Lelie (four catches, 48 yards); rookie LB Patrick Willis, a first-rounder, starting his first NFL game and coming away with seven total tackles (six solos); and punter Andy Lee's consistent booting that kept the Chicago offense starting off in its own territory.

The 49ers are 1-2 in the preseason so far, with their fourth and final exhibition game coming up Thursday evening against the Chargers. It's important for the team to end on a confidence-boosting note and get ready for the games that count.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He ...
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CommentsComments: 18  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
SD in CA rules		11:02 PM
08/26/2007
Did you remeber me talking about Alex and his completions being just 50% of his passes when looking at the play by play and that ...
No.2
randm		12:08 AM
08/27/2007
I think it's going to be a roller coaster of a season. I'm not worried so much about the offense. I think A Smith will have a ...
No.3
white 90!		07:55 AM
08/27/2007
The word "gel" is a misnomer. You have the entire training camp and offseason to "gel" and if you're not ready by Sept 10 then ...
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