The 49ers are hoping for a Bears comeback, with the No. 1 seed in the Week 18 rankings
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If the “Sunday Night Football” Matchup for Week 17 is anything like what the NFL Playoffs will be like this season, football fans will be loving every second of the game.
The San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bears, the two Bears who shot No. 1 in the NFC, put together a fun-time game Sunday night in the Bay Area.
But the 49ers only helped their chances at that top seed in their conference with a thrilling 42-38 win.
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Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates a touchdown against the Chicago Bears with teammate Ricky Pearsall #1 of the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter of the game at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
This was a back-and-forth game all night on the scoreboard, and it started with the 49ers’ tight first possession of the game. But it wasn’t Brock Purdy and company that got good field position.
Instead, Jaylon Johnson’s leaping pass intended for Jauan Jennings ended with TJ Edwards picking off the pass and returning it 34 yards for a pick-six just 15 seconds into the game.
The 49ers quickly faced a 7-0 deficit, but Purdy didn’t worry all game long, and appeared on the next drive following an interception. San Francisco drove nine plays and 65 yards down the field, as Purdy found Jake Tonges, filling in for the injured George Kittle in the tight end role, to tie the game.
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After three straight punts, the 49ers and the Bears will put together five straight touchdown drives, starting with Purdy running for a 10-yard touchdown run – the first of the two at night. It was set up by Christian McCaffrey for 41 yards, as the veteran had another successful week on the ground.
Williams, however, wanted to show off his laser arm, as he saw rookie Luther Burden III hit a 35-yarder to tie the game at 14 apiece.
McCaffrey managed to find the end zone early in the second quarter to make it a nine-play drive, but an offsides call by the 49ers on the ensuing drive allowed Williams a free play to find rookie tight end Colston Loveland for a 36-yard touchdown.
It was the 49ers going into the locker room with the lead, however, as Purdy ended a 15-play drive that used up nearly nine minutes of the second-quarter clock with his three-yard touchdown run.
When the second half began, the Bears and the 49ers had only one drive in the third quarter, but both got money for touchdowns – San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk and Chicago’s D’Andre Swift. But after Swift scored his second touchdown of the half, Williams and the Bears offense finally took the lead for the first time since the Sixers started the game.
Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears warms up against the San Francisco 49ers before the game at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
It wasn’t the head coach Ben Johnson wanted, but Cairo Santos’ field goal gave Chicago a 38-35 lead with 5:22 left in the game. There was still time for San Fran, though, and Purdy didn’t waste it.
Jennings was quiet with just one catch for four yards the entire game while Purdy beat him and took it long for a 38-yard catch and run to regain the lead.
A four-point deficit to the Bears meant Williams had to find the end zone with more than two minutes to play. They were able to convert it on fourth-and-5, and after a nifty catch-and-pitch from Loveland to Swift, the Bears were at the two-yard line with four seconds left.
Williams checked the end zone and kept the game alive with his legs, but couldn’t find Jahdae Walker for the game-winning touchdown.
With the loss, the Bears will no longer be the No. 1 seed. On the other hand, the 49ers have just one win left to defend, as they play the Seattle Seahawks next week.
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In the scoreboard, McCaffrey totaled 181 yards from scrimmage, including 140 on 23 carries for his score. Purdy was 24-of-33 passing for 303 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, while rushing for 28 yards and two touchdowns.
For the Bears, Williams was 25-of-42 for 330 yards and two touchdowns, while Burden finished the night with 138 receiving yards on eight catches with his touchdown.
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