Good morning, 49ers fans. It was another ugly Sunday, marking the the 11th in the past 13 weeks in which the 49ers have come up short. They have lost a franchise-record 11 straight games, and there is no sign of this improving. Yes, the New York Jets are coming to town later this week, but this season is a mess.
The 49ers have generally not "given up" in their games this season. Things will be dismal, but they show some life at some point late in the game. Against the Bears, we really did not see much in the way of fight in the second half. It might not be fair to say they "quit" so to speak. It’s a tough game, the weather was rough, and they’re professionals.
And yet, in watching the latter part of that game, particularly when Jordan Howard ran in his third touchdown, it felt like we were watching some quit, at least on defense. On that third touchdown, Howard seemed bottled up, and he then proceeded to just barrel over 49ers defenders. Maybe something specific happened to cause that, but it just seemed like, "let’s pack it up and get the heck home." I hope I’m wrong, but the remaining four weeks will tell us more.
On to the links!
Recaps
Instant Replay: 49ers plowed by Bears, skid reaches 11 (Maiocco)
49ers report card: Tough sledding in snowy Chicago (Barrows)
49ers lose 11th straight, Colin Kaepernick benched (Inman)
Kaepernick benched, Bears humiliate 49ers in 11th straight loss (Jones)
49ers look awful in 11th straight loss to lowly Bears (Biderman)
49ers Plowed by Bears, Skid Reaches 11 Games (NBC Bay Area)
Instant Analysis: 49ers are back to square one (Fausone)
49ers 6, Bears 26: Grades (Cohn)
What We Learned: Bears 26 - 49ers 6 (49ers.com)
49ers: Snow, they didn’t — and a new low in 26-6 loss in Chicago (Branch)
Chip Kelly's father
Chip Kelly coached 49ers in Chicago despite father's death (Maiocco)
Colin Kaepernick
Kaepernick on being benched: "It's not my place to really argue on the sideline" (49ers Webzone)
Chip Kelly won’t name starting QB after benching Colin Kaepernick (Biderman)
Kelly benched Kaepernick to see if Gabbert could provide spark (Maiocco)
Colin Kaepernick blew his last chance to stick with 49ers, Chip Kelly (The Sporting News)
Weather
49ers can't weather Chicago snow after Florida heat (Inman)
49ers downplay cold as factor in loss to lowly Bears (Branch)