Happy Jimmy Garoppolo day! The San Francisco 49ers head on the road for the first time in over a month to face the Chicago Bears in Week 13. The game gets going at 10:00 a.m. PT on CBS, and will have Andrew Catalon and James Lofton calling the game. We’re near the bottom of the announcer depth chart in a matchup of two really shaky football teams.
The 49ers lost 24-13 to the Seattle Seahawks last week, but the real story of the game was the debut of Jimmy Garoppolo. C.J. Beathard suffered an injury in the final two minutes, and Garoppolo came on for the final 67 seconds. Garoppolo scrambled for five yards and completed two passes, including a touchdown pass.
It was a two-minute drill, but it was hard not to be impressed with how he looked. Sure, we can’t say that’s enough to give him a $100 million contract, but I don’t know anybody who wasn’t pleased and given some optimism by that performance. Kyle Shanahan initially said he would announce his starter on Wednesday. However, the team made their decision quickly, and after informing both players, the announcement was made public Tuesday afternoon.
The 49ers head into this game improving in health, but with three game-time decisions. Offensive tackle Trent Brown (shoulder), free safety Adrian Colbert (thumb), and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (ankle) are all listed as questionable. Brown was questionable last week after a Thursday injury, and ended up sitting. He got more work in this past Friday than anytime this week, but it will come down to how he feels Sunday morning.
Colbert was out after sitting out all three practices with his broken thumb. He was limited this week while wearing the blue non-contact jersey. Shanahan said on Friday that Colbert’s status will depend on how comfortable the free safety is with his thumb. It sounds like the bone is healed, so it is not something the trainers can assess. If Colbert is comfortable with it, he’ll play.
Witherspoon suffered an ankle injury on Wednesday. He did not practice Thursday, and then was limited on Friday. His status will also depend on how the ankle feels in pre-game warmups.
The 49ers are a field goal underdog in this game, according to Odds Shark. The line opened as high as a five point underdog. The line dropped given the Bears ugly loss to Philadelphia, but the biggest change came when the 49ers announced Garoppolo would start. The line dropped as much as a full point at some sportsbooks with that news. This is a very winnable game for the 49ers. They face a Bears defense that has impressed at times, but clearly is inconsistent given what we saw last week.
Here is a full rundown of how to watch today’s game.
Nuts and bolts
Location: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Game time: Sunday, December 3, 10:00 a.m. PT
TV channel: CBS
Online streaming: NFL Game Pass
Radio: 810-AM, 107.7 (Ted Robinson, Tim Ryan) | Full listings
Spanish Radio: KTRB 860-AM (Jesus Zarate, Luis Landero)
Matchup History: 49ers lead 33-31-1
Spread: 49ers +3
Announcers: Andrew Catalon, James Lofton
Lead Referee: Ed Hochuli
Enemy blog: Windy City Gridiron
Twitter: @ninersnation
Facebook: Go ahead and give us a like!
Regular season schedule
Week 1: vs. Carolina Panthers - 23-3 LOSS
Week 2: @ Seattle Seahawks - 12-9 LOSS
Week 3: vs. Los Angeles Rams - 41-39 LOSS
Week 4: @ Arizona Cardinals - 18-15 LOSS
Week 5: @ Indianapolis Colts - 26-23 LOSS
Week 6: @ Washington - 26-24 LOSS
Week 7: vs. Dallas Cowboys - 40-10 LOSS
Week 8: @ Philadelphia Eagles - 33-10 LOSS
Week 9: vs. Arizona Cardinals - 20-10 LOSS
Week 10: vs. New York Giants - 31-21 WIN
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: vs. Seattle Seahawks - 24-13 LOSS
Week 13: @ Chicago Bears, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, December 3
Week 14: @ Houston Texans, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, December 10
Week 15: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:25 p.m., CBS, Sunday, December 17
Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:05 p.m., CBS, Sunday, December 24
Week 17: @ Los Angeles Rams, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, December 31