49ers

The 49ers made too many mistakes in critical moments during their season-opening loss to the Chicago Bears.

"We were stopping the run all day. Midway through the fourth quarter when the Bears were back inside the red zone, 49ers defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw was called for a defensive holding penalty. There were two key penalties on the Bears' second scoring drive. Had two stupid penalties that allowed them to keep going that led to 14 points." Five of the Bears' 15 first downs were gifted by a 49ers penalty. The 49ers committed 12 penalties for 99 yards.

The 49ers suffered a big blow just before halftime of their season opener when Elijah Mitchell was ruled out due to a knee injury.

He led the 49ers in rushing with 963 yards and five touchdowns on 207 rushing attempts for a 4.7-yard average. Mitchell left the game after gaining 41 yards on six rushing attempts. "[The medical staff] thought he had a chance to come back and then they ruled him out about a quarter later, so not sure yet."

The Trey Lance Era in San Francisco got off to a rough start Sunday in a 19-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. Lance told reporters after the game that he has "a ...

I shouldn't have missed [Deebo Samuel](https://www.nfl.com/players/deebo-samuel/) on the third down, missed another third down to [Jauan Jennings](https://www.nfl.com/players/jauan-jennings/) -- just too many mistakes." Lance had a handful of impressive throws and added 54 rushing yards on 13 attempts to round out his day. The Bears went on to score a touchdown on the ensuing possession, but the three-point lead would've been enough. [Tyler Kroft](https://www.nfl.com/players/tyler-kroft/) in the end zone. San Francisco got the ball back twice before it was all said and done, but Lance could only muster 42 yards of offense in those possessions. "I had a big miss to

It wasn't pretty, but Justin Fields did just enough to lead the Bears to victory. Justin Fields and Chicago Bears survive brutal field conditions to beat.

The Bears, however, deserve a lot of credit for getting at the right time. "A lot of stuff to clean up, for sure." After starting the game 3 of 9 for 19 yards and a pick, he went 5 of 8 for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. And a big part of that was him being allowed to be himself in the Chicago offense for seemingly the first time in his young career. 51 of those yards were on a glorious secondary route touchdown pass to Dante Pettis, whereas another 18 went to Equanimeous St. They had three second-half touchdowns and just one point, which translated to a 19-10 win over the 49ers.

Lance struggled during a wet Chicago afternoon, but penalties were a much bigger reason the 49ers lost their season opener.

That's no guarantee, given that costly penalties have been a persistent problem for the Niners in recent years. Any game that I could remember where we had close to 100 yards in penalties, we had two turnovers, especially one in scoring range in the red zone, it generally never turns out that well." I think today was the exact opposite of that." But as for our performance as a team, the game shouldn't have been in that position in the first place." The timing of some of those infractions was equally costly. For most of the first three quarters, it appeared as though the Niners were going to dispatch the Bears with relative ease. That was a sentiment shared throughout the Niners' locker room after coughing up a 10-0 lead in a game they seemed to have under control. Chicago had three penalties for 24 yards and one turnover while scoring touchdowns on both of its red zone trips. Two of those kept the Bears' first two scoring drives alive. Lance finished 13-of-28 for 164 yards with no touchdown passes and an interception for a passer rating of 50.3. I just feel like I'm a lot better than that." The list: overthrowing wide-open tight end

CHICAGO (AP) — Trey Lance got the keys to San Francisco's offense in July. When it comes to driving in the rain, well, that still needs some work.

Lance connected on 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards on the day, including a glaring miss with Tyler Kroft open down the field in the first quarter. Then running back [Elijah Mitchell](https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-49ers-chicago-bears-nfl-sports-chicago-022fc06d6554b639076b97cb74e6b9d0) left in the first half with a knee injury. It’s the whole team that needs to clean that stuff up to have a chance to do what we want to do.” After Chicago jumped in front on another Fields touchdown pass, Lance was intercepted by Eddie Jackson on San Francisco’s first drive of the fourth. [George Kittle](https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-49ers-chicago-bears-nfl-sports-trey-lance-f4f495c5ad0e6c51d88eb2ae28e145aa), who was inactive because of a groin injury. Lance showed why the Niners made the move in the opener, making a couple of nice throws and rushing for a team-high 54 yards, but it also looks as if there are going to be some growing pains along the way.

CHICAGO (AP) — San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell left Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears because of a knee injury.

He had 207 carries for 963 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games during his rookie season. CHICAGO (AP) — San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell left Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears because of a knee injury. San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell left Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears because of a knee injury.

The 49ers were already without George Kittle for their Week 1 game against the Bears, and now, they have lost another of their top offensive weapons.

For those wondering where 2021 third-round pick Trey Sermon is, the 49ers released him just after final cuts. San Francisco also has fullback Kyle Juszczyk and quarterback Trey Lance available to help on the ground. Wilson and Samuel carried the load with Mitchell out on Sunday. Deebo Samuel will also see a larger role out of the backfield; his 6-yard touchdown run in the second quarter opened the scoring at Soldier Field and he had eight rushes for 52 yards in the loss. In 2021, Raheem Mostert suffered "significant cartilage damage" to his knee against the Lions. Mitchell's injury marks the second consecutive season during which the 49ers have lost their starting running back to a knee problem in Week 1.

In his first start since officially being named 49ers quarterback, Lance had a disastrous performance in a shocking 19-10 loss to the Bears in Chicago. Sure, it ...

[AJ Dillon](/nfl/players/2867083/a-j-dillon/)? [Aaron Rodgers](/nfl/players/419780/aaron-rodgers/)with a receiving corps headlined by ... Hate the grades? [Cardinals](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/ARI/arizona-cardinals/), but found a medium ground with a C-. As for that offense, [Tyreek Hill](/nfl/players/2131163/tyreek-hill/)is a target vacuum, seeing 12 looks from [Tua Tagovailoa](/nfl/players/2741209/tua-tagovailoa/)on the day and leading the team with 94 yards receiving. [Panthers](https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/CAR/carolina-panthers/)truly looked like they were on the verge of disaster in the first half, as Cleveland acquired a 10-point lead at halftime while [Baker Mayfield](/nfl/players/2080032/baker-mayfield/)and the Panthers' offense could get nothing going. Not only did [Cordarrelle Patterson](/nfl/players/1996183/cordarrelle-patterson/)rush for 120 yards and a touchdown, but [Marcus Mariota](/nfl/players/1880862/marcus-mariota/)also added 72 yards and a TD on the ground. Brown](/nfl/players/2967690/amon-ra-st-brown/)kept his five-game streak of getting at least eight receptions and a touchdown streak and [D'Andre Swift](/nfl/players/2871710/dandre-swift/)looks every bit of the running back that can get 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards this year. Overall, Wentz threw four touchdowns in the game with the final one going to [Jahan Dotson](/nfl/players/2962944/jahan-dotson/)with just 1:46 left to play. Fields started the scoring spree with a 51-yard TD to [Dante Pettis](/nfl/players/2139642/dante-pettis/)that seemed to spark the Bears' offense and defense. [Evan McPherson](/nfl/players/2962681/evan-mcpherson/)had a chance to win it in overtime, but missed a 29-yard field goal thanks in large part to an errant snap. [Justin Fields](/nfl/players/1273205/justin-fields/)and the offense came alive in the second half with three touchdowns.

The 49ers took a pair of skill position players in the third round of this year's draft. Both running back Tyrion Davis-Price and wide receiver Danny Gray ...

That could be the path both Davis-Price and Gray have to take to be active with any regularity. For Gray it could be a matter of game plan. That’s why the club turns to special teams where undrafted rookie RB Jordan Mason and practice squad WR Malik Turner are able to contribute.

The 49ers have officially ruled out tight end George Kittle from their Week 1 opener in Chicago. He was listed among the seven inactive players, along with ...

Zakelj is the last OL on the depth chart and likely an inactive as long as the rest of the OL is healthy. Gray is the sixth WR for now and his effectiveness was likely to be diminished anyway in the rainy Chicago weather. The club is probably smart not to push it at this point of the year and risk a longer-term injury, especially if they expect he can play next week.

The 49ers were washed away in a sloppy loss to the Chicago Bears in Week 1 at Solider Field.

Clearly, this was a game the 49ers should have won. But it was also a horrible way for a team with Super Bowl aspirations to open the season. And, certainly, the coaching has to absorb its share of blame for the product the 49ers put out on the field. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky had a solid game with a net average of 40.3 yards and three kicks inside the 20-yard line on his four attempts. However, the down-and-distance game might have contributed to Fields’ interception on third down. It gave the Bears momentum. The 49ers’ secondary did not do a great job of pursuing Pettis, who turned it into a 51-yard touchdown. The Bears gained 99 yards on 37 rushing attempts. Elijah Mitchell exited in the first half with a knee injury. When the 49ers were playing from behind in the fourth quarter, Lance did not see Bears safety Eddie Jackson. San Francisco pounded the Bears on the ground in the first half with 115 yards and a 6.4-yard average. Jauan Jennings was the team’s leading receiver with four catches for 64 yards.