KEY MATCHUP
Colin Kaepernick might be the 49ers’ most dangerous running threat, but defenses can’t sleep on running back Carlos Hyde. The Ohio State product, who rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns vs. the Seahawks in Week 3, is picking up steam after missing two weeks with a shoulder injury — 86 yards on 19 carries (4.5 avg.) against the Patriots and 65 yards on 13 carries (5.0 avg.), plus an 11-yard touchdown reception, against the Dolphins last week.
Bears inside linebackers Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan have been stout against the run most of the year. With both of them out — Freeman is serving the second game of a four-game suspension; Trevathan is out for the season with a knee injury — that chore falls to rookie Nick Kwiatkoski and second-year linebacker John Timu.
“He’s a hard runner — there’s no question about that,” Kwiatkoski said. “If he gets downhill he can do a lot of things. Any time there’s a back like that, you ahve to be ready to tackle and just have to know where he’s at on the field at all times.”
TRENDING
The Bears will be without most of their most dangerous weapons — Jay Cutler, Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White and Zach Miller. But they still should have big-play possibilities against the 49ers, who have allowed 54 plays of 20 or more yards — most per game in the NFL.
The Bears had four plays of 20 or more yards with Matt Barkley at quarterback last week, but the longest was 23 yards — passes to running back Jordan Howard and wide receiver Marquess Wilson.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Timu will be making his second start of the season, but the last time he started — in a 17-14 victory over the Lions in Week 4 — he had veteran Jerrell Freeeman next to him. This time it’ll be the rookie Kwiatkoski.
Timu, an undrafted free agent from Washington in 2015, started three games last season. He’s much more comfortable coming in this time with that experience.
“I think experience helps you see things a little more clearly and play a little faster,” Timu said. “There’s no holding back as far as being slower to make a play. Just take my keys, tendancies I’ve got, tip sheets from the coaches and roll with it. Know what you know and play what you see.”
X-FACTORS
Winter weather could make its first appearance at Soldier Field on Sunday, with a possible rain/snow mix and temperatures in the 30s. The 49ers, coming off a loss to the Dolphins, practiced at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, where temperatures were in the 80s most of the week. The Bears practiced at Lake Forest — though they were in the Payton Center on Friday — but conditions could be worse on Sunday.
