Bears lose Kyle Long, Pernell McPhee, Mitch Unrein to injury

The Bears lost outside linebacker Pernell McPhee and guard Kyle Long to shoulder injuries Sunday against the 49ers.

Without McPhee, the Bears played with only two true outside linebackers: Sam Acho and Lamarr Houston, the latter of whom was claimed off waivers Wednesday from the Texans.

“We just have to pick up the slack and know our jobs and be able to make plays,” Houston said.

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Defensive end Mitch Unrein also left the eventual 15-14 loss with a knee injury.

Both Long — who considered left shoulder labrum surgery this offseason but decided against it after complications from his ankle operation — and McPhee will be evaluated Monday. In a lost season, the team might have little motivation to rush them back.

Just score?

The Bears considered letting the 49ers score a touchdown once they converted a third-and-two to get to the Bears’ 7 with 1:34 to play.

Instead, up two, the Bears used their final timeout to stop the clock after Carlos Hyde’s four-yard run got the 49ers to the 3. The 49ers ran once, took a knee and kicked the game-winner.

Had the Bears simply let Hyde score on the first-down run, they would have gotten the ball back with about a minute-and-a-half left, down either four or six — depending on if the 49ers had made their two-point conversion.

“We talked about it, but it would have had to be done at 1:36 or 1:40, whatever it was,” coach John Fox said. “We felt good about the block we had on the potential field goal. Neither one of those are great options at the 5- and 4-yard lines.”

Quote of the day

Cornerback Prince Amukamara said it wasn’t necessarily embarrassing to lose to the one-win 49ers, but he admitted the Bears were disappointed.

“I think there are games in the NFL where you look and go, ‘OK, we should win this game; we’re pretty confident,’” he said. “To be forward and blunt, this was one of those games.”

The Bears are 0-7 after being favored to win in the Fox era.

This and that

With his 61-yard punt-return touchdown, Tarik Cohen became the first NFL rookie with rushing, receiving, passing and punt return touchdowns in a season since Gale Sayers in 1965.

• The Bears scored their 22nd touchdown, and rookies have scored 13 of them.

Follow me on Twitter @patrickfinley.

Email: pfinley@suntimes.com