Bears bring an interim coach into their meeting against the struggling 49ers

Chicago (4-8) at San Francisco (5-7)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, Fox

BetMGM NFL odds: 49ers by 4.

Against the spread: Bears 6-4-2; 49ers 4-8.

Series record: 49ers lead 35-33-1.

Last meeting: Bears beat 49ers 19-10 in Chicago on Sept. 11, 2022.

Last week: Bears lost 23-20 to Lions; 49ers lost 35-10 to Bills.

Bears offense: overall (26), rush (23), pass (27), scoring (23).

Bears defense: overall (22), rush (25), pass (11), scoring (9).

49ers offense: overall (7), rush (7), pass (9), scoring (16).

49ers defense: overall (5), rush (15), pass (4), scoring (24).

Turnover differential: Bears plus-10; 49ers minus-3.

Bears player to watch

QB Caleb Williams. Williams has thrown an NFL rookie-record 232 passes without an interception. The No. 1 overall draft pick has looked more comfortable in the three games since Thomas Brown took over for the fired Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator, completing 75 of 117 passes for 827 yards with five touchdowns, no interceptions and a rating of 99.2. Before that, Williams had a passer rating of 81.0 with nine TD passes and five interceptions. Though Brown will continue to call plays now that he is the interim coach, wide receivers coach Chris Beatty is now offensive coordinator.

49ers player to watch

RB Isaac Guerendo. With Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason sidelined by injuries, Guerendo will get his first chance as the featured back. The fourth-round rookie has 42 carries for 246 yards in limited action so far this season and had only one start in college at Wisconsin and Louisville.

Key matchup

Bears running game vs. 49ers run D. Chicago has struggled to generate a consistent rushing attack and has been held to fewer than 80 yards on the ground in four of the past five games. San Francisco has struggled of late against the run, allowing 389 yards rushing the past two weeks.

Key injuries

WRs Keenan Allen (ankle) and DJ Moore (quad), RBs D’Andre Swift (quad) and Roschon Johnson (concussion), DB Elijah Hicks (ankle) and OL Ryan Bates (concussion) all missed practice on Wednesday for Chicago. … San Francisco DE Nick Bosa (hip, oblique) and LT Trent Williams (ankle) are in danger of missing their third straight games. … Mason (ankle) and McCaffrey (knee) will be out for several weeks. … LG Aaron Banks remained in concussion protocol to start the week for the Niners. … San Francisco CB Deommodore Lenoir is expected back after missing one game with a knee injury.

Series notes

The Bears are 2-0 at Levi’s Stadium, winning the first regular-season game here in 2014 and again in 2018. … Chicago won the previous meeting in the 2022 opener and is seeking its first back-to-back wins against San Francisco since winning three straight in 2004-06.

Stats and stuff

The Bears fired a head coach in season for the first time in franchise history Friday when they let Matt Eberflus go with the team in a six-game slide marked by questionable in-game decisions. … The Bears are 2-6 in one-score games, including four during this skid by three points or fewer. … Chicago’s defense has had a takeaway in five straight games. … The Bears are tied for the league lead with five takeaways in the red zone entering Week 14. … Like Williams, Allen has seen a bump in production with Brown calling the plays. The six-time Pro Bowler has 18 receptions for 200 yards and three touchdowns over the past three games, giving him 44 catches for 441 yards and five TDs this season. … The 49ers have lost three straight games and are looking to avoid their first four-game skid since 2021. … San Francisco has lost back-to-back games by at least 24 points for the fourth time in franchise history and first since 2015. … The Niners have committed at least three turnovers and had no takeaways the past two games. That’s first time they have done that in back-to-back games since doing it three straight in 2018. … San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel had 208 yards on kick returns last week for the second most in a game in team history to Abe Woodson’s 210 in 1962 against Detroit. … Samuel has been held to fewer than 25 yards from scrimmage in three straight games for the first time in his career. … The Niners have allowed TDs on 70.7% of red zone drives, second worst in the NFL. … San Francisco has allowed at least 160 yards rushing in consecutive games for the second time in eight seasons under Kyle Shanahan. The Niners also did it in 2021.

Fantasy tip

WR Jauan Jennings has been the No. 1 option for the 49ers in the passing game with Brandon Aiyuk out for the season with a knee injury. Jennings leads the team with 34 targets, 25 receptions and 280 yards receiving the past four games.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL