Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers

Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium is exactly what late December football is supposed to look like: Chicago and San Francisco both red-hot, both 11-4, and both still chasing the kind of postseason path that can turn a great year into a championship run.

Chicago arrives with momentum and purpose. Since an 0-2 start, the Bears have gone 11-2, winning seven of their last eight, and they’re in position to clinch the NFC North with either a win or some help elsewhere. The leap has come from a balanced offense that can stress you two ways. Caleb Williams has been efficient and explosive (3,400 passing yards, 23 TDs, just six picks) and he’s also a real factor with his legs. But the engine is the run game: D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai give Chicago a true two-back punch, and the Bears have been one of the league’s most productive rushing teams since the early-season reset.

San Francisco’s form is just as impressive, and arguably scarier. The 49ers have won five straight, all by double digits, averaging roughly mid-30s points per game during the streak, and they’ve been finishing drives at an outrageous clip. With Brock Purdy back steering the ship and Christian McCaffrey driving efficiency, Kyle Shanahan’s offense has felt like a machine — the kind that forces opponents to play perfect football to keep up.

So where does this game tilt? Turnovers and trenches. Chicago’s defense has been elite at taking the ball away — a true “possession advantage” unit — and that matters against a Purdy-led attack that plays aggressively downfield. On the flip side, the 49ers’ clearest priority is slowing Chicago’s run game and forcing Williams to live in long-yardage situations.

There’s a reason San Francisco -3 is the only number that really makes sense for two teams this hot. We did see -2.5earlier in the week, but it got scooped quickly. This feels like a tight, high-quality game where field position, one turnover, or a single red-zone stop decides it late.

Pick: Bears 24, 49ers 26