7:25 p.m. Thursday, NBC
Dallas takes its rookie roadshow to Minnesota, where the Vikings, despite losing five of six, remain in NFC North striking distance.
CHIEFS AT FALCONS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Justin Houston and Tyreek Hill elevate Chiefs’ pass rush and special teams; can Alex Smith pick up lagging offense in time for Hot ‘Lanta?
DOLPHINS AT RAVENS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Adam Gase has Dolphins believing after Ryan Tannehill does heavy lifting in sixth straight win; Dumervil and Suggs reunited and it feels so good for Ravens.
49ERS AT BEARS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX
The game should be a punting fest; antennae raised to see if either team shows signs of punting on 2016.
EAGLES AT BENGALS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX
On short rest, Carson Wentz and Co. head to Cincinnati, where Marvin Lewis seemingly in denial that Bengals’ title window has slammed shut.
TEXANS AT PACKERS Colin Kaepernick yards. The O-line did its job, too, allowing zero sacks on a ridiculous 54 dropbacks. This week’s opponent isn’t going to stress Barkley in the pocket too much. The 49ers are 27th in the league in sacks per pass attempt, with Ahmad Brooks and DeForest Buckner the top passrush threats. San Francisco does have a veteran secondary with Antoine Bethea, Eric Reid and Tramaine Brock (12 passes defensed) to compete with an undermanned group of Bears pass catchers. Quarterbacks have thrown 26 touchdowns against San Francisco this year and have a 99.9 rating. Barkley showed enough last week to inspire some confidence in the unit, and the receivers can’t be worse catching passes, right?
EDGE u BEARS
49ers rushing offense vs Bears run defense Despite often playing from behind, the 49ers are actually fourth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (126.5) and ninth in yards per carry (4.39). Carlos Hyde is a physical runner with good speed in the open field. He had 65 yards on 12 carries vs. the Dolphins last week. The Bears’ run defense will be without its two best run stoppers, with Danny Trevathan on injured reserve and Jerrell Freeman suspended. John Timu and Nick Kwiatkoski have proven to show good instincts and physicality against the run game in their early NFL careers, but those two are still quite the downgrade from Ryan Pace’s big free-agent acquisitions. Eddie Goldman being back in the lineup is big — literally and figuratively — for the front seven, which did a nice job containing DeMarco Murray last week. The challenge here will be Colin Kaepernick, who is averaging 8.1 yards per carry and has the wheels to move outside the pocket and then break off a big gain. He had 113 yards last week against Miami. Without their starting inside ‘backers, the run defense is no longer the Bears’ strength, and
AP PHOTOS
Matt Barkley
it’s something the 49ers can do well, giving Chip Kelly’s group a slight advantage.
EDGE u 49ERS
49ers passing offense vs Bears pass defense Kaepernick may be a weapon with his legs, which is important because he has struggled to hit his targets with his arm. His completion percentage sits at 55.3, the worst of his NFL career. He does have only three interceptions to go along with 10 passing touchdowns and an 87.0 rating. Jeremy Kerley leads the team with 448 receiving yards. Bears fans might have nightmares of speedster Torrey Smith streaking down the field for the game-winning touchdown last season. Safeties Adrian Amos and Deon Bush need to be aware of tight end Vance McDonald, who has 382 receiving yards. The Niners’ offense is allowing sacks on 7.8 percent of pass attempts, which is 26th in the NFL, but they face a Bears defense that didn’t notch a sack in either of its last two games. Opposing QBs have a 96.4 rating against a Bears team that has only eight takeaways this season. This is not going to be a pretty matchup, but we’ll side with Vic Fangio against a QB he knows well.
EDGE u BEARS
Sunday’s overall edge This game features the most combined losses between opponents in a Week 13 matchup in nine years. It won’t be game film to show folks down the line. The Bears are hurting, but this is a bad 49ers team that gives up 31.3 points per game, the most in the NFL. San Francisco’s defense is 31st on third down and 26th in the red zone, and its offense is 21st on third down. It should be another lackluster home crowd to see the Bears actually favored in a game, one they shouldn’t let slip away.
EDGE u BEARS
12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Houston’s offense the latest cautionary tale on winning the offseason; Mike McCarthy could be cautionary tale on coaches paying for one non-winning season.
BRONCOS AT JAGUARS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Nearly a week later and Gary Kubiak’s 62-yard decision still stinging Broncos; almost four years later and Shad Khan’s indecision confounds the NFL world.
RAMS AT PATRIOTS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX
After looking over Jeff Fisher for two-plus decades, football Gods send Rams to New Orleans and New England in consecutive weeks with Rams brass feeling the heat.
LIONS AT SAINTS 12:00 p.m. Sunday, FOX
What would you say if we told you these two clubs are starting to play some semblance of defense?
BILLS AT RAIDERS 3:05 p.m. Sunday, CBS
LeSean McCoy and Derek Carr apparently didn’t need those appendages anyway.
WASHINGTON AT CARDINALS 3:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX
Even in a losing effort on Thanksgiving, Kirk Cousins keeps winning. Cards’ NFC title game berth seems like an eternity ago.
GIANTS AT STEELERS 3:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX
Big Blue and Big Ben, well, at least his supporting cast, survived last week despite playing down to competition, but postseason outlook looking up?
BUCCANEERS AT CHARGERS 3:25 p.m. Sunday, FOX
A cross-country win over plucky Bolts would validate Tampa’s recent run. Joey Bosa may have locked up his Defensive Rookie of the Year award in Houston.
PANTHERS AT SEAHAWKS 7:30 p.m. Sunday, CBS
Once circled on the calendar, clash between past two NFC champs lacks luster, but Seattle gets no break with O-line issues and Carolina’s defensive front.
COLTS AT JETS
7:30 p.m. Monday, ESPN
Andrew Luck should return from his concussion; Ryan Fitzpatrick shouldn’t return to the starting lineup, ever, but QB situation the latest Jets’ circus.
PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY | ProFootballWeekly.com | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016
COWBOYS AT VIKINGS