The Bears totaled 440 yards and found the end zone five times in Sunday night's road battle with the 49ers, but Jauan Jennings' 38-yard touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter gave San Francisco a 42-38 victory at Levi's Stadium.

The San Francisco 49ers defense didn't get many stops against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. But the one that mattered the most may have been helped by two defenders improvising beyond Robert Saleh's play call.

The San Francisco 49ers are Austen Pleasants' sixth NFL team. The backup lineman went from the shadows to the spotlight in an instant when Trent Williams was hurt.

The NFL is clearly aiming to maximize television ratings for the final regular-season games with playoff implications. Moving the Seahawks-49ers game gives the matchup its own TV window while allowing the league to broadcast the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers contest on Sunday Night Football the following day.

The Bears' defense will have their hands full against Brock Purdy and the 49ers, who've totaled 85 points over the last two weeks. All-world running back Christian McCaffrey already has over 1,000 rushing yards (1,039) and is tracking to surpass 1,000 receiving yards, too. He enters Week 17 with 849 yards and seven touchdowns as a receiver.

Sunday night was one of the biggest statements of Purdy's career. He put the team on his back and delivered a five-touchdown performance without perhaps the best left tackle (Williams), tight end (Kittle), pass rusher (Bosa) and linebacker (Warner) in the league.

A string of stars showed up to support the San Francisco 49ers as they faced off against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Dec. 28.

Brock Purdy threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings with 2:15 to play, and the San Francisco 49ers forced an incomplete pass on the final play from the 2 to beat the Chicago Bears 42-38 and set up a Week 18 showdown for the top seed in the NFC.