One Of Bears Toughest Scheduled Opponents Dealt Catastrophic Blow

The Chicago Bears are 4-2, their best start in over a decade. They've won three in a row and have spent the bye week getting healthy. Even better, their upcoming schedule is filled with more winnable games like the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals. However, things get a lot tougher after that. They still have six games against the NFC North, which is undeniably the deepest division in football, with Green Bay, Detroit, and Minnesota now all having five wins. Yet it doesn't stop there.

One of the most imposing matchups in the second half will be against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. That is a team that has played in a conference final four of the last five seasons. They are considered the cream of the crop. However, this season is going wrong for them in several ways. They were hit with further devastating news after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

Star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk likely tore his ACL, ending his season.

The Chicago Bears will catch the 49ers at their most vulnerable.

Losing Aiyuk is bad enough. Don't forget they've been without star running back Christian McCaffrey all year due to Achilles problems. Deebo Samuel has also been battling health problems all year. This is not the team that finished last season an overtime away from a championship. Even their vaunted defense is only 17th against the past. They are still well-coached, but the Bears have no reason to fear this version of San Francisco. They match up well with them.

Much of this depends on if the defense can contain Kyle Shanahan's usual wizardry. His ground game remains one of the best in the league, even without McCaffrey. The Chicago Bears are 11th against the run but have sometimes shown weakness. If they can put the game on Brock Purdy's shoulders, with key weapons out of the picture, this game could be decisive for the Bears' playoff hopes.