Blaine Gabbert leads 49ers past Bears 26-20 in OT

“Just stride on in”.

Gabbert led the 49ers to a victory Sunday for the second time in four starts since taking over for Colin Kaepernick.

How preposterous did it get?

Gabbert answered by scrambling 44 yards for a touchdown and then won it with that long pass in OT after the Bears’ Robbie Gould missed a 36-yard field goal at the end of the fourth quarter.

“In crunchtime like that, it’s all or nothing”. Two weeks ago he didn’t get the chance to kick a field goal in the fourth quarter when Fox elected to go on fourth down which didn’t work and ended up being the difference in the game. I’m watching this guy out there running around.

Even though the Bears will be without Marquess Wilson, they will have Alshon Jeffery in better health, and will have Martellus Bennett back. Well within Gould’s field goal range, Cutler and the Bears were happy to bleed the clock and leave the outcome on their kicker’s capable leg. Gould obliged, and overtime ensued.

“This lets us know what we’re capable of”, said safety Eric Reid.

They’ll have plenty of time for self-analysis, self-improvement and overall team improvement now that the playoff talk can fade away and the actual meaning of this season – building a foundation for the future – can return to the focus. The second half was less impressive, though they sacked Gabbert a total of four times. After mutually agreeing to part ways with head coach Jim Harbaugh last summer, and replacing him with Jim Tomsula, San Francisco has slipped to a lowly record of 3-8 and face an up and coming Chicago Bears team on Sunday.

“It was set up by all the throws we had underneath early on in the game, all the runs we ran out of that formation”.

“Torrey did a great job tracking the ball in the air and using his speed to outrun everybody”.

WR Anquan Boldin went over 13,000 career receiving yards on Sunday when he caught five passes for 37 yards in the 49ers’ win at Chicago. The Bears couldn’t tally enough points to outscore an inferior team playing with a sub-par starting quarterback and without its starting running back.

“I know that with the particular injury and the way it’s being handled medically with Carlos, I know Carlos would like to try to play”, Tomsula said.

Smith blew past everyone down the left side, including safety Chris Prosinski.

The Bears’ rushing defense has been a sore spot so far, ranking 29th in rushing yards allowed, but has done a good job of keeping rushers out of the end zone, ranking 2nd in touchdowns allowed on the ground. Smith then cruised down the left sideline, held the ball high the final 10 yards to the goal line and sparked a teamwide celebration in Soldier Field’s southeast corner. They’re coming off a rare win at Green Bay that even left their coach letting loose in the locker room afterward, and they’re staring at a team struggling in a big way. “It worked out beautifully”. “Keep Rollin!” Kaepernick tweeted.

With that return, Harris became the third Giants player in franchise history, and the first since Jimmy Patton in 1955, to record touchdowns on both a punt return and kickoff return. That barrage of short completions is ultimately what helped free Smith for the victor.

The 49ers could be in crisis mode at tight end without McDonald and Celek, as rookie Blake Bell is the only other full-time end on the roster.

Things can get a lot better for the Niners on Monday morning when they get a chance to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they travel to Cleveland to take on the hapless Browns (2-10).