A barnburner of a Sunday Night Football game saw the 49ers and Bears score a combined 11 touchdowns, but the Niners defense came through in the clutch for a 42-38 win that could give them home-field advantage all playoffs long.

In an after-Christmas weekend whose Saturday and Sunday were jam-packed with absolutely amazing college and NFL games, the best game of the weekend was the San Francisco 49ers' Sunday Night Football cherry-on-top finale, an extraordinary 42-38 win over the Chicago Bears that saw 11 — count ‘em — 11 touchdowns. So certainly both offenses made mincemeat of the opposing defense, but the 49ers D would win the day, on the final play when the Bears were just two yards from the winning touchdown, with four seconds left in this thrillride game with massive playoff implications.

These Chicago Bears had won six games in the final two minutes, and appeared to have the 49ers right where they wanted them. And the Bears had driven 63 yards in the final two minutes to set up what we feared would be the winning touchdown, in a game that was ridiculously full of touchdowns for both teams.

How ridiculously full of touchdowns? Brock Purdy threw an interception for a Bears touchdown on the very first play from scrimmage, the Bears were up 7-0 just 15 seconds into this game, and it was off to the races from there.

The 49ers would respond immediately upon getting the ball back, with George Kittle replacement Jake Tonges getting the honors for this one-yard touchdown catch.

The Niners would make it 14-7 on this Brock “the Glock” Purdy touchdown scramble, though the highlight of the drive was a 43-yard run by Christian McCaffrey. But with the rushing TD would make Purdy the first NFL quarterback ever to have a passing touchdown, rushing touchdown, and a pick-six to the other team, all in the same game.

And at this point we are only ten minutes into this contest.

Bears receiver Luther Burden III would tie it up 14-14 with this touchdown catch, showing that Bears quarterback and first overall draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft Caleb Williams could go toe-to-toe with the Niners’ potent offense.

But the last overall draft pick in the 2022 NFL Draft Brock Purdy would still scramble for yet another touchdown with about three minutes to go in the second half to give the 49ers a 28-21 halftime lead.

Purdy’s nuttiest improvisational work came late in the third quarter, turning this busted first-and-goal play into a touchdown throw to little-used fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

This of course unleashed more white-boy moves from Purdy, but everyone knew we were still in for one hell of a tense, back-and-forth fourth quarter.

Indeed, the Bears’ D'Andre Swift would scamper for a 22-yard touchdown to open that fourth quarter and tie the game yet again at 35-35. But the turning point may have been when the Bears made it all the way to the 49ers’ 11-yard-line with five minutes left in the game, though the Niners D held them to a field goal attempt and a 38-35 Chicago lead. The touchdown seesaw was then broken, with the ball coming back the 49ers’ way.

And Jauan Jennings would score what would be the winning 49ers’ touchdown, as the Niners’ defense had their game-winning stand once the Bears got the ball back after this.

Looking at the NFC West standings, the Seattle Seahawks are still in first place. But we play those Seattle Seahawks this coming Saturday night, and if the 49ers win, they are the 2025 NFC West Champions.  

Not only that, the 49ers would also be the Number One seed in the NFC if they beat the Seahawks Saturday. They would move from the current No 5 seed to the No 1 seed with that win, and would have home-field advantage all the way through the playoffs, including the February 8, 2026 Super Bowl being played at Santa Clara’s Levi’s Stadium.  

That Super Bowl is of course for all the marbles. But a regular season game does not get any more “all the marbles” than this Saturday’s 5 pm game against the Seahawks, being played in Santa Clara with the broadcast on ESPN, and both the NFC West crown and No 1 seed in the NFC on the line.

Related: 49ers Run Roughshod Over Indianapolis Colts 48-27, Move On Up in Playoff Standings [SFist]

Image: SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 28: Jauan Jennings #15 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter of the game at Levi's Stadium on December 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)