Half: 49ers bogged down by snow, penalties
CHICAGO -- The 49ers were penalized for a celebrating a touchdown they didn't even score.
That just about sums up an odd first half, the Bears lead 7-6, that was marked by snow, penalties and neither team putting the ball in the air. The two starting quarterbacks, Colin Kaepernick and Matt Barkley, are a combined 5-10 passing with the first completion, a four-yard pass from Kaepernick to tight end Vance McDonald, coming midway through the second quarter.
That led to a 31-yard field goal from Phil Dawson.
Prior to that, the 49ers thought they had scored a touchdown after Shaun Draughn blocked a Bears punt and Dontae Johnson recovered the ball and weaved his way into the end zone. Rookie cornerback Rashard Robinson celebrated by falling to the ground and making a snow angel in the end zone, a penalty.
Adding to the bad decision was the fact that Johnson's heel went out of bounds at the 4-yard line. Instead of six points, the 49ers started the drive on the Bears 16. The 49ers are one of the the remaining NFL teams without a defensive or special teams touchdown this season.
After the kickoff, however, they created another turnover when the Bears returner fumbled and Jimmie Ward recovered at the 37-yard line. That led to Dawson's 28-yard field goal.
The Bears’ first pass completion didn’t come until their final drive of a half. But that initial catch got them on a roll, and they drove 81 yards in 1:25 with rookie running back Jordan Howard scoring a one-yard touchdown.
Penalties also wiped out two earlier San Francisco scoring opportunities.
In the first quarter, a holding call against McDonald wiped out a long run by Draughn to the Chicago 15-yard line. Kaepernick later was sacked on the possession and the 49ers had to punt.
As the second quarter began, Draughn again had the 49ers in scoring position with a 15-yard run to the Bears 18. That gain, however, was canceled by a holding penalty against rookie Joshua Garnett.
The two teams have combined for more punts, six, than the 49ers have receiving yards, four.
Matt Barrows: @mattbarrows, read more about the team at sacbee.com/sf49ers.
This story was originally published December 4, 2016 at 11:22 AM.