If the Bears looked surprised by the thorough beating they took last night from the 49ers, there might be a reason for it.
According to John Mullin of CSNChicago.com, there was an expectation that things would be easier, and that 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kapernick would be more generous with the ball.
Mullin said one Bears defensive player said they expected Kaepernick to “throw a couple to us.”
If that’s the expectation, it points to taking him for granted once they found out hyper-careful Alex Smith wasn’t going to play.
Another Bears veteran told Mullin “That’s a different team than I’ve been watching,” while one called it “a wake-up call.”
As much as their defense was caught naepping by Kaepernick (sorry, it was there, and I lack shame), the Bears also showed problems on offense that won’t be solved simply by the return of Jay Cutler. They struggled to protect Jason Campbell (six sacks), and the 49ers basically defied the Bears to throw it to someone other than Brandon Marshall, and they could not.