Chicago Bears lose seventh straight in blowout loss to San Francisco 49ers. Here’s what went wrong.

The Bears didn’t get any bump from interim head coach Thomas Brown on Sunday as they lost their seventh straight game, this time a 38-13 blowout to the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif. Here’s what you need to know.

Three moments that mattered

1. Blown momentum: The Bears seemed like they grabbed some momentum in the second half, but whatever momentum they had disappeared on a costly turnover. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams fumbled during the team’s second drive of the half, his first since Week 7 against the Commanders. The 49ers scored on their next drive, taking a 31-6 lead when Isaac Guerendo rushed in for a 4-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter.

2. Getting on board: After a disastrous first half where nothing worked, the Bears offense got on board with its opening drive of the second half. The Bears had a well-balanced drive and used 16 plays to go 70 yards down the field. The offense broke up the shutout when Williams completed a 4-yard pass to the corner of the end zone, where rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze adjusted mid-catch to make sure he was in-bounds.

3. Setting the tone: The 49ers left little doubt that Sunday would be a long day for the Bears after a dominant opening drive. They only needed five plays to drive 70 yards, with quarterback Brock Purdy completing all five of his pass attempts. Purdy completed two plays for more than 20 yards and got his team on the board when he completed a 7-yard pass to Jauan Jennings with 12:25 left in the first quarter.

Three things that worked

1. Rookie connection: The Bears’ top-two draft selections from this April’s draft continued to build their bond Sunday. Williams found Odunze for the team’s first touchdown in the second half and then connected with his fellow rookie again in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard touchdown pass with 11:48 left in the game. Odunze caught four passes for 42 yards.

2. Keeping the streak alive: Sunday was a tough day for the Bears defense, but the unit did create at least one turnover for a sixth straight game. Safety Jonathan Owens intercepted his second career pass when he picked off Purdy late in the game. The Bears have now forced at least one turnover in all but one game this season.

3. What a boot: Rookie punter Tory Taylor had his number called plenty Sunday and came through for the Bears. Taylor punted six times and averaged 49 yards per punt, with three punts for 58 yards or more. He entered the game averaging 48.3 yards per punt, which was 13th-best average in the NFL.

Three things that didn’t

1. Brutal start: The Bears brought no offensive momentum into Sunday’s game, putting together some of the worst first half numbers of the season. The offense ran 17 plays in the first half and gained 4 yards, picking up one first down. Running back D’Andre Swift had 7 rushing yards while Williams threw for -3 yards. The unit went 0-for-5 on third down and averaged .2 yards per play.

2. Giving up explosive plays: Despite the change in defensive play caller with defensive coordinator Eric Washington taking over for former head coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears continued its struggles of allowing explosive plays. The 49ers averaged 7.4 yards per play, with tight end George Kittle making plenty of big-yard plays. He caught five passes for 15 yards or more and finished with 151 receiving yards.

3. Protecting Williams: Some of the offensive struggles in the first half was a result of the Bears failing to protect Williams. The 49ers sacked Williams seven times, including five times on third down. The Bears allowed the second-most sacks this season heading into Sunday’s game and Willams has now been sacked 56 times.

What’s next?

The Bears stay on the road for another week and will travel to Minneapolis to play the Vikings in front of a national audience on Monday, Dec. 16.