'SNF' takeaways: 49ers stop Bears on final play to keep bid for NFC's top seed alive

This 38-yard strike to wide receiver Jauan Jennings proved to be the game-winner with 2:15 to play.

Defensively, the 49ers must get better to have any shot at extending their six-game winning streak and potentially hosting all the way through the Super Bowl. Still, it is hard to ignore an offense that went for 496 yards, went 7-of-10 on third down and 5-of-5 in the red zone. That has put San Francisco in a position to lock up the NFC's top seed with a win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18.

Caleb Williams, Luther Burden III connection becoming a problem to defend

Williams missed some key throws in the game, but he still completed 25 of his 42 throws for 330 yards and two TDs, including this dime to Burden to tie the game at 14 late in the first quarter.

Burden finished the game with eight catches for 138 yards and a TD, becoming a clear target for Williams with Rome Odunze (foot) and Olamide Zaccheaus (illness) sidelined. Burden had to be carted off the field after the game with an apparent left hamstring injury he suffered on the final play, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin, which would be costly going forward depending on the severity.

Christian McCaffrey turns in a vintage performance 

The 49ers achieved their most total yards in the first half (330) since 1998, while McCaffrey's 141 scrimmage yards were his second-most in a half in his career, per the NBC broadcast. 

While he came into Week 17 with 1,039 rush yards and 849 receiving yards, he had only averaged 3.7 yards per rush. That changed with 23 carries for 140 yards and a TD, including his longest run of the season (43 yards) in the opening quarter.

McCaffrey (2019), Roger Craig (1985) and Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (1999) are the only three players in NFL history with 1,000 rushing and receiving yards in a season. With 41 more receiving yards against the Bears, McCaffrey has a chance to make history as the first player to accomplish the feat twice.

Bears add another takeaway despite poor defensive showing overall

Chicago entered its Week 17 showdown with the 49ers as the league-leader in takeaways (31), and it wasted no time adding to that mark when LB T.J. Edwards recorded a pick-six on Purdy on the first play of the game.

Overall, the Bears had the 20th-ranked defense (23.6 PPG) before Sunday night, and that was clear again with at least 40 points allowed for a third time this season. The heroics from Williams and a strong rushing attack have been key to Chicago's turnaround, but the defense must create more pressure as it prepares for a playoff run.