Expect Niners defense to get physical
The 49ers' defense doesn't just want to beat opponents, it wants to beat them up.
That's the philosophy of most defenses, but the Niners do it better than just about anyone. They were fifth last year in yards allowed and third in points allowed.
"All NFL teams play with intensity," said Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer. "This is a physical team. This is a team that when you catch a football underneath - (which) they make you throw a lot of times - they'll come up (and hit you).
"They draft physical guys. They draft big, strong guys that are going to hit you, and they're not (even) trying to wrap up necessarily the tackle. They're trying to knock you out and let the next guy wrap you up while you're halfway dazed. That's what makes it a little bit different from other zone defenses. They're coming to hit you, and they're not as concerned about the tackle as they are about knocking you out first."
Even without Pro Bowl linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who is on the physically unable to perform list after suffering a horrific knee injury in the 2013 playoffs, and suspended Pro Bowl linebacker Aldon Smith, the Niners forced 4 turnovers by the Cowboys in Week 1. But they also allowed 382 yards of total offense.
Room for improvement:
In quarterback Jay Cutler's only start as a Bear against the Niners in 2009, he threw 5 interceptions and no touchdown passes while completing 29 of 52 throws for 307 yards and a passer rating of 33.6.
Cutler's untimely interception last Sunday against the Bills played a major part n the Bears' loss. But Pro Bowl running back Matt Forte doesn't think that Cutler will have any lingering effects Sunday night in Santa Clara.
"He'll respond like he has always responded when going through adversity," Forte said. "He'll come back better. He's going to look at the film and figure out - just like everybody - figure out what mistakes we did out there on Sunday and fix them.
"The key is just not to make those mistakes again. He's in early studying, and I know everybody wants to play well and make this offense go. We know we can play better than what we did on Sunday, so we plan to do that."
Coaches with a history:
It wasn't that long ago (2002-03) that Bears head coach Marc Trestman and Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh were offensive assistants on Bill Callahan's Oakland Raiders staff.
Trestman was the offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach, while Harbaugh was an offensive assistant, his first NFL coaching job.
"He's an amazing guy," Trestman said of Harbaugh. "He's hypercompetitive. He was extremely detailed and really worked hard at his job. He was quality control, the standard was very, very high, and he took his job very seriously. He went from there, moved on, started working with the quarterbacks in his second year. He's just a good friend and very good football coach and person.
"(His work) was always detailed out. If there was a line that wasn't correctly done, he took it personally that he didn't do it right. He was a guy who spent (a lot of) time at the office, slept at the office, did whatever he could to help the football team."
Troubling trend:
The Bears have not beaten the 49ers in San Francisco since the Super Bowl season of 1985, losing eight straight by an average score of 34-6. In the last three games by the Bay, the Bears have been outscored 91-20.
Roster moves:
On Saturday, the Bears cut quarterback David Fales, cornerback Kelvin Hayden and fullback Tony Fiammetta. The Bears added wide receivers Josh Bellamy and Chris Williams, and center Taylor Boggs to the active roster from the practice squad.