Chicago Bears' Trubisky embracing leadership role
Although he's just a 23-year-old rookie, Mitch Trubisky realizes that, as the Bears' quarterback, there's a leadership role that comes along with the job, especially after a blowout loss.
"Everyone's looking toward you," he said. "They're all seeing how you react, and I love that because I feel like I know how to handle these situations. I still have all the confidence in the world in my guys that we can turn this around (against the 49ers), and we can really go on a run.
Coming off the most lopsided loss of the season, he went on about the process of rebounding the only way he knows how.
"I'm not worried about it," Trubisky said. "I just know the way I operate is, you have to go back to work, you have to get back to the grind, gotta focus on the little things. Keep the big picture in mind but continue to do the little things. Stay focused, stick together, continue to believe in each other, just buy in and take it one day at a time, and it'll take care of itself. I feel good about it."
Ground and pound:
The Bears hope to have more success with their ground game against the 49ers' No. 30 run defense than they did against the Eagles' No. 1 run defense, which held them to 6 yards on 14 attempts.
The effectiveness of the offense depends on it.
"The way this offense is built, and the way this team is built, we're not going to win running the football the way we did last week," offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said. "We were poor up front."
Pro Football Focus singled out Bobby Massie for his worst performance of the season just a week after his highest-graded game of the season, but it was a substandard performance up and down the line.
Welcome back:
Inside linebacker Danny Trevathan has not played since suffering a calf injury in Week Eight against the New Orleans Saints, when he had a game-best 13 tackles, which left him with a team-best 52 tackles at the halfway point.
But Trevathan returned to full practice this week, has been removed from the injury report and should be a godsend for an injury-racked defense that has already lost inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman, outside linebackers Leonard Floyd and Willie Young and probably will be without safety Adrian Amos.
"Potentially, a good boost," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said of Trevathan's return. "I thought Danny was playing really well those 4-5 weeks before he got hurt. He was playing at a very, very high level. If he can come back at that level, that would be a bonus."
Injury status:
The Bears' defensive backs room could be mistaken for an emergency room.
Three safeties did not practice Thursday or Friday: Starter Adrian Amos and backups Deon Bush (ankle) and DeAndre Houston-Carson. Amos is doubtful, and the other two are questionable, so it's possible none of them will play. Veteran Quintin Demps and 2016 fourth-round draft pick Deiondre Hall have returned to practice and could be activated from injured reserve, but they might both be a week away.
The team's top two nickel cornerbacks are also ailing. Bryce Callahan (knee) and Cre'Von LeBlanc (illness) are both questionable. LeBlanc did not practice Friday, while Callahan was limited.
Guard Josh Sitton (concussion) was limited and is questionable. Backup linebacker Isaiah Irving (knee) is out.
For the 49ers, offensive right tackle Trent Brown (shoulder), cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (thumb) and safety Adrian Colbert (ankle) were all limited on Friday and are questionable.
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