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Bears take advantage of Kaepernick's mistakes to roll 49ers

Jay Busbee
· Senior writer

This was the ugliest loss in the history of Levi's Stadium.

Yes, the Bears-49ers game was the first in the history of Levi's Stadium, but still ... it's going to be a long time before San Francisco fans witness a clunker this bad. San Francisco had a 17-point lead, the support of an enthralled home crowd, a chance to put the hated Seahawks a game down in the division ... and somehow, Jay Cutler beat them.

Yes, Jay Cutler, he of the surly demeanor and unreliable decisionmaking, threw for four touchdowns against a defense that wasn't supposed to let this kind of steamrolling happen. Meanwhile, Colin Kaepernick threw three interceptions and surrendered a fumble, all of which contributed to a loss so stunning neither Chicago nor San Francisco fans likely believe it really happened.

Every stadium opening brings with it a horde of firsts, and Levi's was no exception. San Francisco's Michael Crabtree scored the first touchdown, and teammate Phil Dawson kicked the first field goal. But after an early rush, the statistics began to turn against San Francisco.

This marked the first time that Chicago has beaten San Francisco on the road since 1985. Chicago was 3-140-1 after trailing on the road by more than 16 points coming into the night. And Twitter featured even more impressive numbers:

What went wrong for San Francisco? Complacency, perhaps. The 49ers went up 17-0, and only a Cutler pass to Brandon Marshall in the final seconds of the first half kept the game from being a total embarrassment.

But Cutler found his stride, distributing passes effectively if not theatrically, and threw four touchdowns on 176 yards overall. In a further testament to the how-did-they-do-it sheen of this game, Cutler was also the Bears' leading rusher with a mere 25 yards.

Kaepernick, meanwhile, couldn't get out of his own way, and his interceptions gifted Chicago with drive opportunities deep in San Francisco territory. Chicago scored 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points, and the more the Bears scored, the more flustered Kaepernick became. He suffered four sacks, and ended up rushing nine times for 66 yards largely because he got flushed out of the pocket earlier than he would have liked.

You can't discount the impact of the referees, either. The teams combined for 26 penalties, 16 of those on the 49ers, and at times there was more laundry on the field than the floor of a teenager's room. 49er head coach Jim Harbaugh had laughed about it at halftime, but he'll surely have words about the preponderance of flags in the near future.

This game will resonate for both teams. Kaepernick's questionable choices under pressure and inability to hold onto the ball won't help against, say, the Seahawks D. And the Bears, who just a week ago were being dismissed as forgettable NFC North also-rans, suddenly look like a savvy, crafty, win-when-you-least-expect it team.

Meantime, San Francisco fans will have to wait for that elusive first Levi's Stadium win.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter.