Bears vs 49ers picks: Will Thomas Brown get a win in first game?

The Chicago Bears (4-8) will battle the San Francisco 49ers (5-7) in Week 14, where Chicago is looking to snap a six-game losing streak as Thomas Brown serves as head coach for the first time.

The Bears are coming off a brutal 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, which resulted in the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus after he failed to use a timeout at the end of the game that cost them a potential win. Now, Brown steps in as interim head coach, where he'll continue to call plays for the offense and develop quarterback Caleb Williams in these final five games.

Heading into this Week 14 matchup, the Bears are looking to end their six-game losing streak as Brown takes over as interim head coach. Can Chicago get Brown a win in his first game as head coach? Our Bears Wire staff share their game picks for Sunday's matchup.

Alyssa Barbieri (7-5): Bears 23, 49ers 17

How many games can we point to this season where Matt Eberflus was responsible for a loss? Where if anyone else had coached those games they would've been likely wins? Too many. That's why I believe Thomas Brown, making his head coach debut, will lead his team to a victory over an injury-riddled 49ers squad on the road. Brown's impact on the offense needs no introduction, especially as he's helped unlock rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. But he's also already earned the respect of the entire locker room from his direct approach, as offensive and defensive players alike have sung his praises. But Brown does have plenty to prove in his interim head coach role, especially if he hopes to make a case for the permanent job.

Williams has played his best football in the past three weeks -- and against some great defenses -- so there's no reason to believe he can't continue that play against this 49ers defense that will likely be without Bosa. Meanwhile, the defense has a bunch of talent on the roster and remains a top scoring defense in the league.

At the beginning of the season, this game looked a lot more difficult than it does now given the injuries to the 49ers, where they'll be without Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, and likely Nick Bosa and Trent Williams, among others. Of the five remaining games on the schedule, this is the most winnable for Chicago. I believe this Bears team will come out energized and motivated to snap a six-game losing streak following Eberflus' dismissal.

Brendan Sugrue (7-5): Bears 24, 49ers 19

A new era of Chicago Bears football is upon us—even if it only lasts for the next five weeks. Thomas Brown is set to take over as Bears head coach, and it's an exciting time. He hasn't cost the Bears a game yet, so everyone is hopeful he can pull this team out of a tailspin. And nothing patches a team up quite like the interim coach bump. We see it all the time. Everyone steps up their performance, and more often than not, it results in an unlikely win. The Matt Eberflus era took a toll on everyone, and as the players said, a change was needed. They need to get healthy, though, first.

Both the Bears and the San Francisco 49ers are coming into this week’s matchup in rough shape. Injuries have kept key players on both teams out of practice, but it’s the 49ers with the more dire situation. Multiple stars, such as Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Brandon Aiyuk, and Trent Williams, have either missed time for various reasons, or are out for the season. Seeing as they have lost three games in a row with higher expectations, the 49ers might be more desperate than the Bears right now. San Francisco has a -6 turnover margin and a -73 point differential in their last two games alone. Each team has their warts, but Chicago has the better quarterback right now, and he’s capable of making this defense pay without some of their big names.

I fully expect the Bears to come out firing, even while they face the possibility of missing their top receiver and running back, among others. They have never lost in Levi’s Stadium, and it’s not going to start this weekend. For the first time in nearly two months, Chicago plays inspired football and finally closes out a game to snap their dismal losing streak.

Lucas Hunt (6-3): Bears 27, 49ers 17

Chicago’s trek through the NFC North takes a slight detour out west to play San Francisco this week, and the game presents an interesting narrative regarding two malfunctioning franchises. In the Bears’ camp, much of their dysfunction was brought about by their own actions. The team decided to retain former head coach Matt Eberflus despite leading the club to a disappointing 7-10 record last year, made an errant call in hiring former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and both of those major decisions restrained a talented roster from reaching their full potential this season. Interim head coach Thomas Brown is now running the show, and he has the task of scooping water by the bucket load out of a rapidly sinking ship.

Many of the 49ers’ obstacles this year, however, are largely extraneous circumstances that couldn’t be controlled. The injury bug ran through their team like the plague, forcing the 49ers to try to get wins while not being anywhere close to 100%, and a few major tragedies affected the club as a whole. It may not be fair, but the NFL season continues to march on, so Week 14 will feature two haggard teams trying to make a miraculous turnaround on their season despite both squads being in desperate need of a reset.

When it comes to two meandering teams, health and talent plays a big part in deciding a victor, so I’m choosing the Bears to get their first win in nearly two months over the patchwork 49ers. Chicago has a leg up in those two aforementioned categories, and the effect of having a fresh face at the helm cannot be overlooked. Brown is well-liked in the locker room, and belief in their new head coach should be that extra spark Chicago needs to have one of these close games go their way. The Bears have competed with the league’s best in recent weeks, a testament to their outstanding talent, and now they may just have the right mentor to turn that competitiveness into a positive result. Chicago scores a comfortable 27-17 win over San Francisco this week, putting the Bears on the right track before they prepare for another slate of NFC North battles.

Vinnie Parise (7-5): 49ers 24, Bears 17

A lot of people are assuming that the Chicago Bears are going to get a boost from firing head coach Matt Eberflus. That may happen but they are still the Bears. Things that apply to other NFL teams don’t always apply to the Bears. They can play better and make better decisions in game but that doesn’t negate the fact that the 49ers are a better team. They are having a terrible season and injury has a lot to do with it but they still believe that they can go on a run. Until that belief is gone, they are going to give it their all under Kyle Shanahan.

For the Bears, it isn’t about winning or losing anymore anyway. It is about the development of Caleb Williams. They were handed a golden ticket and they must take advantage. If he plays well, you’ll see all of the weapons on offense have food numbers too. If the Bears do come out and throttle San Francisco, it will make Eberflus look even worse. Until they start to turn it around, however, it is had to believe in them.

Mike Pendleton (7-5): Bears 35, 49ers 24

Right or wrong, I believe in Thomas Brown and the TB era, as it should be known. Yes, the offense has been through a heavy makeover with Brown running the show, but also yes, the Bears have yet to win a game with him as offensive coordinator, but that’s not on him. There’s a reason why Matt Eberflus became the first coach in franchise history fired during the season and it came down to coaching malpractice and end-of-game failures.

Listening to the press conferences this week, everyone from Brown to the players who have been interviewed, the energy is different. If Brown’s two biggest tasks as interim head coach are to win games and bring the locker room back together, it feels as if he’s closing in on one of those achievements already.

He and the Bears could be the ultimate opportunist, taking on a San Francisco 49ers team on the ropes and riddled by the injury bug. With no Christian McCaffery, Jordan Mason, or Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers are missing several of their top playmakers. There should be more optimism for the Bears coming into this game than normal, and at some point, this team will prove it is too good to be a team that has been held back by the losses that Chicago has had this year.

Preston Comer (4-2): Bears 24, 49ers 14

I’m excited for Thomas Brown to take the reign of Chicago. I don’t mean long term — yet. This locker room is very clearly run by the players and that’s an issue, Brown will fix that. He has the leadership and accountability that the Bears have been searching for.

It is tough that Caleb Williams will be on his third OC already, but Brown will be calling the majority of the offensive plays. This also gives Eric Washington the opportunity to call plays on defense, which he did in preseason. I think this defense will look better than previous weeks — especially in the clutch — and play rejuvenated.

I have some optimism for the matchup vs. San Francisco and how possible a win really is for the Bears — especially with Matt Eberflus at a safe enough distance to not mess up in the clutch. The 49ers are depleted, missing multiple playmakers. Not only are they injury-ridden, but they’ve struggled and looked defeated against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night. This is a much needed win that Chicago can steal in San Francisco. I can’t wait to see how the Bears’ players fight for Brown.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs 49ers picks: Will Thomas Brown get a win in first game?