49ers hold off Bears to keep No. 1 seed hopes alive as Brock Purdy totals 5 touchdowns in win

If Week 17’s "Sunday Night Football" matchup is thing similar what the NFL Playoffs volition beryllium similar this season, shot fans volition beryllium loving each 2nd of play.

The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears, 2 bears gunning for the No. 1 effect successful the NFC, enactment unneurotic a thrilling primetime crippled connected Sunday nighttime successful the Bay Area.

But lone the 49ers helped their chances astatine that apical effect successful their league with a thrilling 42-38 win.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates a touchdown against the Chicago Bears with teammate Ricky Pearsall #1 of the San Francisco 49ers during the archetypal 4th of the crippled astatine Levi's Stadium connected Dec. 28, 2025 successful Santa Clara, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

This was a back-and-forth crippled each nighttime agelong connected the scoreboard, and it began connected the archetypal violative drawback of the crippled for the 49ers. But it wasn’t Brock Purdy and institution getting bully tract position.

Instead, Jaylon Johnson jumping a shot intended for Jauan Jennings ended with T.J. Edwards picking disconnected the walk and taking it backmost 34 yards for the pick-six conscionable 15 seconds into the game.

The 49ers instantly faced a 7-0 deficit, but Purdy was unfazed each crippled long, and it showed connected the ensuing thrust pursuing the interception. San Francisco went 9 plays and 65 yards downfield, arsenic Purdy recovered Jake Tonges, filling successful for an injured George Kittle successful the apical choky extremity role, to necktie the crippled up.

NFL WEEK 17 SCORES: AFC NORTH, NFC SOUTH UP FOR GRABS AS PLAYOFF PICTURE ALMOST COMPLETE

After 3 consecutive punts, the 49ers and Bears would harvester for 5 consecutive touchdown drives, starting with Purdy scrambling for a 10-yard touchdown tally — the archetypal of 2 connected the night. It was acceptable up by a 41-yard Christian McCaffrey run, arsenic the seasoned had different palmy week connected the ground.

Williams, though, wanted to amusement disconnected his laser arm, arsenic helium spotted rookie Luther Burden III downfield for a 35-yard onslaught to necktie the crippled astatine 14 apiece.

McCaffrey was capable to find the extremity portion astatine the opening of the 2nd 4th to headdress a nine-play drive, but an offsides by the 49ers connected the ensuing thrust allowed Williams a escaped play to find rookie choky extremity Colston Loveland for a 36-yard touchdown.

It was the 49ers walking into the locker country with the lead, however, with Purdy finishing disconnected a methodical 15-play thrust that utilized up astir 9 minutes of second-quarter timepiece with his three-yard rushing touchdown.

When the 2nd fractional began, the Bears and 49ers lone got 1 thrust each successful the 3rd quarter, but they some cashed successful for touchdowns — Kyle Juszczyk for San Francisco and D’Andre Swift for Chicago. But aft Swift scored his 2nd touchdown of the half, Williams and the Bears’ discourtesy were yet capable to get the pb backmost for the archetypal clip since that pick-six to commencement the game.

Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears warms up against the San Francisco 49ers earlier the crippled astatine Levi's Stadium connected Dec. 28, 2025 successful Santa Clara, California.  (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

It wasn’t the touchdown caput manager Ben Johnson wanted, but a tract extremity by Cairo Santos gave Chicago the 38-35 pb with 5:22 near to play successful the game. There was inactive clip for San Fran, though, and Purdy didn’t discarded it.

Jennings was soundless with conscionable 1 drawback for 4 yards each crippled agelong erstwhile Purdy deed him perfectly successful stride and helium took it the region for a 38-yard touchdown catch-and-run to retake the lead.

The four-point shortage for the Bears meant Williams had to find the extremity portion with conscionable implicit 2 minutes near to play. They were capable to person it connected fourth-and-5, and aft a nifty catch-and-pitch from Loveland to Swift, the Bears were connected the two-yard enactment with 4 seconds left.

Williams surveyed the extremity portion and kept the play live with his legs, but helium was incapable to find Jahdae Walker for the game-winning touchdown.

As a effect of the loss, the Bears are nary longer going to beryllium the No. 1 seed. On the different hand, the 49ers are conscionable 1 triumph distant from securing it, arsenic they play the Seattle Seahawks adjacent week.

Bundle FOX One and FOX Nation to watercourse the full FOX Nation library, positive unrecorded FOX News, Sports, and Entertainment astatine our lowest terms of the year. The connection ends connected Jan. 4, 2026. (Fox One; Fox Nation)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In the container score, McCaffrey tallied 181 yards from scrimmage, including 140 connected the crushed connected 23 carries with his score. Purdy was 24-of-33 passing for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception, portion rushing for 28 yards and his 2 touchdowns.

For the Bears, Williams was 25-of-42 for 330 yards and 2 touchdowns, portion Burden finished the nighttime with 138 receiving yards connected 8 catches with his touchdown.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.