San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears 9/11/22 - NFL Picks & Predictions

The San Francisco 49ers open their NFL regular season on the road at Soldier Field Sunday September 11 against the Chicago Bears. San Francisco will start the Trey Lance era at quarterback against Chicago. Deebo Samuel, who signed a three-year deal during preseason, is expected to be Lance’s favorite target downfield, while TE George Kittle will be his top overall receiver. Last year’s starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo is still on the roster but the 49ers are entertaining trade offers. Find out if Jimmy moves and how it impacts the NFL world with our free NFL previews.

San Francisco's 4-3 defense will be led up front by one of the best pass rushers in the NFL Nick Bosa and playing opposite Bosa at the other end will be Samson Ebukam. The linebacker corps for San Francisco will be led in the middle by Fred Warner and flanked on both sides by Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair. The secondary has Jimmie Ward and Talanoa Hufanga as the starting safeties, while Emmanuel Mosely and Charvarius Ward are the top two quarterbacks.

The Chicago Bears will begin their second season with quarterback Justin Fields under center. Chicago will have David Montgomery as the feature running back but expect to see Khalil Herbert on the field often. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney will be Fields’ favorite target but Cole Kmet at tight end is sure-handed and will be important on third-down situations.

Chicago will have a 4-3 defense that is led up front by defensive end Robert Quinn and tackle Justin Jones. The three linebackers will be led by Roquan Smith in the middle, after Smith returned to the team and dropped his trade demand. Smith will be flanked by weakside linebacker Joe Thomas and strong-side linebacker Nicholas Morrow. The secondary is led by safety Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker, who is listed as questionable.