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The San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bears are even-steven against one another since December of 2016 (2-2), but not for long. San Francisco and the Bears are opening their 2022 seasons against one another at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Soldier Field. After a 10-7 record in the regular season, the 49ers made it as far as the Conference Championship last year but lost to the Los Angeles Rams 20-17. On the other hand, Chicago missed the playoffs altogether last season and is looking forward to a clean start.
A pair of last-season stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: San Francisco was the best in forced fumbles, finishing the 2021 season with 22. Less enviably, few teams threw more interceptions than Chicago, who was picked off 20 times. The good news for Chicago, of course, is that these forces working against them might not carry over into the new season.
The 49ers have the odds in their favor, so they'll need to guard against complacency. These early season matchups can go either way as both teams get back into playing shape.
