The Chicago Bears (4-4) and San Francisco 49ers (3-5) are playing Thursday night on the NFL Network.  Both teams have been under-performing after promising starts, and their playoff chances are slipping away.  The Bears defense was embarrassed last week against the Cardinals, who put up 41 points on the Bears.  The Cardinals have lost four in a row and the Bears have lost their last three out of four games.  Bears’ legend Mike Singletary is the head coach of the 49ers, and this will be his first game against his former team.

The Bears defense needs to get their act together, but they do not have as big of a challenge this week against the 49ers.  Tommie Harris can hopefully keep his cool and not punch anyone in this game, as the Bears sorely missed Harris on Sunday after his early ejection.  The 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has been struggling though, so the Bears defense may be able to get back on track tomorrow night.  He had three interceptions and two fumbles last game, so a turnover or two should be expected for the Bears defense.  The Bears don’t have to worry too much about Smith, but they do need to worry about Frank Gore and not just in the running game.  Gore had 158 total yards last week, with 75 coming in the passing game.  Both teams are desperate for a win, but I think Jay Cutler is going to step up in this game and finally lead the Bears the way he should.  The 49ers give up 241 passing yards per game, which makes me think even more that Cutler will have a big game and lead the Bears to a win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Chicago Bears 31, San Francisco 49ers 24