The 49ers can’t be accused of mailing it in late in the season with nothing to play for.
They went toe-to-toe, literally in cornerback Richard Sherman’s case, against a contending team that was playing with playoff seeding on the line Sunday.
San Francisco fell 14-9 in a hard-fought home finale against the Chicago Bears, who clinched the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs and haven’t been eliminated from earning a first-round bye with an 11-4 record heading into Week 17.
The most notable moment came in the fourth quarter, when Sherman jumped into a crowd along the Bears’ sideline to help his teammate, rookie safety Marcell Harris, who was the target of ire from the road team after he hit quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.