Niners May be Able to Run the Ball on Bears

Even without No. 1 running back Carlos Hyde, sidelined by a foot fracture, the 49ers may try to run the ball Sunday against the Bears.

While Chicago has the league’s No. 2-ranked pass defense, the Bears rank 29^th against opposing running backs. In the Bears’ last game, a victory over the Packers on Thanksgiving, Chicago’s defense was shredded for 177 yards on 28 carries, a little more than 6.3 yards per attempt. For the season, the Bears give up an average of 128.5 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry.

In Hyde’s absence, Shaun Draughn has been a pleasant surprise the past three games, carrying 43 times for 146 yards and catching 17 passes for 133 yards. The Bears expect to see Draughn getting the ball early and often.

“We’ve just got to get better in the run defense,” Bears linebacker Pernell McPhee told the Chicago Sun-Times this week. “And that’s what our focus has got to be in because San Fran’s going to come in here and probably try and run the ball down our throats.”

Draughn and quarterback Blaine Gabbert are getting the chance to impress with Hyde and Colin Kaepernick out. Last week, in a loss to the Cardinals, Draughn played all 56 snaps on offense for the Niners. He’s shown that he can run the ball, catch it and block. Gabbert, meanwhile, threw for more than 300 yards vs. Arizona.

“What’s impressive with Shaun, the first week that he was here, learning the protections, there’s a lot to that,” head coach Jim Tomsula told the Bay Area media this week. “There’s a lot of different verbiage when you go different places. He’s been a part of some really solid protection.”

Even if the 49ers can run the ball, they figure to have their troubles with Chicago overall. The Bears have won three of their past four and have a balanced offense led by quarterback Jay Cutler, who’s had a quarterback rating of 90 or better in four of his past five games while throwing seven TD passes against just two interceptions.