Takeaways from the Chicago Bears' afternoon game against the San Francisco 49ers

So it was not a good first game for Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown.

The Bears were overmatched from the beginning and were never truly in the game during San Francisco's 38-13 romp over the Bears, dropping Chicago to a seventh-straight loss and all but puts a definitive end to the Bears' season. 

Here are our takeaways from Thomas Brown's first game as the Chicago Bears' interim head coach, as they went on the road against the San Francisco 49ers.

An abysmal start is too much to overcome

At halftime, this was the outlook for the Chicago Bears:

Score: 49ers 24, Bears 0
Total yards: 49ers 320, Bears 2
Pass yards: Brock Purdy 258, Caleb 19

At the break, every 49ers player who touched the football outgained the Bears. It was as flat of a start as you could have imagined for the Bears, who got nothing going in the first half. There was no energy, no urgency to establish the run and no consistent protection as Caleb Williams was sacked on three straight third-down passing plays.

It got much better in the second half, of course. The Bears sustained offense, got the run game going and allowed Williams to let it rip.

But, a 24-0 hole is too much to ask of a rookie quarterback behind a suspect offensive line and an interim head coach. When Williams' pump fake slipped out of his hands and was ruled a fumble, that killed a promising drive and extinguished any chance of a comeback.

Still MIA: the Bears' defensive edge

The Bears did not have to play against Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey.

Still, the likes of Jauan Jennings and Isaac Guerendo combined to overwhelm Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington and his Bears' defense.

Purdy had less than 100 passing yards last week in a snow game. He nearly tripled that number at halftime. 

The only player that can definitely say they had the right energy to play Sunday was linebacker TJ Edwards. He had a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass break up to go with double-digit tackles. The rest of the defense struggled to match that energy.

Case in point: the 49ers lined up for a field goal midway through the fourth quarter, called timeout and trotted the offense back out. San Francisco ran the ball for a first down, gaining six yards on fourth and one.

The defense needs a gut-check, as the Bears are playing for pride in a lost season. The defense needs to find that pride again.

Williams-to-Odunze connection is growing

Coming into Sunday, Rome Odunze had just one receiving touchdown all season.

He added his second and third to create a highlight for what was a dismal day otherwise for the Bears. The two rookies were connecting in 49ers territory when it mattered most.

Odunze's first touchdown was a toss into the back of the end zone where the rookie out of Washington elevated into the air, grabbed the ball and had the awareness to land in bounds with both feet in for a score. The second touchdown was a pass over the middle between two defenders where Williams trusted Odunze to go up to get.

Not much has gone right for the Bears this season. Taking the positives when they come has to be crucial as they evaluate the future of the franchise.

Williams had his first turnover in weeks when a ball slipped out of his hands and went backwards on a pump fake, which is an easily coachable moment for the rookie. It shouldn't be overlooked how the Bears' two cornerstones were active today.