49ers vs. Bears 2015 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online

The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers were both expected to be rebuilding teams in the 2015 season. The 49ers (3-8) have mostly played to those expectations, but the Bears (5-6) are surprising people and look to reach .500 with a win this week, which would put them right in the middle of the NFC Wild Card race.

That the Bears are even in this position looked unthinkable at the start of the season, when they went 0-3 and were left for dead. Since then, they’ve rallied to a respectable record and shocked the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving, spoiling Brett Favre’s homecoming with a 17-13 win.

Chicago scored only three points in the second half of that game, but that’s all it needed, because the Packers were shut out after halftime. That’s been the secret to the Bears’ recent run of success -- the defense has held opponents to 19 points or less in four straight games, with Chicago going 3-1 in that stretch. New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has done impressive things with a unit that was widely expected to be worst in the league.

It certainly helps that the offense is getting healthy again. Alshon Jeffery is finally 100 percent and was taken off the injury report this week after missing five games with various ailments. Matt Forte is also back to full health after a sprained MCL kept him out three weeks, and with rookie Jeremy Langford bursting onto the scene, a backfield committee could keep the 29-year-old Forte fresh enough for the stretch run.

A healthy Bears offense is the worst possible news for the 49ers, whose defense is 25th in rushing and 28th in passing yards allowed per game. San Francisco actually did a decent job holding the Arizona Cardinals to 19 points, but the offense couldn’t do enough in the 19-13 loss.

Running back Carlos Hyde will be out for at least another week, so Shaun Draughn gets the start once again. A nondescript journeyman for most of his career, Draughn has caught on with the 49ers as an unlikely workhorse, averaging 20 touches per game and playing every single offensive snap in Week 12. He’s only averaging 3.5 yards per carry, but Draughn’s steadiness in the backfield is something 49ers fans can take solace in while Hyde sits out.

We’re still not comfortable saying that Blaine Gabbert is good now, but to be frank, the numbers speak for themselves. In three starts since replacing Colin Kaepernick, Gabbert is averaging 255.7 passing yards per game, completing 65.3 percent of his passes and throwing for 8.1 yards per attempt. All three of those numbers are well above his career averages (161.3 yards per game, 54.5 completion percentage, 5.9 yards per attempt), and it’s in an offense low on weapons with the same offensive line that left Kaepernick high and dry.

So is Gabbert having a fluke run or is this real improvement from the former Jacksonville Jaguar? That debate will probably rage well into the offseason, and the answer could have significant implications for the futures of head coach Jim Tomsula and general manager Trent Baalke.

When: 1 p.m. ET

Where: Soldier Field, Chicago

TV: FOX

Announcers: Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin

Online: NFL Game Pass