SAN FRANCISCO - The 49ers had already come up with four interceptions Thursday night against Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.
But that, in itself, was not enough. The 49ers needed a fifth to avoid a five-game losing streak and falling desperately behind in their quest to reach the NFC playoffs.
And veteran safety Michael Lewis came up with the team's fifth pick in the end zone as time expired to supply the 49ers with a 10-6 victory over the Bears at Candlestick Park.
"That's his style," Lewis said of Cutler. "He's a gunslinger."
Whereas the 49ers shot themselves on Sunday with four turnovers that led to 24 points in a loss to the Tennessee Titans, they were on the good end of an advantage of plus-four in the takeaway category.
"We did just enough on offense to win the game," said 49ers coach Mike Singletary, who was facing the Bears for the first time as a head coach. Singletary played his entire 12-year Hall of Fame career with the Bears.
The win - no matter how it came - enabled the 49ers (4-5) to end their slide. Lewis admitted it would've been nearly impossible for the 49ers to dig out of the hole with a loss to the Bears. And, yes, Lewis said it was a must-win.
"It really was," he said. "Nobody was saying it, but we knew. These last couple of weeks the pressure has been on the defensive backs, and we took it upon ourselves to step up and make plays."
Was it a relief for Singletary for the 49ers to get their first win since Oct. 4 against the St. Louis Rams?
"I'd hate to use the word &‘relief,' but trying to think of another one is kind of hard right now," Singletary said. "So, I will say, &‘yes.'"
It was certainly not an offensive masterpiece for the 49ers. They managed just 216 yards of total offense. Running back Frank Gore gained 104 yards and the team's only touchdown on 25 rushing attempts.
"Of course, you want to be able to do more on offense," said quarterback Alex Smith, who completed 16 of 23 passing attempts for 118 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
"The defense definitely won this game for us. We'd like to do more in the red zone. If we had put one of those into the end zone, it doesn't have to come down to the end of the game."
Cutler completed 29 of 52 passes for 307 yards in the game. The Bears' marquee offseason acquisition has now thrown 17 interceptions in the first nine games of the season. The Bears rolled up 350 yards of total offense, but settled for just two field goals.
"I have to apologize to the defense, and the offense as a whole has to apologize," Cutler said. "They (the Bears' defense) played a great game. They kept us in there throughout all the turnovers."
Cutler's first interception prevented the Bears from scoring, as 49ers' nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin grabbed a Cutler pass at the goal line in the second quarter and returned it 10 yards.
His second interception led directly to the 49ers' first-half touchdown. Cornerback Tarell Brown was in perfect position when Devin Hester slipped to pick off Cutler near the right sideline. Brown brought the ball back all the way across the field in the course of his 51-yard return.
On the 49ers' next offensive play, Gore picked up a devastating block from David Baas to score on a 14-yard touchdown run. It was Gore's sixth rushing touchdown of the season.
Mark Roman's interception and 27-yard return in the fourth quarter led to Nedney's 21-yard field goal that gave the 49ers' a 10-6 lead. It was Roman's first interception since December 2006.
"It was stressed a lot this week that we would get an opportunity to make plays, and we took advantage of those opportunities," Roman said.
But the game was not decided until Lewis, in man coverage against Bears tight end Greg Olsen, made the interception in the end zone as time expired. Olsen had seven catches for 75 yards in the game.
"Our defensive backs coaches, Vance Joseph and Johnnie Lynn, did a great job of telling us that Olsen was their go-to guy in the red zone and they like to take the vertical route," Lewis said.
For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco via e-mail at matt.maiocco@pressdemocrat.com.
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