San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

Despite continued speculation, the San Francisco 49ers have no plans to trade quarterback Mac Jones this offseason and fully intend to bring him back as Brock Purdy's backup, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday. Jones is under contract with the 49ers for the 2026 season after signing a two-year contract in free agency last year. Stepping in for Purdy in eight games this season, Jones kept the 49ers in the playoff mix as they went 5-3 in games he started.

The 49ers were the first NFL team to win 15 regular-season games, losing just once, and were 3 1/2-point favorites but much of the pregame focus was on whether their defense could deal with a prolific Miami passing offense led by second-year quarterback Dan Marino, the league's Most Valuable Player. Marino had set NFL passing records with 5,084 yards passing and 48 touchdowns in the regular season.

The Bears' defense is having an extraordinary year turning the ball over. The ball-hawk brothers Kevin Byard and Nahshon Wright are showing a preternatural ability to read a quarterback's mind and, as such, Chicago lead the league in interceptions (21) and total turnovers (31). They need to keep the giveaways flowing to cut the legs from a San Francisco offense quietly becoming a juggernaut.

With Greg Papa on screen on the KNBR YouTube channel wearing a broad smile and clean-shaven for the first time in months, it was announced the 49ers' popular radio play-by-play announcer would return to the booth for the final two home games of the season. Papa, 63, will call the 49ers' games on Sunday night, Dec. 28 against the Chicago Bears and the regular-season finale on Jan. 4 against the Seattle Seahawks, both at Levi's Stadium.

Kyle Juszczyk proudly recalls making $5.15 an hour. That was minimum wage 20 years ago, when he was a teenager in Medina, Ohio, about an hour south of Cleveland. He worked with his brother, Sean, who's six years older and was their manager at McDonald's. That carried extra power at Thanksgiving break, when they would head to a snow-covered football field at the local high school.