Unexpected Points

Unexpected Points

Week 17 Sunday Night 49ers-Bears: Advanced Review

The 49ers win a shootout over the Bears, are can take the No. 1 seed away from the Seahawks with a win in Week 18

Kevin Cole's avatar
Kevin Cole
Dec 29, 2025
∙ Paid
49ers outlast Bears 42-38 in instant classic on 'Sunday Night Football'

The adjusted scores quantify team play quality, with emphasis on stable metrics (success rate) and downplaying higher variance events (turnovers, special team, penalties, fumble luck, etc). Adjusted expected points added (EPA), in conjunction with opportunity-based metrics like total plays and drives, projects adjusted points. Adjusted scores have been tested against actual scores and offer slightly better predictive ability, though their primary benefit is explanatory.

All 2025-2022 and historical Adjusted Scores and other site metrics are available in a downloadable format to paid subscribers via Google Sheet.

Find previous advanced reviews here

** Adjusted Scores table:

  • “Pass” - Pass rate over expectation (based on context of each play and historical averages

  • “Success” - Success rate on offense, a key metric in adjusted score vs actual

  • “H & A” - Home or away team

SF (-3.5) vs CHI

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