With starter Alex Smith stuck on the sidelines from a concussion suffered the previous week, Colin Kaepernick took the reins on Nov. 19 and put the 49ers offense into another gear. Against the Chicago Bears’ vaunted defense, which had been ravaging quarterbacks all year, Kaepernick threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns in a 32-7 drubbing. A quarterback controversy was brewing, but Kaepernick’s performance against one of the toughest defenses in the league made head coach Jim Harbaugh’s choice an easy one.
