Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Bears, 49ers on road back to joining elite

Sal DeFilippo

Friday, Oct. 26, 2001 | 2:06 a.m.

Sal DeFilippo's pro football column appears Friday. Reach him at sal@lasvegassun.com or 259-4076.

Fans will no doubt feel a familiar chill in the Windy City on Sunday.

But it won't be caused by the late October weather at Soldier Field. After years of hibernation, the 4-1 Chicago Bears are again becoming the monsters of the midway.

Some might think they are a fluke, but Da New Bears' only loss was in the season opener, against the defending world champs. Jim Miller is the best quarterback that nobody knows and only time separates Brian Urlacher from a few league defensive MVP titles. Last weekend, Chicago recorded its first shutout in more than eight years.

The loss of wide receiver Marcus Robinson is a huge blow, but rookie Anthony Thomas has impressed at running back.

OK, so wins over Atlanta, Arizona and Cincinnati don't exactly vault a team into elite stature.

The chance for the Bears to prove themselves comes this weekend, against a San Francisco team that has followed a similar trail this season.

After a few rebuilding years, the 49ers are 4-1, riding a string of three straight victories. The 49ers' only loss this season was a four-point defeat to the league's only unbeaten team, the St. Louis Rams.

The loss of Jerry Rice has been more than offset by the gain of a semi-respectable defense. Seven of the 49ers' defensive starters were draftees from the past two seasons.

A win this week certainly would put San Francisco in the driver's seat for a postseason berth, with games against Detroit, Carolina, Buffalo and Dallas still on the schedule.

In a league where parity is fashionable, two once-dominant franchises are returning to the spotlight.

Magician Lance Burton rode a 3-0 week and has moved into second place on my celebrity panel, with a 9-7-2 mark. Kevin Janison maintains the lead and Danny Gans is in third, slightly ahead of Clint Holmes and Rita Rudner.