Niners pick off rare win

SAN FRANCISCO – Mike Singletary didn’t exactly hand it to his old team. That didn’t matter – Jay Cutler handed the desperate San Francisco 49ers a much-needed win.

Frank Gore ran for 104 yards and a touchdown, Cutler threw a career-high five interceptions with his last coming in the end zone on the game’s final play and San Francisco snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Chicago Bears 10-6 Thursday night.

Niners quarterback Alex Smith won for the first time in eight starts since Week 2 in 2007 – but it was interesting until the end.

After Singletary elected to punt against his former team on fourth-and-6 from the Chicago 34 with 2:53 left, Cutler drove the Bears to the San Francisco 12 with 13 seconds remaining. After an incompletion on first down, Michael Lewis picked off Cutler’s next attempt in the end zone as time expired. That sealed San Francisco’s first win since a 35-0 rout of the Rams on Oct. 4.

Four days after the 49ers (4-5) committed four turnovers that led to 24 points in a 34-27 loss to Tennessee Titans, they were penalized nine times and Smith threw an interception and was sacked twice.

Cutler took chances away all game from Chicago (4-5), which had 10 penalties. Patrick Willis wreaked havoc on the Bears with 11 tackles.

Cutler threw four or more interceptions for the second time this season and has an NFL-worst 17.