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NaVorro Bowman Puts Football Instincts on Display in Latest 'Mic'd Up' Segment

If you watch "Mic'd Up" regularly on 49ers.com, you've seen this before.

NaVorro Bowman, wearing a microphone, diagnosing a play before it even happens.

This was the case over and over again in a Week 13 road victory for the San Francisco 49ers over the Chicago Bears.

San Francisco's star inside linebacker repeatedly called out plays to his defensive teammates. He alerted Jimmie Ward of a possible screen pass right before the second-year defensive back intercepted Jay Cutler and returned the takeaway 29 yards for the team's first defensive touchdown of the season. There were also instances of Bowman calling out run plays and informing defensive linemen like Mike Purcell how to stifle Chicago's running opportunities.

Enjoy the best photographs of San Francisco 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman's return to the field.

"You have good linebackers, and you have great linebackers," defensive lineman Tony Jerod-Eddie said on Wednesday. "The great linebackers are the ones that can see what's going to happen before it happens. NaVorro is the one of those guys."

Bowman totaled a team-high 14 tackles against the Bears. He leads the NFC with 119 tackles and is second overall in the NFL.

So how special is it for a player of Bowman's caliber to diagnose the opposition's mindset before any given play?

Just ask Jim Tomsula.

"I've been around some pretty good players that know their stuff," the 49ers coach said. "That to me is when we talk about winning on Tuesday, that's what we're talking about. We have to win Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and then go win on Sunday.

"To me, that's the work that you do during the week and obviously it shows up there with NaVorro and him calling that out. ... Those are the things that we're talking about, with the coaches and the players working together and preparing for the game on Sunday. Preparing to win a game."

For those who want to see more of Bowman's game-changing plays under the microscope, take a look at more of his "Mic'd Up" moments.

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