Do the struggling 49ers lose for the third straight time?
It’s straight to halftime in NFL play! But before the time comes for the Bay Area franchise to have their bye week, they host Cincinnati at home. For both of them, the game could set the tone for the rest of the season.
While the Niners have recently suffered two defeats in a row, their upcoming opponents have celebrated two wins in a row for the first time this season. This brings additional explosiveness to the duel between the 49ers vs. the Bengals. A bet on the team around superstar quarterback Joe Burrow could definitely be worthwhile.
It was the expected tough matchup for the Niners on Monday night in Minneapolis. In the end, playmaker Brock Purdy threw away the win by throwing two late interceptions, however, unfamiliar weaknesses opened up defensively for Shanahan’s team as well, which could play into the visitors’ hands in the upcoming game. There could be another explanation for Purdy’s performance in the closing minutes, though… More on that later.
To speak of a convincing performance of the Bengals against the Seahawks would be presumptuous, but as the old saying goes: American football is also a sport of results! Two weeks ago, 17 own and 13 opponent points were on the scoreboard. With the bye week behind them, they travel to California rested, but as underdogs. That’s why when the San Francisco 49ers host the Cincinnati Bengals, the odds for a win for the Ohio franchise are 2.55.
San Francisco 49ers – Statistics & current form
How close the narratives are in the NFL. If kicker Jake Moody hadn’t lost his nerve at the last second against the Browns and Brock Purdy had completed the potential game-winning drive against the Vikings, San Francisco would be the only team in the league still undefeated. If that were the case, I think everyone would still see the Niners as the top team in the NFC, but with the two losses recently, doubt is at least warranted and now more bad news is coming.
Can Purdy play?
On Wednesday night, news surfaced almost out of nowhere that quarterback Brock Purdy is listed in the NFL’s concussion protocol. He had shown initial symptoms on the flight back to San Francisco from Minneapolis. Although he was able to return to practice on Thursday, his use in the 49ers vs. Bengals game is questionable. The prognosis is that Sam Darnold will have to replace him.
But these are by far not the only injury concerns for the team from California. Offensively, Deboo Samuel is missing again, and offensive lineman Trent Williams is expected to miss at least one more game.
The offense, whether Darnold or Purdy plays, will likely look similar because the former first-round pick is a similar quarterback type to Purdy. Brandon Aiyuk, who is currently the Niners’ leading receiver, would certainly be an important target for him as well. Next to him, Christian McCaffrey is unquestionably the most important personnel, as evidenced by the fact that he played every offensive snap against the Vikings. Will he extend his incredible record and score a touchdown in the 17th consecutive game as well? In the duel of the 49ers vs. Bengals, a bet on it is by no means out of the question, but it also doesn’t have a lot of value.
The defense had a kind of “meltdown game” in the last game. The D-Line around superstar Nick Bosa again brought plenty of pressure on the opposing quarterback, but only turned that into a sack. Additionally, this unit never got a handle on Minnesota’s pass receivers and allowed 378 passing yards. With an even better receiving group now waiting, this could become a deciding matchup factor for the visitors.
Key Players:
- QB: Sam Darnold
- RB: Christian McCaffrey
- WR: Brando Aijuk
- TE: George Kittle
- K: Jake Moody
Cincinnati Bengals – statistics & current form
Purely statistically – measured by yards per game – the Bengals offense is still dead last in the NFL and in terms of points per game it doesn’t look much better with an average of 16.7. Only twice this season have they been able to score more than 20 points, and the last time they did so was against the division rival 49ers in Glendale, Arizona. Before the game break against the Seahawks it was just enough to 17 points. In week eight, Cincinnati will play the fourth and last team from the NFC West. All of their wins so far this season have come against teams from that division.
Only through the air to success
The Bengals have not moved enough on the ground, averaging 70 yards per game. They also scored just one touchdown in six meetings via running game, which is on the resume of Joe Mixon. Against the Niners, the run game probably won’t see a renaissance, so it’s back to Joe Burrow and his receivers to sort it out through the air. With pass receivers like Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins, they basically have perfect tools to do that as well.
All three of the aforementioned wide receivers have had at least one successful end zone visit. To keep these three pass receivers in check over 60 minutes will – after the revealed weaknesses of the last game day – probably not succeed for the Niners defense. The Californians will have to win the duel at the line to give the Cincinnati receivers no time to get away from their defenders.
Their own defensive unit has also not performed at the level they had hoped for so far and is in the bottom third of the league. That Christian McCaffrey in particular will be a very bad matchup for the weak run defense is not a particularly bold prediction between the 49ers and Bengals.
Key Players:
- QB: Joe Burrow
- RB: Joe Mixon
- WR: Ja’Marr Chase
- TE: Irv Smith Jr.
- K: Evan McPherson
San Francisco 49ers – Cincinnati Bengals head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Cincinnati’s successes against the team from the Bay Area are manageable so far and so they could only win four of the 17 direct games. At least they got two of the victories in California and since they will have some starting points against the defense in the upcoming duel – besides the arguably better quarterback – the fifth win overall for the franchise from Ohio is at least not entirely unlikely. Due to the underdog position, the betting odds are correspondingly attractive between the 49ers and Bengals.
With Shanahan’s team’s offense looking weakened and the Bengals averaging just 37.8 points in their games so far, it’s also unlikely that the scheduled 43.5-point scoring mark will be reached.
San Francisco 49ers – Cincinnati Bengals Tip
Two teams meet whose starting positions couldn’t be more different. Early in the season, the 49ers were considered an absolute contender and the Bengals game time was partly – when they had three losses after four days on the account – already ticked off.
Now, however, the home side has lost twice in a row, has rarely been convincing and has major injury worries, while the guests are on the rise, winning three of the last four games and – due to the break – they arrive fresher and more regenerated.
Considering these points of view, the distribution of 49ers vs Bengals odds is a bit surprising. We see Cincinnati slightly ahead and therefore bet on Zac Taylor’s team to win at Levi’s Stadium. If you want to increase the risk even more, you can additionally play this success in combination with less than 43.5 points.
Also played separately the tips of course bring great value, but on the markets additionally even more variants: Christian McCaffrey’s touchdown, for example, is just as much in the realm of possibility as a successful end zone visit on the other side by Ja’Marr Chase.
