Bengals vs. 49ers: Full Cincinnati Game Preview
Sans Andy Dalton, the Cincinnati Bengals take a trip to San Francisco in Week 15 for a date with the 49ers.
Cincinnati lost much more than a shot at the AFC's top seed in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, losing Dalton to a broken thumb and now staring at a great unknown when it comes to postseason positioning.
San Francisco, though, has issues of its own, sitting on just four wins and coming off a 24-10 whipping at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, a team Cincinnati had already swept in brutal fashion this year.
As the Bengals prepare to trot out backup AJ McCarron under center, here's everything to know about the cross-conference showdown.
Week 14 Results and Recap
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AFC North Standings
- Cincinnati Bengals (10-3)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (4-9)
- Cleveland Browns (3-10)
The door now hangs ajar in the AFC North.
It's slight, but the Bengals now have to look behind them at the Steelers after last weekend's 33-20 loss in which Cincinnati lost Dalton after he hurt himself making a tackle on an interception return.
McCarron entered the game and didn't look terrible by any means, throwing a pair of scores and interceptions with 280 yards, but the rest of the offense struggled as the team decided to run it just 16 times for 64 yards.
The Cincinnati defense did what it could but entered the day without top corner Adam Jones. George Iloka and Vontaze Burfict kept coming on and off the field with injuries.
As such, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 282 yard, and the Steelers managed two rushing touchdowns. One of McCarron's interceptions went back for a score, which made matters worse.
Cincinnati now has to rely on a backup quarterback and an easy schedule to close out the year. After this week's game against San Francisco, the Bengals face the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens.
News and Notes
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Dalton's Timetable
The biggest story around the Bengals would be Dalton. There hasn't been much in the way of concrete info about the quarterback's injury, other than it won't need surgery.
ESPN's Ed Werder provided some insight into what the team expects: "Bengals players expecting QB Andy Dalton to be out four to six weeks. First-round NFL playoffs are four weeks from date Dalton fractured thumb."
It's not a terrible timeline, provided it turns out correct. The Bengals get San Francisco this week before winnable games against the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens to close the season.
At the least, Cincinnati has the talent to wrap up the division. If Dalton heals quickly, he'll be back for the playoffs.
Ensuing Roster Moves
Losing a starting quarterback puts any team in a pinch.
Cincinnati, though, opted not to go outside of the organization to reinforce the position after much speculation the team would add a free agent.
According to ESPN.com's Coley Harvey, the Bengals promoted from within: "Bengals make it official. QB Keith Wenning promoted off practice squad, added to 53-man roster. Wide receiver Michael Bennett signed to punt-return squad."
Wenning is an emergency backup for the team until Dalton heals. Bennett might actually be the most interesting aspect of the move, considering he spent part of the preseason with the team.
Regardless, the Bengals went somewhat boring to clean up the situation. That's not always a bad thing.
McCarron Sets Sights on Division
So what's the first order of business for McCarron?
Other than grabbing first-team snaps for the first time, the Alabama product seems to be taking things one step at a time.
As Harvey noted, McCarron has eyes on the AFC North: "Introducing the 28th Bengals starting QB. AJ McCarron says he was excited to see so many of his wide receivers watching film with him on the off day Tuesday. His focus this weekend: 'An AFC North championship.'"
First things first, right? Cincinnati cannot afford to dwell too much on the idea of a first-round bye when it now has to take care of business and clean up the division first and foremost.
It seems McCarron has the right idea and is already picking up right where Dalton left off from a leadership standpoint.
Latest Injury News
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- Russell Bodine, LP
- Vontaze Burfict, LP
- Andy Dalton, Out
- Tyler Eifert, DNP
- Jake Fisher, DNP
- Leon Hall, DNP
- George Iloka, DNP
- Michael Johnson, DNP
- Adam Jones, LP
- Andrew Whitworth, LP
Talk about a mixed bag this week.
Dalton is an obvious name on the injury report. More concerning is the inclusion of Tyler Eifert, who left last week with a concussion. George Iloka also seemed to suffer an issue.
The good news? Adam Jones practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, which is a good sign considering he was in a walking boot this time last week. Otherwise, veterans such as Leon Hall and Andrew Whitworth getting limited time or time off outright is nothing out of the ordinary.
Courtesy of Bengals.com.
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Key Matchups
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Cincinnati Offensive Line vs. 49ers Defense
If this sounds similar to last week, that's because it is.
The Bengals didn't commit to the run last week with Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard. Granted, the team fell behind early, but the decision to pass most of the day led to a rather lopsided result, injury to Dalton or not.
This week the Bengals have a golden opportunity to ride their one-two punch in the backfield to a rather simple win. San Francisco not only allows an average of 24.2 points per game but ranks 31st with 133.2 rushing yards allowed per game.
After hardly finding success against a strong Pittsburgh unit, Andrew Whitworth and the linemen need to dominate a unit that looks quite exploitable.
If not, it's going to place more pressure than necessary on McCarron in a tough road environment.
Cincinnati Defensive Line vs. 49ers Offensive Line
Geno Atkins, Carlos Dunlap and others have turned one of the team's biggest weaknesses from a season ago into a strength as the unit as a whole heads into Week 15 with 34 sacks.
While the dominance in the trenches is impressive, it must continue Sunday.
San Francisco quarterback Blaine Gabbert continues to play solid football despite the woeful situation around him, completing 63.2 percent of his passes this season with six touchdowns to three interceptions.
With weapons such as Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith to hit, Gabbert is more dangerous than he seems if he has all day to sit in the pocket and make throws.
The line cannot allow that to happen.
Matchup X-Factors
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49ers X-Factor of the Week: Shaun Draughn
Who?
Cincinnati has to get familiar with the name Shaun Draughn in a hurry. A former member of the Browns, Draughn now has five games under his belt with the 49ers and continues to act as the lead back.
Draughn has yet to rush for four yards per carry in a game with his new team, but in one of San Francisco's two wins while he's been around, he scored a touchdown.
More important for the 49ers, and more critical for the Bengals to shut down, is Draughn's ability as a receiver. He's caught four or more passes in four of his five games with the team and figures to be one of Gabbert's primary targets Sunday while the Cincinnati rush puts him under fire.
Able to slip away, move the chains and extend drives, No. 24 is quite critical to Sunday's contest.
Bengals X-Factor of the Week: Jeremy Hill
While the importance of A.J. Green is obvious, especially if Tyler Eifert misses the game, this is the time for Hill to deliver.
Hill has a cupcake of a matchup here and a good way to put his seven carries for 16 yards and 2.3 per-carry average against the Steelers behind him.
While some might not expect the Bengals to change much given McCarron's similarities to Dalton, the reality is that an inexperienced quarterback who is making a road start this late in the season will need some help.
Said help should be Hill, whom the Bengals should want to get going in time for the playoffs, anyway. The chance for a ball-control game is there.
Prediction: Bengals 31, 49ers 10
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It's fun to cry doom over the Bengals losing Dalton, but if the injury had to happen, now was a pretty good time.
Not only do the Bengals already have 10 wins, but they get to encounter a hapless 49ers team that can't stop anything on the defensive side of the ball and needs a Jacksonville Jaguars castoff to replace the former alleged franchise quarterback, who now holds a clipboard.
Maybe that's harsh, but the 49ers have all of four wins for a reason after what might have been the worst offseason in NFL history.
Cincinnati touts the most talented supporting cast in the NFL. McCarron can lean on a strong ground game against a miserable run defense and hit elite targets such as Green and Marvin Jones while he coasts. The Cincinnati defense shouldn't have any issues, either.
Look for the Bengals to jump out ahead and really let McCarron cut it loose to get him some repetitions before an important showdown with the Denver Broncos in Week 16.
Prediction: Bengals 31, 49ers 10
Stats courtesy of NFL.com and are accurate as of December 16. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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