Cincinnati Bengals: What We Learned in the Bengals' Week 3 Loss to 49ers

Week 3 is officially in the books for the Cincinnati Bengals, and it really proved to be one hell of a tough game to watch.

Both Cincinnati and San Francisco proved exactly why this game was blacked out locally by treating us to some of the most disappointing football of the 2011 season.

That's not to say it was all bad however. Among the many issues the Bengals will need to address are also a number of positives to be taken from it.

Here's what we've learned from Week 3. 

The Bengals Are Terrible on Third Down

A perennial problem for the Cincinnati Bengals, third down continued to be a roadblock at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Completing just 1 of 10 attempts for a whopping third-down efficiency of just 10 percent, the Bengals really struggled to get it done in that facet of the game today.

If you had to pinpoint to a reason for the Bengals offense's failure to put points on the board, it would come down to how many times they faced third-and-long.

With Andy Dalton seeing a lot of pressure throughout the day, check-downs became the first order of business and unfortunately that just doesn't get the job done when you're facing 3rd-and-long.

We Must Remember Andy Dalton Is a Rookie; He Showed It Today

His two interceptions in the fourth quarter that punctuated a performance marred by the expected rookie struggles that he eluded in the first two weeks.

Turnovers win football games and the Bengals gave up two incredibly costly ones late in the game via their rookie QB. With the Bengals down 13-6 in the game's final minutes, Dalton and the Bengals took to the air, where a combination of aggressive passing calls and rookie over/underthrows proved costly for Cincy.  

While there are positives about Dalton's game, mainly his decision making and his reads (for the most part), at the end of the day, he failed to put any points on the board in the home opener and looked like any other rookie QB in the two-minute drill. What we saw today is what we are supposed to see from a rookie QB not called Cam.

Dalton finished the day 17-of-32 passing for 157 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns.

With his passion and enthusiasm continuing to be commended by his teammates, it will be interesting to see how "The Red Rifle" reacts to back-to-back losses. 

The Defense Is as Good as Advertised

The Bengals' defensive performance has to be one of the few positives to take out of Sunday's performance.

The Bengals defense really got to Alex Smith more so in the early going and posted five sacks. They also forced an an impressive three fumbles, but only managed to recover one.

Despite the late rushing TD given up by the Bengals, they were stout against the run all afternoon. Frank Gore was pretty much shut out of the game, and by days' end the 49ers only managed 50 yards on 29 carries.

The defense was responsible for keeping the Bengals in this game, and considering that the 49ers kept them on the field significantly longer than their own defense, Cincy managed to play fairly well until the game's final moments.

The defense gave Andy Dalton & Co. ample opportunity to get the job done, and their lapse in the TD drive is understandable.

Penalties, Penalties and More Penalties

Penalties on third-down conversions are something that have plagued the Bengals for years. While you could chalk it up to poor discipline in the past, now it seems like the vast array of new faces and youth on the roster is responsible.

Regardless of that fact, penalties are inexcusable. If you give up as many penalties as the Bengals did today, better teams are going to capitalize on it 10 times more than San Francisco did.

With six penalties worth a weighty 40 yards, the Bengals really have shown just how young they are. They will need to stay cool under pressure in future games if they want to avoid these silly mistakes over and over again.

Brandon Tate Isn't Special

The fact that I can't find a photo of him in a Bengals uniform speaks volumes about just how little he has done in Cincinnati since he was claimed off waivers.

It's frustrating because the Bengals had a pretty solid kick returner in Quan Cosby, whom fans were particularly enamoured with, and the Brandon Tate addition was viewed as unnecessary by the vast majority.

Despite this, I gave Tate the benefit of the doubt, but he has since failed to show any reason why he has been heralded as such a great player.

He made some boneheaded decisions in this one, in particular choosing to run back a kickoff from deep in the end zone following the 49ers' late TD and failing to return to the 20. 

He also failed to get the ball moving despite the onslaught of kicks sent his way throughout the day.

It has only been three games in what is a long season, but thus far, Tate is not special.

Andre Caldwell Is More Than Capable of Replacing Jerome Simpson

For those of you that read my articles, you'll know that I'm pretty high on Andre Caldwell. 

I liked what I saw today, as Caldwell lead the team in receptions and yardage with 53 for the day.

He made some solid catches all over the field and showed just why he deserves an opportunity to start. With the professional and studious manner in which Caldwell carries himself being visibly clear in his steady play this afternoon, I cant help but feel like he's worth your faith going forward.

He provides great complement to the speed and deep threat that A.J. Green puts on the opposing defense, and is no stranger to turning on the jets himself.

Caldwell is the perfect receiver for Dalton to hit on short to intermediate routes, and will continue to provide a sturdy pair of hands and yards after the catch.

Today was a solid outing from a receiver determined to impress in the coming weeks. 

The City Still Doesn't Care About the Bengals

If ever the Bengals needed an emphatic win, it would have been Sunday.

With Cincinnati fans disillusioned and downright done with the Bengals following an embarrassing 2010 campaign and omnipresent criticisms of Mike Brown finally boiling over, Sunday's home opener was blacked out in the local area.

In a stadium that holds 65,500 people, a stadium that was bankrolled by the people of Hamilton County, Sunday saw only 43,363 fans give Mike Brown's Bengals their money this Sunday.

Statistically it is the smallest crowd for a home opener since the Bengals called the Riverfront Stadium home in 1981.

The display put forward by the Bengals on Sunday did little to inspire confidence in the casual and hardcore Bengals fan alike, and with the upstart Buffalo Bills travelling to Cincy next week, numbers might be even lower.

Time does heal all wounds, but that will only be the case if Andy Dalton and his young Bengals teammates can take steps toward being contenders in the coming years.

As of right now, things look bleak.