Right now, Steve Wilks is the clear scapegoat for the 49ers, as the defense is starting to unravel, despite there being significant talent on the roster.Īnd, part of that blame is deserved Wilks said he needs to put his players in better situations and some of the play calls are questionable, such as a third down set that was drawn up after a timeout where Dre Greenlaw was 1-on-1 with Ja’Marr Chase and there was wide open space over the middle for a Joe Burrow run.Burrow throws 3 TD passes to lead the Bengals past the 49ers 31-17 Purdy had a nice bounce-back touchdown drive, but those turnovers are inexcusable and took away from a strong first half performance.įor some reason, the 49ers cannot play complimentary football right now, and it’s showing in their losses. Those two turnovers were crucial as they took points away from the 49ers and gave the Bengals a score in a close game, sealing the deal for San Francisco. Right after, Joe Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase on a slot fade, with cornerback Isaiah Oliver biting on a fake screen, leading to an easy touchdown for the star wideout. Then, on the ensuing drive, Purdy threw an interception in his own territory directly to linebacker Logan Wilson on a Jimmy Garoppolo-esque play. With the 49ers driving in the red zone, Purdy made a poor decision on an RPO, holding on to the ball too long before throwing an interception to Germaine Pratt.Įven if it wasn’t going to be a pick, Purdy holding on to the ball would’ve led to an ineligible man downfield penalty, and rid the 49ers of a touchdown opportunity. TurnoversĪfter the defense struggled in the first half, turnovers sealed the deal in the second half for the 49ers, as quarterback Brock Purdy had two poor interceptions that costed his team at least 10 points. San Francisco needs to address this aspect of their defense heading into the bye, as the lack of a run defense allowed the Bengals to be two-dimensional, where they thrived. The 49ers, who have been stout against the run for a majority of the season, have now shown serious flaws in that area over the past three games, which I highlighted as a potential concern at the beginning of the year.

Well, they did not do that, as the Bengals finished with 134 rushing yards on 27 carries, with lead back Joe Mixon earning 87 yards on 16 attempts, as well as a rushing touchdown. If the 49ers were able to make Cincinnati one-dimensional offensively, their chances of winning would significantly increase.

Why? Because the Bengals came into this one really struggling on the ground, averaging under 70 yards a game and only 3.5 yards per carry, while failing to eclipse the 100-yard mark yet this season. Coming into this matchup, I said that the most important factor in this one was going to actually be the run game, not the aerial attack.

Bengals 49ers score today