Photo Credit (AP Images/John Froschauer)
by Chris Asbrock
San Francisco 49ers (1-0) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
Paul Brown Stadium
Sunday, 9/15/2018
1:00 P.M. EST
Fox
Line: CIN -1.0
The 2019 NFL season is upon us. The Bengals traveled to the Pacific Northwest to face a Seattle Seahawks team that was eager to start their season off with on a positive note. The Bengals outplayed the Seahawks in many facets of the game but were unable to return to Cincinnati with a victory. While moral victories are not the way to approach games, the Bengals and coach Zac Taylor should be thrilled with the way things looked in the first game. The Bengals came into this season with a ton of unknowns under new head coach Zac Taylor. The familiarity that was there under Marvin Lewis is now gone. For fans and pundits alike, it was known what to expect heading into the season with Lewis in charge. The Bengals are a very talented team but the new offensive and defensive systems could throw a wrench into the first few games of the season. Next up for the Bengals are the San Francisco 49ers. The Bengals and 49ers have faced off in some memorable Super Bowl moments in the past. For two teams that rarely face each other, they have quite the history. Let’s take a look at the breakdown between these two teams heading into this matchup.
The Bengals offense is led by Andy Dalton and last seasons leading rusher in the AFC, Joe Mixon. While the Bengals have a lot of talent at the skill positions, their offensive line is a major question mark, due to the injuries that have plagued the line. Cordy Glenn is once again out for this matchup meaning veteran Andre Smith will step in again to play Left Tackle. The offensive line played much better than expected against the Seahawks. The new offense under Taylor and Offensive Coordinator Brian Callahan showed exactly how high powered it could be last week. Dalton threw for a career high 418 yards on 35/51 passing. The Bengals offense was wicked through the air as Dalton was able to get the ball out of his hands quickly.
On the other side, the 49ers on managed 256 total yards against a down Tampa Bay Buccaneers side. Jimmy Garoppolo was supposed to be the savior for the franchise, after he was acquired from the New England Patriots. Against the Bucs, Jimmy G was less than stellar, throwing for 166 yards on 18 of 27 passing with a touchdown and an interception. He did spread the ball around to nine different receivers. Offensively, the 49ers were only able to muster one touchdown in that game. Like Dalton, Garoppolo has talent around him at the skilled positions. Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida are the two who carried the majority of the load in terms of the rushing attack. In the passing game, Jimmy G has options to spread the ball to Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin just to name a few. Compared to the new look Bengals offense and the talent in each of the spots, San Francisco could struggle to keep up if this game gets into a shootout.
Advantage:Â Bengals
Defense
The Bengals defense was one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season. Last week against the Seahawks, that was not the case. The Bengals defense held the Seahawks to only 232 total yards and 12 first downs. Russell Wilson was under duress all game, sacked 4 times and held to 195 yards passing. The Bengals under Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo, did a great job of putting pressure on Wilson and the Seahawks offense. Sam Hubbard and Carlos Dunlap seemed to spend more time in the backfield than the opposing offense did. Those two combined for a total of 17 tackles and three out of the four total sacks. Last season, the Bengals struggled to get off the field on 3rd down. Against Seattle, the Bengals held the Seahawks to only 4-12 on 3rd down and forcing eight punts. DK Metcalf did torment the Bengals defense as he hauled in four passes for a total of 89 yards but it was a mistake and blown coverage that did the Bengals in. The blown coverage allowed Tyler Lockett to get in behind the defense for a 44 yard touchdown reception.
The 49ers defense has a lot of talent and was able to hold the Buccaneers to 295 total yards. The defense was able to sack the mobile Jameis Winston three times. Adding insult to injury, they picked Winston off three times but two of those were returned for a touchdown. Nick Bosa and Richard Sherman are two of the bigger names on this defense but Dee Ford and DeForest Buckner are not to be forgotten. Last season, Sherman failed to register an interception for his new team last year. He made his presence known last week against Tampa Bay as he returned an interception for one of the two touchdowns scored defensively. Bosa is coming into this game with a little ankle injury but it does appear that he will likely play today against the Bengals. His presence will help the defense and being on the opposite side of Dee Ford, they could pose some problems for the Bengals pass blocking. However, in looking at the caliber of talent on both teams and the way each team played in week 1, you can expect the Bengals offense to take advantage of their opportunities and put up some points on this 49er defense.
Advantage:Â Bengals
Special Teams
Special teams is always a position group that looms large in crucial times. Both teams have one of the best players at the placekicker and punter position. It has been said every week that Kevin Huber is one of the best punters in the league. His ability to flip field position and seemly always pin the opponent inside the 20 yard line can’t be stated how important that is. Last week, Huber punted four times for 177 yards, an average of 44.3 yards per punt. He did have one touchback which the Bengals were unable to down before going into the endzone. On the other side, Randy Bullock was 2/3 last week but his one miss, was crucial in terms of the outcome of the game. While the blame cannot be placed on Bullock, losing by a point does make it sting a little more. During his tenure in Cincinnati, Bullock has been a solid 39/46 in his two-plus seasons. With the game on the line, you can’t go wrong with Bullock lining up to take the kick.
Mitch Wishnowsky was a 4th round pick for the 49ers in this years draft. In his first NFL game, Wishnowsky punted twice for a total of 91 yards, an average of 45.5 yards per punt. In the kicking game, Robbie Gould is the man for the 49ers. Throughout his 14 year NFL career, Gould has been one of the better kickers in the league, converting on 87.7% of his attempts.
Coaching
There really isn’t much to say here. This is a matchup between two coaches who are incredibly young. Both coaches are under the age of 40 and bring that youthful exuberance to the sidelines. Zac Taylor is in his first season as a head coach in the NFL while Kyle Shanahan is entering his 3rd NFL season as a head coach. Coming into this season, Shanahan had a record of 10-22. Both coaches are innovative and inexperienced and that ultimate equalizer.
Advantage:Â Push
This is a big game for both teams but especially for the Cincinnati Bengals. This will be the first game in the Zac Taylor era at Paul Brown Stadium and with the excitement and hope from the performance from last week, the positivity is there for a successful season. On both sides, two key players are questionable with ankle injuries. Joe Mixon for the Bengals and Nick Bosa for the 49ers. If both players can play, both sides will be better off. If one player can play and the other can’t, it will be determined how that will play out in this matchup. The Bengals look to have the advantage on offense and defense but execution is the name of the game. Expect this game to be close with the Cincinnati Bengals opening up the Zac Taylor era with a victory in his first home game.
Prediction: Bengals 24-20
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