Bengals put the NFL on notice with 31-17 victory over 49ers
Yeah, it's looking like the Cincinnati Bengals are back. It wasn't pretty for all 60 minutes, but a 31-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers, in Levi’s Stadium nonetheless, is an impressive feat no matter how you slice it. The Bengals are the first team to beat the 49ers in Santa Clara in over a […]
Yeah, it's looking like the Cincinnati Bengals are back.
It wasn't pretty for all 60 minutes, but a 31-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers, in Levi’s Stadium nonetheless, is an impressive feat no matter how you slice it.
The Bengals are the first team to beat the 49ers in Santa Clara in over a year. It's Brock Purdy's first QB loss at home in his young career, and the quarterback he faced had himself an innovative day in Silicon Valley.
Joe Burrow came out hot. He completed 7-of-9 passes for 60 yards and created magic on the way to his first of three touchdowns on the day. Burrow evaded multiple sackers and found Tee Higgins for a first down on 3rd-and-10, scrambling over 20 yards on the play and setting the tone for the day.
The Bengals' offense began looking like it was supposed to. Zac Taylor called four plays from under center on the opening drive and four more on the next drive, which also ended in a Burrow passing touchdown. Burrow, who was the center of reports of feeling 100% prior to the game, spread the wealth with touchdowns to three different receivers and had just four incompletions on 32 attempts. Four! He set his own personal record with 19 consecutive completions as well.
Again, it wasn't a well oiled machine for all four quarters. They hit their usual wall following the opening script, missing a 50-yard field goal and fumbling next to the goal line to keep the Niners in the game at intermission. San Francisco managed to create negative plays to stall drives before they could ever get going. The pass rush featuring Arik Armstead got through a handful of times.
Enter the Bengals' second half defense, a marvel of the modern world.
Cincinnati forced its own goal line turnover when Germaine Pratt intercepted Purdy to keep it a one-score game. When the offense couldn't take advantage of the extra possession, Lou Anarumo's defense didn't get phased. Logan Wilson took his turn to corral a Purdy pass and intercept the young passer on a second consecutive throw.
Burrow didn't waste this opportunity. He connected with Ja'Marr Chase for a touchdown that essentially won the game. Chase finished with a clean and casual 10 receptions for 100 yards and the score. Nothing too outlandish for someone who's always open.
Not only did Burrow look completely right, Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon stepped their games up as well. Higgins looked more comfortable catching passes and had a nice 69 yards on five receptions. Mixon ran hard in a more diverse run scheme that featured a healthy mix of under center and shotgun formations. He turned in 87 yards and a touchdown just 80 miles from his hometown. He's yet to play in his home state of California without being responsible for a touchdown.
Efficient and diverse offense. Clutch and opportunistic defense. This was the hope for the Bengals as Super Bowl favorites, and we're seeing it unfold at the right time.
Bengals’ long nightmare is now reportedly over
Now it’s time to play ball.
