Dan Skuta posts a quarterback sack that shuts down the 49ers offensive drive that ended the third quarter, with both teams still tied at three. On the Bengals ensuing drive, with 12:44 left in the fourth quarter, Andy Dalton completed a three-yard pass on third-and-three to convert the team's first third down opportunity in the game. Everything will work now that the Bengals converted their first third down of the afternoon, right? During a second down run that gained 12 yards, Nate Livings is called for offensive holding shutting down the possession following two incomplete passes that were really throwaways as pressure closed in.
With 10:39 left in the fourth quarter, Frank Gore runs up the middle and a Rey Maualuga impact forces the running back to lose the football, recovered by Jonathan Fanene that setup a tremendous gift starting San Francisco's 16-yard line. After a 10-yard gain behind the right side of the line, the Bengals stall in the redzone again. A limited one-yard gain by Benson is succeeded by consecutive incomplete passes.
Mike Nugent converts the 23-yard field goal to give the Bengals a 6-3 lead with around nine minutes remaining in the game.