NFL Week 2 Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) vs. San Francisco 49ers (1-0)

The Bengals are preparing to take on another member of the NFC West this week. The 49ers are coming to Cincinnati for the Bengals home opener.

Cincinnati will have plenty to build off of after barely losing a game they should have won in Seattle. Quarterback Andy Dalton and wide receiver John Ross both had career days, and the defense looked like the polar opposite of the 2018 defense.

The 49ers won their first game against the Buccaneers. They left little doubt in a 31-17 victory. This is actually San Francisco’s first of three straight games against AFC North teams. After the Bengals, they head home to face the Steelers then the Browns in their first two home games of the season.

Will the Bengals be able to deliver Zac Taylor his first win as a head coach this week?

Everything you need to know for when the Bengals host the 49ers:

Game: Cincinnati Bengals (0-1) vs. San Francisco 49ers (0-0)

Date/Time: Sep. 15th, 2019 at 1:00 p.m. EST

Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Series Leader: 49ers lead the series 11-4

Streak: The 49ers have won two of the past three meetings

Coaches vs. Opponent: Zac Taylor: 0-0. Kyle Shanahan 0-0

TV Broadcast: Live coverage on the Bengals Preseason Network with broadcasters Mike Watts (play-by-play), Anthony Munoz (analyst) and Solomon Wilcots (sideline reporter). The network is led by flagship WKRC-TV (CBS Channel 12) in Cincinnati. Also on the network are WKEF-TV (ABC Ch. 22) in Dayton, WSYX-TV (ABC Ch. 6) in Columbus, WLIO-TV (FOX Ch. 8.2) in Lima, WDKY-TV FOX Ch. 56) in Lexington, Ky. and WDRB-TV (FOX Ch. 41) in Louisville, Ky.

Radio Broadcast: The game will air on the Bengals Radio Network, led by Cincinnati flagship stations WCKY-AM (ESPN 1530; all sports) and WEBN-FM (102.7). Broadcasters are Dan Hoard (play-by-play) and Dave Lapham (analyst).

SB Nation 49ers site: Niners Nation

Weather: Mid 80’s, slightly cloudy [NFL weather]

Odds: Bengals, +2.5 [Odds Shark]

Bengals Notes

• Quarterback Andy Dalton had a career-high 418 passing yards last week. He completed 35 of his 51 passing attempts (68.6 percent). He also threw two touchdowns with two fumbles lost. He had 1,275 passing yards (212.5 per game) and 11 touchdowns with four interceptions in six home games last season.
• Running back Giovani Bernard led the Bengals with 21 rushing yards on seven attempts. He also added 42 receiving yards on two receptions. He has 168 yards from scrimmage in games against the NFC West at home. Joe Mixon finished the game with 10 rushing yards on six rushing attempts. He also caught two passes for seven yards before leaving the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury. He had 889 scrimmage yards (111.1 per game) and six touchdowns (five rushing and one receiving) in eight home games last season.
• Wide receiver John Ross led the Bengals with 158 receiving yards on seven receptions with two receiving touchdowns. He has four receiving touchdowns in four career games against the NFC. Wide receiver Tyler Boyd led the team with eight receptions on the day. He had 620 receiving yards (77.5 per game) and six touchdowns in eight home games last season. Tight end C.J. Uzomah led tight ends with 66 receiving yards on four receptions.
• Defensive end Sam Hubbard recorded 10 tackles, two of which were sacks. Defensive end Carlos Dunlap also recorded a sack on the day and 2.5 tackles for a loss. He has six sacks in his last six games against the NFC. Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick recovered a fumble and recorded a Sack on Sunday. Linebacker Preston Brown forced the fumble. Defensive tackle Geno Atkins had two sacks in the Bengals last meeting with the 49ers. Since 2010 Atkins leads all defensive tackles in sacks with 71.

49ers Notes

• Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 166 yards with 18 completions and 27 attempts. He also threw a touchdown as well as an interception. He is 7-2 as starter with the 49ers. He has 585 pass yards (292.5 per game) with three touchdowns, an interception and a passer rating of 102.9 in two career road starts against the AFC. He has at least 250 passing yards in six of his seven career road starts
• Running back Raheem Mostert led the 49ers with 40 rushing yards on nine carries, but it was Matt Bredia who received the most carries with 15 for 37 yards.
• Tight end George Kittle led the 49ers with eight receptions for 54 yards. He has at least five receptions in eight of his past nine games on the road. He had 522 receiving yards (130.5 per game) and three touchdowns in four games against the AFC in 2018. Wide receiver Richie James caught a 39 yard touchdown pass. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was second on the team with three catches for 17 yards.
• Linebacker Fred Warner led the team with nine tackles. He also added in a pass deflection. Cornerback Richard Sherman has two passes defended as well as an interception that was returned for a touchdown. Not to be outdone, Ahkello Witherspoon deflected three passes and also returned an interception for a touchdown. Nick Bosa, Dee Ford and Arik Armstead each recorded a sack on the day. Ford and Warner each forced a fumble, but only one was recovered by the 49ers.