NFL
By Jalen Willingham
The Cincinnati Bengals will travel out west to play the San Francisco 49ers in week eight of the 2023 NFL season. Historically, the Bengals have been dominated by the 49ers. They are 4-13 against them all-time with two losses in the Super Bowl.
When: Sunday October 29, 2023
Network: CBS
Time: 4:25 pm
Offense
Joe Burrow is fully healed up and ready to go for a crucial game after the bye. The Bengals offense will face a top-three defense in football. The linebacker tandem of Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw is easily the best in the league as well. They are sideline-to-sideline players who can impact the game in both passing and rushing situations.
A matchup that could go in Cincinnati’s favor is wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase against cornerback Charvarius Ward. The last time they faced each other, Chase had 266 yards and three touchdowns in 2021. Ward struggled quite a bit in their Monday night matchup in Minnesota as well. San Francisco will be looking to lock down Chase at all times. This offense needs a big bounce-back game from Tee Higgins. 2023 has been his worst year so far due to dropped passes and a rib injury. What better way to turn things around than to show up big against another contender?
The Bengals need to be able to convert on third down at a much better rate. The Viking’s ability to consistently convert on third down last week is what led to them beating San Francisco. The 49er’s pass rush also had zero sacks on 45 dropbacks against the Vikings in primetime. I still don’t want to give Nick Bosa and Javon Hargrave 45 chances to get to Burrow though.
Cincinnati has to find a way to get the rushing offense going. They are averaging under four yards a carry. I’d love to see more of Chris Evans and Trayvon Williams in this game with rookie Chase Brown being out with a hamstring injury.
Defense
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been in concussion protocol but has been cleared to play. That’s a close call. Be ready to see Sam Darnold either way. Deebo Samuel is out. Purdy’s confidence is at an all-time low and the 49ers have lost two straight. The Bengals’ defense need to pounce on that by creating chaos in the backfield and causing turnovers to sway the game.
Stopping the 49ers offense starts with stopping the run. The Bengals have improved at that over the past few weeks. They will need another strong performance again on Sunday.
Christian McCaffrey is the focal point through the ground and air. He’s had a touchdown in the last 16 games. If the Bengals want to win, that streak must end. McCaffrey has averaged less than four yards a carry in the last three games as well. Make him fumble. Keep someone on him at all times.
Limiting George Kittle is another key to stopping this offense. The last time the Bengals played San Francisco in 2021, Kittle had 151 yards and a touchdown. Cincinnati’s passing defense has been very strong to start the year. Their biggest weakness is at the tight end position, however. Cincinnati has given up a passer rating of 119.6 to opposing tight ends. Brandon Aiyuk at wide receiver will surely have a hard time facing Cam Taylor-Britt. Facing Kyle Shanahan’s system presents a new challenge, however. I think defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will be prepared though.
A key matchup to watch is left tackle Trent Williams vs Trey Hendrickson. Hendrickson leads the Bengals with seven sacks on the year. Williams is dealing with an ankle injury but could still play. The Bengals pass rush will need Hendrickson to put pressure on Purdy as much as possible.
Prediction
This game may come down to the final possession.
49ers win 24-20
