The San Francisco 49ers were tasked with the difficult job of playing an early road game in the Eastern Time Zone. Hosting them were the Cincinnati Bengals, who had just a week earlier dropped a one-point decision to the Seattle Seahawks. While in that game they lost a close decision, Sunday they were smacked in the mouth and finished early.
The 49ers’ victory on Sunday was a complete team effort. All facets of the team played well, and in the end, it wasn’t even close. Focusing on the defense for a minute, the run defense flexed early and often. They held Joe Mixon on the Bengals rushing attack to 25 total yards rushing. That’s pretty crazy to think about. The Bengals were completely unable to establish anything on the ground and once they found themselves in a hole, they abandoned the rush completely.
San Francisco 49ers Dominant in Win Over Cincinnati Bengals
Defense, Defense, Defense!
The Bengals offense did have success through the air. Andy Dalton has amassed more than 700 yards through two weeks. He was pressed into throwing a lot and threw it 42 times for 311 yards. Dalton was responsible for two touchdowns, although one of them came very late once things were all very much settled. Dalton hit John Ross III on a 66-yard touchdown with just over a minute to play.
The 49ers defense also forced an interception and had four sacks. The defense was fast and Kwon Alexander was a difference-maker in his first full game as a 49er. He had seven tackles as well as an interception. It was a great bounce-back performance after he was ejected in the first quarter of their week one game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Don’t Forget the Offense
The 49ers offense was also in rare form, putting together 572 yards of total offense. They gashed Cincinnati all day, rushing for 259 yards, led by Matt Breida‘s 121 yards on twelve carries. Raheem Mostert added 83 yards on 13 carries. Mostert also added a touchdown receiving.
Garoppolo threw for 297 yards and three touchdown passes. Rookie Deebo Samuel impressed, snagging five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. Jimmy G did a good job moving the ball around, as he connected on passes to eight different teammates on the day. It was truly a solid performance.
Overall the 49ers looked great and ran their record to 2-0 on the young season. Even more impressive is the two wins came on the road, in the Eastern Time Zone. They will host the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday in their home opener at Levi Stadium. On paper, it looks to be a tough game.
The Steelers will be without their quarterback as it was announced on Monday that Ben Roethlisberger will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing elbow surgery.
