The 49ers (4-2) host the Cincinnati Bengals (1-6) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff. Bruce Coslet is the Bengals' head coach. Jeff Blake is the starter. Garrison Hearst is the back. Darnay Scott and Tony McGee are the receivers.
Steve Young returns at starter after the three-week absence. Loville is the lead back. Brent Jones is at tight end. Rookie wide receiver Terrell Owens is on the active roster.[1][2]
Steve Young returns at starter Sunday at 3Com Park. The 49ers' starter, off three weeks on the injury report with the groin pull, is back in the rotation against a Bengals team that is 1-6. Jeff Blake has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns across the first seven games. The 49ers' Sunday is the kind of home game where the schedule offers Young a soft landing for his return. The Bengals' defense, with Dan Wilkinson and John Copeland, has produced 8 sacks across the first seven games.
Week 8 has the schedule's softest home matchup plus a slate where the playoff race is clarifying. The Cowboys sit at 5-2; the Packers 6-1; the Panthers 4-3. The AFC East has the Patriots at 6-1 and the Bills 5-2. Inside the division the storyline is the Patriots and Steelers, the AFC's two top teams. The 49ers' Sunday at 3Com is the conference's only NFC-AFC home game on the slate.
Through six games the 49ers sit at 4-2 with a plus 70 point differential. Young returns at starter. Grbac is the backup. Bryant Young has 8 sacks across the first six. The Bengals are 1-6 with Blake averaging 230 passing per game and Hearst 4.4 a carry. Vegas opens the 49ers as 12-point home favorites. Watching today: rookie Terrell Owens' first significant role at WR3.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-1 | W5 |
| Houston Oilers | 4-2 | W2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-4 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 2-4 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-5 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 5-1 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4-2 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-2 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 3-3 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 0-7 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 5-1 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-2 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-2 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3-4 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-4 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 4-2 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4-2 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2-5 | W2 |
| St. Louis Rams | 1-5 | L5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-6 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 6-1 | W3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-2 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-3 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 2-5 | L2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-5 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 5-1 | W5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-2 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-3 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-4 | -- |
| New York Giants | 2-4 | L1 |
1996 Bengals @ 49ers Week 8
1996-10-20 Cincinnati Bengals vs San Francisco 49ers
Terrell Owens scores his 1st career NFL TD | October 20, 1996 | 49ers vs. Bengals
49ers vs Bengals 1996 #49ersfan #49ersfaithful #cincinnatibengals 6
The STRANGEST NFL ENDING You've NEVER SEEN | Bengals @ 49ers (1996)
49ers vs Bengals 1996 #49ersfan #49ersfaithful #cincinnatibengals
49ers vs Bengals 1996 #49ersfan #49ersfaithful #cincinnatibengals 19
Terrell Owens scores his 1st career NFL TD | October 20, 1996 | 49ers vs. BengalsSteve Young threw for 274 yards and two touchdowns, Ted Popson caught 8 for 116 with two touchdowns and the 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 28-21 at 3Com Park. Rookie Terrell Owens caught 4 for 94 with his first NFL touchdown. Young ran in a touchdown of his own on 10 carries for 45 yards. Jeff Blake threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns. The 49ers led 21-14 at halftime.[1][2]
Steve Young returned at starter at 3Com Park and threw two touchdowns to Ted Popson. The 49ers won 28-21. Rookie Terrell Owens caught his first NFL touchdown on a 24-yard reception in the second quarter. The third-round pick out of Tennessee-Chattanooga's afternoon is the kind of debut the staff has been projecting.
Young ran in a touchdown on 10 carries for 45. The 49ers' offense scored on six of eight possessions. The Bengals' offense, with Jeff Blake throwing three touchdowns, produced 21 points and the Garrison Hearst-led running game generated 88 yards on 21 carries. The defensive front produced two sacks of Blake.
The 49ers walk away 5-2 with the road trip to Houston on Sunday next. The home record is 4-0. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Owens' first touchdown. The film room is going to start with Young's return and work outward to the rookie's receiving distribution.
49ers 28, Bengals 21. Margin: plus 7. Record: 5-2.
A 28-21 home win over the Bengals. The 49ers improve to 5-2 in Steve Young's first start back from the groin.
How it unfolded
The Bengals opened with a Blake touchdown to Darnay Scott. Young answered with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to tie at 7. Popson's first touchdown made it 14-7. Owens caught the 24-yard touchdown to make it 21-7. Blake's second touchdown made it 21-14 at the half. The third quarter saw a Blake third touchdown to tie at 21. Popson's second touchdown made it 28-21. The 49ers' defense held the Bengals scoreless in the fourth quarter.
The turning point
The second-quarter Owens touchdown. With the 49ers up 14-7 and the offense facing third-and-six at the Bengals' 24, Young found the rookie wide receiver on a deep cross. The 21-7 cushion put the home team in pressure-the-passer posture against a Bengals offense that produced two more touchdowns before the half.
By the numbers
Young 19-of-30 for 274 with two touchdowns and three picks; the three-pick afternoon was the structural concern. Popson 8 catches for 116 with two scores. Owens 4 catches for 94 with the first NFL touchdown. Rice 7 catches for 82. Defensively the front produced two sacks; the secondary surrendered three touchdowns to Blake.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 19/30 | 274 | 2 | 3 | |
| Elvis Grbac | 8/12 | 87 | 1 | 1 | |
| CIN | |||||
| Jeff Blake | 15/34 | 200 | 3 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Steve Young #8 | 10 | 45 | 1 | 15 |
| Dexter Carter | 1 | 18 | 0 | 18 |
| Terry Kirby | 4 | 13 | 0 | 9 |
| William Floyd | 2 | 7 | 0 | 6 |
| Elvis Grbac | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Anthony Lynn | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| Derek Loville | 4 | -3 | 0 | 4 |
| CIN | ||||
| Garrison Hearst | 21 | 88 | 0 | 11 |
| Eric Bieniemy | 6 | 34 | 0 | 12 |
| Ki-Jana Carter | 4 | 14 | 0 | 8 |
| Jeff Blake | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 |
| Jeff Cothran | 3 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Ted Popson | 8 | 116 | 2 | 39 |
| Terrell Owens | 4 | 94 | 1 | 45 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 7 | 82 | 0 | 19 |
| Terry Kirby | 5 | 31 | 0 | 12 |
| William Floyd | 2 | 26 | 0 | 24 |
| Iheanyi Uwaezuoke | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| CIN | ||||
| Darnay Scott | 2 | 66 | 1 | 50 |
| Tony McGee | 3 | 26 | 1 | 12 |
| Carl Pickens | 2 | 25 | 0 | 21 |
| Garrison Hearst | 2 | 25 | 1 | 15 |
| Ki-Jana Carter | 3 | 25 | 0 | 18 |
| David Dunn | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
| Marco Battaglia | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Eric Bieniemy | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1996 W8 - 49ers vs Cincinnati Bengals - Game Thread