The 49ers (4-9) host the Cincinnati Bengals (10-3) at Levi's Stadium for a 1:25 PT kickoff.
AJ McCarron starts for the Bengals in place of an injured Andy Dalton (thumb). Marvin Lewis coaches Cincinnati. A.J. Green at WR1. Blaine Gabbert continues at quarterback for the 49ers. Carlos Hyde at lead back.
AJ McCarron, the Bengals' second-year backup, has made one career NFL start. Andy Dalton broke his thumb in Week 14. McCarron led the Bengals to a Sunday win in his first career start. Marvin Lewis's offense is built around A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert.
The 49ers, at 4-9 with the Browns road loss fresh, host the Bengals in the kind of Sunday-afternoon home game where the rebuilding 49ers face an AFC contender with a backup quarterback. Gabbert's fourth start. Hyde at lead back.
Underdog by 6 at home. The Sunday-afternoon spot is the kind of game where the rebuilding 49ers, against a backup quarterback, have a chance to play spoiler at home.
Week 15 is the late-December cross-conference sort. The Patriots, Broncos, Bengals, and Steelers lead the AFC. The Panthers, Cardinals, and Packers lead the NFC. The Bengals (10-3) are competing for the AFC's #2 seed. The 49ers (4-9) sit at the bottom. The Sunday home game is the kind of week the rebuilding 49ers face an AFC contender with a backup quarterback.
Through thirteen games the 49ers are 4-9 with a -127 point differential. The Bengals are 10-3 with a +95. AJ McCarron 1-0 as Bengals starter (Andy Dalton broken thumb). A.J. Green 1,000 receiving yards. Tyler Eifert 7 TD receptions. Gabbert 2-1 as 49ers starter. Vegas opens the Bengals as 6-point road favorites; total 41.5.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 11-2 | W1 |
| New York Jets | 8-5 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-7 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 5-8 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10-3 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-5 | W2 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 4-9 | L2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 6-7 | L2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6-7 | L2 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 5-8 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 3-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-3 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8-5 | W7 |
| Oakland Raiders | 6-7 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 11-2 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-5 | W4 |
| St. Louis Rams | 5-8 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 4-9 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 6-7 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-7 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 6-7 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4-9 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 9-4 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-5 | L2 |
| Chicago Bears | 5-8 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-9 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers | 13-0 | W13 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6-7 | L6 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-7 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5-8 | W1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Jeremy Hill 1 yard rush ( Mike Nugent kick) | 7-0 |
| Bengals | Jeremy Hill 1 yard rush ( Mike Nugent kick) | 14-0 |
| Bengals | Tyler Kroft 20 yard pass from A.J. McCarron ( Mike Nugent kick) | 21-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Mike Nugent 22 yard field goal | 24-0 |
| 49ers | Bruce Miller 1 yard rush ( Phil Dawson kick) | 24-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Anquan Boldin 15 yard pass from Blaine Gabbert ( Phil Dawson kick) | 24-14 |
AJ McCarron threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns and the Cincinnati Bengals beat the 49ers 24-14 at Levi's Stadium. Tyler Eifert caught two TDs. Jeremy Hill ran for 81 and a touchdown. Blaine Gabbert threw for 188 yards and was sacked five times. Carlos Hyde ran for 47. Bruce Ellington caught a touchdown. The 49ers fell to 4-10.[1][2][3]
AJ McCarron threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns Sunday afternoon at Levi's Stadium. The Bengals beat the 49ers 24-14 in the kind of Sunday-afternoon home loss where the rebuilding 49ers' offense produced 14 points and the defense gave up 24.
Blaine Gabbert threw for 188 yards and a touchdown to Bruce Ellington. Carlos Hyde ran for 47. Vance McDonald caught a touchdown. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home game where the new offense, against an AFC contender's backup quarterback, did not produce the kind of competitive showing the rebuild needed.
Tyler Eifert caught two touchdowns. Jeremy Hill ran for 81 yards and a touchdown. The Bengals' defense generated five sacks of Gabbert. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home loss where the rebuild's offensive identity, against an opponent with the AFC's most-established defensive front, produced enough sacks to compromise the kind of complementary game the team had been working toward. 4-10 with the Lions on the road next week.
Bengals 24, 49ers 14. Margin: -10. Fourteen-game record: 4-10, -137 differential.
A 24-14 home loss to the Cincinnati Bengals at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers fall to 4-10.
How it unfolded
The Bengals built a 17-0 first-half lead behind a Jeremy Hill rushing touchdown and two McCarron touchdown passes to Tyler Eifert. Gabbert threw a touchdown to Bruce Ellington to make it 17-7 at halftime. The third quarter was a Cincinnati field goal. Gabbert threw another touchdown to Vance McDonald to make it 20-14. The Bengals added another Eifert TD reception in the fourth quarter to seal it 24-14.
The turning point
McCarron's first-half second touchdown to Tyler Eifert. With the rebuilding 49ers' defense looking like it would slow the Bengals' offense, Eifert's second touchdown reception pushed the lead to 17-0 and the home crowd never recovered.
By the numbers
Gabbert 19-of-32 for 188 with one TD. Hyde 11 carries for 47. Ellington 4 catches for 50 with a TD. McDonald 3 catches for 21 with a TD. AJ McCarron 14-of-22 for 192 with two TDs. Eifert 5 catches for 75 with two TDs. Hill 16 carries for 81 with a TD.
Personnel watch
Gabbert's fourth start producing modest output under heavy pressure (five sacks). The defense gave up 24 points and produced one sack. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home performance where the rebuild's competitive identity, against an AFC contender's backup quarterback, looked like a 4-9 team's effort.
What it means
4-10 with the Lions on the road next week. The Sunday-afternoon home loss is the kind of result that confirms the rebuilding 49ers' season trajectory. The Lions on the road next week is one of two remaining games.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Blaine Gabbert | 30/50 | 295 | 1 | 3 | |
| CIN | |||||
| A.J. McCarron | 15/21 | 192 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Shaun Draughn | 9 | 38 | 0 | 14 |
| Blaine Gabbert | 2 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| Travaris Cadet | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Bruce Miller | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Kendall Gaskins | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CIN | ||||
| Giovani Bernard | 14 | 33 | 0 | 6 |
| Jeremy Hill | 19 | 31 | 2 | 9 |
| A.J. McCarron | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Mohamed Sanu | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Anquan Boldin | 8 | 74 | 1 | 29 |
| Kendall Gaskins | 6 | 52 | 0 | 16 |
| Blake Bell | 4 | 43 | 0 | 27 |
| Quinton Patton | 3 | 37 | 0 | 16 |
| Torrey Smith | 2 | 33 | 0 | 17 |
| Travaris Cadet | 4 | 32 | 0 | 12 |
| Bruce Miller | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Vance McDonald | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Shaun Draughn | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| CIN | ||||
| Marvin Jones | 4 | 89 | 0 | 47 |
| A.J. Green | 1 | 37 | 0 | 37 |
| Tyler Kroft | 3 | 31 | 1 | 20 |
| Giovani Bernard | 4 | 18 | 0 | 14 |
| Ryan Hewitt | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Mohamed Sanu | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
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