San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals Matchup Preview (12/12/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals Matchup Preview (12/12/21)

We have a close matchup in Week 14 between the 6-6 San Francisco 49ers and the 7-5 Cincinnati Bengals. The two teams will face off at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The 49ers seek to redeem themselves after a disappointing loss from the 4-8 (then 3-8) Seattle Seahawks. The loss dwindles the chance of a playoff spot for the 49ers, so they need to be firing on all cylinders in order to secure the win and help their playoff odds. The Bengals would have had a chance to take the lead in the AFC North if they had beaten the Los Angeles Chargers last week. They took a beating of a 41-22 loss at home. They’re only one game out from tying the AFC North leaders, the Baltimore Ravens, so a win against the 49ers is crucial if the Bengals want to sneak into the lead.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals Betting Odds

This matchup might be one of the closest projected games we have seen all season. Both teams are matched with offensive and defensive strengths. The 49ers have a top 10 rush offense, and the Bengals have a top 10 rush defense. Many of their abilities will be counteracted by the other team’s strength. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the 49ers a slight edge of victory with 51.5% and the Bengals 48.1% of success. There is a 0.4% chance of a tie, but both teams want to avoid that as much as possible. 

DraftKings places the spread very close as well. However, they have it reversed. The Bengals are at -1, and the 49ers are given a +1. The moneyline gives the Bengals -115 and the 49ers -105. The over/under is at 49. Overall, I could see the game to have over 49 points due to the balance of offensive and defensive power on the teams. It’s no secret that Joe Burrow has a higher stat sheet than Jimmy Garoppolo, which leads me to believe the Bengals will have a more successful offense. In the end, I believe it’ll be a very close game, potentially leading to overtime, but the Bengals will be victorious in the end. 

My Prediction: Bengals win 28-21

TV Schedule

Date: 12/12/21
Time: 4:25 PM ET
Location: Paul Brown Stadium – Cincinnati, OH
TV Coverage: CBS

San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals Live Stream

Where can you watch 49ers vs. Bengals online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch 49ers vs. Bengals Free Online Now.

San Francisco 49ers Analysis

The San Francisco 49ers are entering Week 14 of the NFL season with a 6-6 record. The team is coming off of their second loss to the 4-8 Seattle Seahawks, leaving me to question their ability to be an elite team this year. The team’s quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, threw for 299 passing yards and two touchdowns as well as two interceptions in that game. This is well above his average of 240 passing yards per game and still resulted in a team loss. The Seahawks have the second to worst pass defense in the league, which could have allowed Garoppolo to find receivers downfield. The Bengals also have a struggling pass defense which might enable the opportunities to increase the passing game for the 49ers. Throughout the season, the team has focused more on a rush offense and find themselves in the top 10 rushing teams in the league. This success is attributed to their powerful running back, Elijah Mitchell. Mitchell has 759 rushing yards so far this season and averages 4.6 yards per carry. Mitchell was out earlier this season due to a finger injury and finds himself on the questionable list going into this week. Mitchell suffered a concussion earlier this week and is also sustaining some knee pain which has prevented him from practicing this week, but he still has the potential to make a return for this weekend. If Mitchell fails to return against the Bengals, the 49ers will have to focus on their passing game, which has been semi-shaky this season.

Deebo Samuels, top receiver for the 49ers, also finds himself on the questionable list for the San Francisco team. Samuels is noted to have a groin injury that is preventing him from practicing this week as well. Samuels has 1,006 receiving yards this season which places him at fourth in the league, and is averaging 18 yards per reception, placing him third in the league. His absence would significantly hurt the passing game if he remains unhealthy to start this weekend.

Thankfully, the 49ers still have their influential tight end, George Kittle. Kittle made a massive splash in the Seahawks game last week with an astonishing 181 receiving yards and an average of over 20 yards per reception. Since the Bengals have struggled with their pass defense, I see the 49ers exploiting that weakness by using George Kittle as a big target this week.

San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart

QB: Jimmy Garoppolo
RB1: Elijah Mitchell
RB2: Jeff Wilson Jr.
WR1: Deebo Samuel
WR2: Brandon Aiyuk
WR3: Jauan Jennings
TE1: George Kittle
TE2: Ross Dwelley

Cincinnati Bengals Analysis

The Bengals have made a name for themselves in the AFC West conference that I was not expecting. Joe Burrow has dramatically improved from his rookie season and taken control of his offense. They rank at the third-best red zone offense in the league, making them a considerable threat to the 49ers’ defense. 

Joe Burrow was the first pick in the 2020 draft after being announced the 2020 Heisman winner following a stellar college performance as LSU’s QB1. This season, he has led his team to a 7-5 season taking big wins from conference rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens. Burrow has thrown for 3,135 yards so far and is averaging 261 yards per game. He is entering this week questionable due to a recurring finger injury, but I suspect he will be starting against the 49ers. Burrow will need to be precise with his throws since the 49ers have a top-five pass defense and will be merciless to a young quarterback if he makes detrimental mistakes.

The Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon combination has been exciting to watch all season. Burrow has depended on Mixon 227 times this season, making for the second-most attempts in the league. The star running back has 978 rushing yards so far this season and has a season-high of 165 yards against the Steelers two weeks ago. The 49ers have had difficulties with their rush defense, so utilizing Mixon could result in huge benefits for the team. However, Mixon is entering this week questionable as well due to a sickness that does not appear to be COVID. Hopefully, Mixon has a speedy recovery to make an appearance this Sunday.

Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is also questionable as of Wednesday and does not appear to be practicing after sustaining an ankle injury last week. Higgins had an incredible game against the Chargers last week, with a total of 138 receiving yards adding to his tally of 698 yards on the season. Burrow will want to look for Higgins as a crucial target this week, so hopefully, he will be healthy later this week so we can see his explosive plays against the 49ers.

Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart

QB: Joe Burrow
RB1: Joe Mixon
RB2: Samaje Perine
WR1: Ja’Marr Chase
WR2: Tee Higgins
WR3: Tyler Boyd
TE1: C.J. Uzomah
TE2: Drew Sample

San Francisco 49ers vs. Cincinnati Bengals Daily Fantasy Picks

If you were anything like me in fantasy this year, you would be kicking yourself for trading George Kittle. When he was hurt, I released him to another competitor I played against last week when he put up a staggering 39.6 points. Kittle can have his ups and downs in fantasy, but he’s averaging a solid 14.9 points per game. The Bengals have a mediocre pass defense, so I project Kittle may have another monumental game this week where he can pull in tremendous point values for any fantasy owner. 

Joe Mixon has also been an influential fantasy player all year. He averages 18.8 points per game but has boomed six out of twelve games, separating him from the pack. He is ranked third in his position for fantasy, and if healthy, will not disappoint you this week.