If you were an NFL fan back in the 1980s and early 1990s, then you remember that the San Francisco 49ers met the Cincinnati Bengals in two Super Bowls. That was when the 49ers had the likes of Joe Montana and Steve Young at quarterback, while the Bengals had Kenny Anderson and Boomer Esiason. Cincinnati went into a long drought after those glory years, briefly interrupted by some playoff visits with Andy Dalton at quarterback, but the arrival of Joe Burrow seems to have injected some real cause for optimism in the Cincinnati faithful. The line for Sunday’s matchup opened with Cincinnati as the half-point favorite, but action has shifted in the 49ers’ direction – and the point total has increased by 1 ½.
Check out our online NFL betting thoughts for this game.
NFL Preview: San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals (Sunday, December 12)
When: Sunday, December 12, 2021, 4:25 pm ET
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati
TV: CBS
Radio: KNBR 680 AM San Francisco / WLW 700 AM Cincinnati
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: San Francisco -1 / O/U 48.5 // San Francisco -120 / Cincinnati +100
Why should you bet on the 49ers?
San Francisco’s season has definitely been a roller coaster ride so far, as they started the year with two wins. Then they dropped four in a row; but since then, they have gone 4-2, and they come in here at 6-6, with a legitimate shot at pushing for a wild card. It would have been extremely helpful for the playoff cause if the 49ers had been able to take down Seattle in either of their meetings this season, especially the one last week. San Francisco led, 23-21, at halftime but could not score after that.
In the loss, Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 299 yards and two scores – but he also threw a pair of interceptions. Elijah Mitchell did a serviceable job in the running game, picking up 66 yards and finding the end zone. The problems came with the turnovers in the second half, as the 49ers’ defense could not stay off the field long enough to get rested, and Seattle was finally able to get a great game out of Russell Wilson. If you like San Francisco this week, you think they have fixed a lot of the defensive issues from a week ago. If they haven’t, this could be another frustrating finish.
Why should you put your money on the Bengals?
Cincinnati comes in at 7-5, and they really should be 9-3; they lost a ridiculous game to the Jets, and they were so sloppy a week ago against the Chargers that they basically handed away the game with turnovers. The Bengals came back from a 16-0 deficit, despite all the giveaways, to a 24-22 margin, but then a fumble return for a touchdown put the Chargers back up nine, and that was all, as Los Angeles ended up winning by 19. Burrow threw for 300 yards and a touchdown but had two costly interceptions.
Cincinnati has been a solid bounceback team this season, as they have covered in five of their last seven games coming after a spread loss. They have only covered once in their last five games at home, but in this game they are a home underdog. Last week, the Bengals had 356 yards of offense and picked up 21 first downs, but those four turnovers sealed their fate. Better ball security should lead to different results.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
Cincinnati has a more opportunistic offense, and their defense is about a wash with the Niners’ unit. I see the Bengals pulling off another bounceback after an ugly loss, with a final score of Cincinnati 30, San Francisco 23.
San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals: Bet the Game Today
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