4 bold predictions for 49ers Week 14 tilt vs. inconsistent Bengals

The 49ers hope to get back in the win column versus the dangerous but inconsistent Bengals in Week 14, and these bold predictions help make sense of it all.

The San Francisco 49ers could either get demolished by the 7-5 Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14, or the Niners could end up completely dominating the bout by returning to the ways that helped them reach a three-game win streak early this season.

Cincinnati’s offense, ranked seventh in scoring entering Week 14, is more than potent enough, and its trio of elite-level wide receivers — Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and Ja’Marr Chase — pose a notable problem for a questionable San Francisco secondary that was a massive liability in the Week 13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and will be without one of its starters, Emmanuel Moseley, because of an ankle injury.

But the Bengals have their share of problems and concerns, too, particularly a suspect offensive line and a second-year quarterback, Joe Burrow, who has shown signs of being dynamic but also mistake-prone.

What ends up happening in a game that’s crucial for both teams?

Let’s take a look with four bold predictions for Week 14.

No. 4: Someone, 49ers or Bengals, will score 41 points

Kind of a fun, odd prediction. But there’s some merit to it.

For some reason, Cincy has a tendency to be involved in 41-point games this season, and it’s been the subject of four such contests in 2021 where either the Bengals or their opponent have scored 41 points in a game.

• Week 7 @ Baltimore Ravens: Bengals 41, Ravens 17
• Week 9 vs. Cleveland Browns: Bengals 16, Browns 41
• Week 12 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers: Bengals 41, Steelers 10
• Week 13 vs. Los Angeles Chargers: Bengals 22, Chargers 41

Two wins of 41 points, two losses of 41 points.

Granted, the 49ers have only scored 41 points once this season, and that was way back in Week 1, and there hasn’t been a score of more than 33 points since for the red and gold.

Hopefully, the Niners are on the right side of that trend if a 41-point game is involved for either team, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see at least one of the two teams hit that point threshold.