Winners, losers from 49ers Week 14 overtime win vs. Bengals

The 49ers coughed up a 14-point lead but finally emerged victorious in overtime versus the Bengals, prompting some clear-cut winners and losers.

It was far from perfect. And to quote San Francisco 49ers EDGE Nick Bosa, “we almost blew it.”

But the Niners still managed to survive 17 unanswered points from the Cincinnati Bengals in the second half, then a three-point overtime deficit to pull off a thrilling 26-23 overtime win in Week 14 at Paul Brown Stadium.

The game shouldn’t have had to come down to the extra frame, requiring quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to be perfect through the air during overtime before finding wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk for a game-winning touchdown. Yet it’s important to give credit where it’s due, and the Bengals do have a quality trio of wide receivers in Tee Higgins, who had 114 receiving yards, and Ja’Marr Chase, who had two touchdowns, as well as Tyler Boyd. It also took nearly three quarters for those three to truly get going, too.

Still, Garoppolo and the San Francisco offense went quiet in the second half, while deficiencies within the secondary were exposed after halftime.

That said, there are some clear-cut winners and losers from Week 14, and let’s start with the positive.

49ers Winner: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

Just like the rest of the 49ers, Garoppolo was far from perfect in the game.

In the second quarter, he underthrew wide receiver Travis Benjamin on a deep shot down the field, which allowed Cincy’s defense to respond and break up the pass. If Garoppolo hit Benjamin in stride, that’s a touchdown.

On top of that, Garoppolo nearly tossed a game-sealing interception late in the fourth quarter, only to have the Cincinnati defender drop the would-be pick-six. There were additional overthrows and the proverbial “hospital balls,” too.

Still, Garoppolo went a perfect 6-of-6 for 77 yards and a touchdown on that game-winning overtime drive, and he surely picked up the slack by passing for 296 yards on a 27-of-41 completion rate for a 103.3 passer rating that included two touchdowns and, most importantly, zero interceptions.

The Niners are 6-0 this season when Jimmy G doesn’t throw a pick.