4 simple reasons why 49ers beat Bengals in Week 14
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers didn’t let any Bengals player take over the game
It took nearly three full quarters before Cincinnati started garnering momentum, staging the comeback that ultimately forced overtime.
Even then, the Niners didn’t let their opponent’s best players truly take over the game and have those dominant performances that’ll show up on highlight reels for the rest of the week.
Sure, wide receiver Tee Higgins had a cool 114 yards on five catches, while rookie wideout Ja’Marr Chase continued his impressive season with two touchdowns. Joe Burrow had his impressive moments, too, when he wasn’t getting sacked.
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Yet neither Higgins, Chase nor Burrow took over the game completely. And San Francisco didn’t let running back Joe Mixon, who entered the game averaging 4.3 yards per carry, do much damage on the ground either.
In total, Mixon had 58 yards and averaged only 3.2 yards per attempt.
The 49ers contained Cincy’s best players.