Bengals hand 49ers their third straight loss
Three weeks ago, the 49ers blew out the Cowboys to improve to 5-0 on the season, and everyone thought San Francisco was the class of the NFL.
Not For Long.
The 49ers have now lost three consecutive games, with the Bengals beating them 31-17 today to knock San Francisco's record down to 5-3.
Brock Purdy, who was cleared surprisingly quickly after suffering a concussion six days ago, had a bad game. He frequently struggled to see the field and read the Bengals' defense, throwing a couple of bad interceptions in what may have been the worst game of his young career. He also hit the back of his head on the ground on a late play, and the independent concussion spotter didn't pull him, as probably should have happened.
But Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was magnificent, completing 28 of 32 passes for 283 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions, against a 49ers defense that rarely gets picked apart by that.
Burrow's favorite receiver was Ja'Marr Chase, who had 10 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown, and the Bengals also got a good game from Joe Mixon, who had 15 carries for 89 yards and the game-clinching touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk both topped 100 receiving yards, and Christian McCaffrey had a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown, but overall it was a rough game for the 49ers.
For the Bengals, the win improves their record to 4-3. After a rough start to the season, Cincinnati is looking like the contender everyone thought they would be. And the 49ers are looking like something less than everyone thought they were three weeks ago.
