NFL Football Betting: San Francisco 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals

The San Francisco 49ers have a chance to get out to a 2-0 start, with both of those wins coming on the road. San Francisco knocked off Tampa Bay in Week 1 thanks in large part to two interceptions being returned for touchdowns, and the 49ers are a virtual coin flip per the NFL betting odds headed into Cincinnati this week. A win here would greatly bolster their chances of potentially sneaking into the playoffs.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS
LINE: PK
TOTAL: 46

We’ve seen moderate action on Cincinnati since the line opened. San Francisco was initially a 1.5-point favorite on the football betting line, but the Bengals moved to a -1 point home favorite for a time. The line is now a ‘Pick’. As for the total, action has moved the over/under from 45 to 46.

INJURY REPORT

AJ Green is still out for Cincinnati, but the Bengals star wide receiver is hoping to return from an ankle injury in the next few weeks. Guard Alex Redmond will miss this game because of a suspension, and offensive tackle Cordy Glenn will be sidelined because of a concussion. Running backs Joe Mixon and Trayveon Williams are both questionable, and safety Clayton Fejedelem is questionable too.

Wide receivers Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd have already been ruled out by San Francisco. Running back Tevin Coleman won’t play either due to a sprained ankle, and first-round draft pick Nick Bosa is questionable with an ankle injury as well. Corrnerback Jimmie Ward is questionable with a hand injury.

WHEN CINCINNATI IS ON OFFENSE

The Bengals were very impressive on offense in Week 1, nearly pulling off what would have been the biggest upset of the week per the NFL moneyline odds. Cincinnati was a substantial underdog on the road against Seattle, but Andy Dalton had a fantastic day through the air, giving hope to Bengals fans that Zac Taylor might have been the right hire.

Dalton ended Week 1 as the league leader in passing yards. He completed 35 of 51 passes for 418 yards and two touchdowns, and his performance was especially impressive considering that he didn’t have Green and the running game was unable to get anything going.

John Ross III had the best game of his young career, torching Seattle’s defensive backs. Ross has elite top-end speed, and he will look to have similar success against San Francisco’s secondary at home. The 49ers pass defense was superb in Week 1 against Tampa Bay, but Jameis Winston is the most turnover-prone quarterback in the NFL.

If Cincinnati can have success running against San Francisco’s front seven, it’s going to be a long day for the 49ers. The Niners allowed 4.5 yards per carry against Tampa Bay in Week 1, but the Bengals could only muster 2.4 yards per carry. With Mixon banged up, that will put more of an onus on Giovani Bernard as well.

WHEN SAN FRANCISCO IS ON OFFENSE

The 49ers didn’t need to be great on offense in Week 1. Tampa Bay gifted San Francisco 18 points off of turnovers and special teams miscues, so the 49ers won by two touchdowns despite producing just 256 total yards of offense.

There were rumors that Jimmy Garoppolo had not been impressive in training camp, but Garoppolo didn’t play poorly in San Francisco’s win. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 166 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but he fell woefully short of his passing yards total in his NFL player props. Jimmy G will need to do more through the air against Cincinnati.

Cincinnati’s secondary was one of the worst in the NFL last season, and the Bengals didn’t look great last week. Seattle didn’t throw the ball much since they only ran 49 plays, but they averaged 9.8 yards per pass if you take out sack yardage. Garoppolo must connect with big play threats like Marquise Goodwin and Dante Pettis more often after the two combined to catch two passes for 14 yards last week.

Garoppolo’s need to succeed through the air is imperative because San Francisco is unlikely to pick up nice chunks in the running game. Coleman is out and neither Raheem Mostert nor Matt Breida looked great against Tampa Bay.

PREDICTION

This is a great spot for Cincinnati. The Bengals outgained the Seahawks by almost 200 total yards in Week 1, and they were unfortunate to not get the win. San Francisco is playing two straight road games in the Eastern time zone, and it will show here.

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