The Cincinnati Bengals (7-5) host the San Francisco 49ers (6-6) on Sunday to close out a three-game home stand at Paul Brown Stadium. After losing a disappointing game to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 13, Cincinnati will be looking to bounce back against San Francisco.
These teams have not met since 2019 in head coach Zac Taylor's first season and it was a performance that didn't go the Bengals way in Taylor's home-opener. The 49ers rushed for over than 200 yards in the 41-17 loss. Since that particular game, the Bengals feel they've come a long way, especially on defense.
"I think our coaches have continued to get better in all phases of our team," Taylor said of the 2019 loss to the 49ers. "I think our players have continued to grow their confidence in the scheme. We’ve added players. Night and day from three years ago."
Both teams are vying to keep their playoff hopes alive on Sunday. Here's how the Bengals can beat the 49ers and improve to 8-5 on the year:
Limit production of 49ers' rushing attack
The 49ers are averaging 37.5 rushing players per game over the last four games. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is known for his ability to scheme players open and his run scheme. San Francisco is going to try and establish the run game, there's no doubt about it.
