Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers Observations: Joe Burrow Goes Under Center, Overachieves

The Cincinnati Bengals “clinched” the NFC West on Sunday with a 31-17 win against the San Francisco 49ers, completing a 4-0 run through the division.

It was the fourth win in the last five games overall for the Bengals, and it marked the third year in a row they’ve come out of the bye hot following a slow start to earn a huge road win.

Here are four more takeaways after the Bengals sent the 49ers to their third consecutive loss.

4 Takeaways From Cincinnati Bengals vs. San Francisco 49ers

Under-Center Resurgence

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan said they expected to run more plays from under center after the bye with Joe Burrow’s calf finally healthy, but the amount of it they used was surprising. And successful.

The Bengals had run a season-low 16 snaps from under center entering the game, but they did it on four of the 10 plays on the touchdown drive to open the game, then went back under center on four of the six plays on the second touchdown drive.

It led to Joe Mixon’s best performance of the season, with him averaging 7.9 yards per carry in the first half. And that set up the play-action game, which Burrow used to pick apart the San Francisco defense, finishing 28 of 32 for 283 yards and three touchdowns.

Burrow has always preferred to work out of the shotgun because he doesn’t like turning his back to the defense. After the Week 5 Sunday night loss at Baltimore last year, the Bengals moved almost exclusively to shotgun. They had planned to go back to more under-center sets this year, but Burrow’s calf injury altered that plan.

Until Sunday.

MORE: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart

The Bengals married the run and pass perfectly, rushing for a season-high 138 yards against one of the best run defenses in the league.

It will be interesting to see how much they lean into it moving forward after running 22 under-center plays today.

Great Start, Flawed Finishes

The Cincinnati Bengals scored touchdowns on their opening two drives for the second game in a row. The opening-drive touchdown marked the third consecutive game the offense has done that, marking the first time since 2016.

Unlike the Week 6 win against Seattle, the offense kept clicking after the first two touchdowns, unlike the three-and-outs that followed against the Seahawks. But ultimately, the result was the same, as the team failed to produce points.

Burrow took a sack on third down on the third drive, and Evan McPherson missed a 50-yard field goal.

The fourth drive was a rhythmic, two-minute march that looked as though they could take an 11-point lead and get the ball first to start the second half. But after gaining 71 yards on nine plays, Burrow’s 19th consecutive completion went to Irv Smith on first and goal at the 5-yard line, but Smith fumbled, and the 49ers recovered.

The 14-point first quarter marked the first time in 31 quarters the Bengals have topped 10 points, but they should have had so many more points heading into halftime.

The Bengals ran 35 plays in the first half, and only four were third downs.

Linebacker Interceptions

Germaine Pratt’s second interception of the season and fifth of his career may have been his most impressive yet, even after the diving one he made at the end of the Arizona game in Week 5.

Pratt was chasing San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy to the sideline on first-and-goal from the 8-yard line when he got a hand on Purdy’s pass, quickly located the ball to snare it, and was inches away from staying in bounds for a pick-six.

The turnover was a huge swing as the 49ers were threatening to tie the game late in the third quarter after going 68 yards in nine plays relatively easily.

The Bengals couldn’t convert it into points, but a few minutes later, Purdy’s next pass found the hands of linebacker Logan Wilson.

No linebacker has more interceptions than Wilson’s 10 since he entered the league in 2020.

This time, it led to points as Burrow hit Ja’Marr Chase for a 17-yard touchdown on the next play to give the Bengals a 24-10 lead and the 49ers their largest deficit of the season.

Bengals linebackers have 17 interceptions since 2020, the most in the league.

Evan McPherson Makes Good

McPherson entered the game 3 of 5 on field goals of 50 yards or more this season and 17 of 21 in his career, but he missed from 50 in the first half to lead to an empty possession.

On the opening drive of the second half, McPherson boomed one from 56 yards, giving him four of the five longest field goals in team history (including the franchise record of 59).

McPherson entered the game with the best percentage on field goals of 50 yards or more since at least 1991 at (81%).

The 1-for-2 day dropped him to 78.3%, but McPherson’s right leg is still one of the biggest special-teams weapons in the last three decades of the league.

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