Joining “49ers Postgame Live” to analyze San Francisco’s 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday is insider Matt Maiocco.
CLARA, Santa — The 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday might have performed better in every way imaginable.
Three times, quarterback Brock Purdy mishandled the ball. The defense did not play sticky coverage, did not tackle properly, and did not rush the passer on a regular basis. Unsurprisingly, the outcome was again another loss.
The 49ers were defeated 31–17 by the Cincinnati Bengals, their third straight loss.
The 49ers’ three-game losing streak, which began with losses at Cleveland and Minnesota, has seen the Bengals as the best club they have faced. It was nevertheless shoddy and uninspired.
With a foul taste in their mouths, these are their grades going into the bye week:
sprinting to attack
Christian McCaffrey tied the NFL record set by Lenny Moore (Baltimore, 1963–64) with his 17th consecutive game with a touchdown.
49ERS of San Francisco
The 49ers did OK on the ground, but fullback Kyle Juszczyk was stopped on a third-and-1 play in the first quarter to end the team’s first possession.
The 49ers need to create more space in the running game. McCaffrey ended up with 54 yards on 12 carries.
Purdy was the team’s leading rusher, but all of his rushing attempts were on scrambles. He had 57 yards on six carries.
Passing offense
Purdy threw for a career-high 365 yards, but it was his two interceptions that broke the 49ers in this game.
Purdy completed 22 of 31 pass attempts for 365 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
His first interception prevented the 49ers from scoring points in the third quarter. His second interception led directly to a Bengals touchdown.
George Kittle had nine catches for 149 yards, while Brandon Aiyuk had five receptions for 109 yards. Both also left some yards on the field when they failed to catch passes down the field.
The pass protection generally held up well, as Purdy was sacked twice late in the game.
Rushing defense
The 49ers’ run defense did not do much.
Joe Mixon gained 87 yards on 16 carries to lead the Bengals. Cincinnati averaged 5.0 yards on its 27 rushing attempts.
The 49ers had way too many missed tackles and sloppy plays. The Bengals got big yards between the tackles.
Passing defense
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is the highest-paid player in the league. On Sunday, he showed why.
Burrow torched the 49ers, completing 28 of 32 pass attempts for 283 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 134.8.
The 49ers’ pass rush got things going a little bit, with Arik Armstead had two sacks.
But it was not there on a consistent basis. Burrow generally had time to throw, and he created a little more time on his own.
Ja’Marr Chase had 10 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown.
Special teams
Jake Moody’s first kickoff of the game did not reach the end zone, allowing Trayveon Williams to break loose on a 42-yard return in the first quarter. That led to a short-field touchdown.
Moody made a 36-yard field goal and both extra-point attempts.
Punter Mitch Wishnowsky had a solid day with a 50.3 average with a 47.7 net average.
The 49ers got nothing on kickoff returns, as Ray-Ray McCloud returned one for just 16 yards.
Coaching
Steve Wilks’ defensive game plan was simple. There were not a lot of exotic looks or pressures. The 49ers felt they could get the job done just playing solid, fundamental football.
That did not work, as the 49ers were simply not sound enough to get the job done against the Bengals.
The 49ers rolled up 460 yards of offense, got 24 first downs and converted 55.6 percent of their third downs.
The plans appeared OK on both sides of the ball, but execution and turnovers were the major problems.
