The Cincinnati Bengals are 10-3 on the season, currently in second place in the AFC behind on the New England Patriots, who have clinched a spot in the postseason. The Bengals hold a tenuous lead on a first-round bye over the Denver Broncos thanks to a narrow tiebreak based on win percentage in conference games.
Bengals vs. 49ers 2015 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The 49ers are out of the playoff race, but the Bengals have a lot to fight for in Sunday’s game.
That means they can’t afford to drop any of their remaining games, especially given they play the Broncos in a pivotal Week 16 matchup.
Between those games, they have a game against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17, and on Sunday, they will face the San Francisco 49ers.
San Francisco has not been a great team this season, with a 4-9 record and a last place slot in the NFC West. But with Blaine Gabbert taking over for Colin Kaepernick at the quarterback position, the team has been a bit more productive on the offensive side of the ball. They beat the Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Bears with Gabbert under center, but lost to good teams like the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.
The 49ers also lost to the Cleveland Browns in their most recent game, and were dominated from start to finish. The Browns beat them, 24-10, while Gabbert threw for just 194 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked a whopping nine times for a loss of 44 yards in the game.
Cincinnati is tied for ninth in the league in sacks, with 34 on the season. Meanwhile, the 49ers have allowed a league-leading 45 sacks after the dreadful performance against the Browns. The situation looks bleak for the 49ers, an organization in turmoil at this stage of the season.
But there is still plenty of reason to fight. Head coach Jim Tomsula and both offensive coordinator Geep Chryst and defensive coordinator Eric Mangini could be coaching for their jobs. Gabbert, who is only playing because Kaepernick was so bad, is hoping that he can convince the 49ers he's worth keeping around to potentially start in 2016 as well. It might even be better for 49ers fans if Gabbert struggles so the 49ers don't get too confident in buying what Gabbert is selling.
For Cincinnati, any loss from here on could be catastrophic. A first-round bye in the playoffs would give starting quarterback Andy Dalton time to heal the fracture in his hand. He will not be playing in Sunday's game against the 49ers, and backup AJ McCarron will be under center in his place.
Coming in for Dalton early against the Pittsburgh Steelers in their last game, McCarron completed just 22 of 32 passes for 280 yards with a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. That was the first significant regular season performance of McCarron's young career.
McCarron, a fifth-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, will now have the tall task of keeping the Bengals on track. Winning out would guarantee them a first-round bye and would give them a shot at homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Given the struggles the Bengals have faced in the playoffs in recent years, those advantages could be huge.
How to watch
When: 4:25 p.m. ET
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
TV: CBS
Announcers: Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots
Online: NFL Game Pass
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