The Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers meet Sunday in NFL action from Levi’s Stadium. Cincinnati is currently 3-3 overall. The Bengals are fresh off a bye week, last appearing in a win over the Seahawks. As for San Francisco, they played the Vikings on Monday in their most recent appearance. In that one the 49ers took a tough five-point road loss. Check back all season long for free NFL picks at Sports Chat Place.

Cincinnati Bengals 

The Bengals started out the season on an ugly 1-3 run (scoring just three points in two of the losses) but they’ve been able to string together a pair of wins since then. Cincinnati needs to figure out their offensive consistency, however: they’re averaging just 16.7 points per game this year, which is ahead of only four teams in the league. 

Back on October 15 versus the Seahawks, the Bengals went into the locker room with a 14-10 lead. After trading second-half field goals, Cincinnati emerged with a close win 17-13. QB Joe Burrow bagged 185 yards, two scores and a pick in the win. Joe Mixon led a tepid rush on 38 yards, and Ja’Marr Chase added 80 yards off six grabs. 

Cincinnati Bengals Team Facts

• The Bengals have won seven of their last eight road games against teams that held a winning record.
• The underdogs have covered the spread in eight of the Bengals’ last nine Week 8 games.
• The Bengals have lost the first half in each of their last four games as underdogs against NFC opponents.
• The Bengals have won the first quarter in four of their last five October games as underdogs.
• Each of the Bengals’ last nine games as underdogs have gone UNDER the total points line.

San Francisco 49ers 

Over on the 49ers’ side, they stormed out of the gate this year with some nice offensive showings during a five-game win streak. San Francisco took out the Steelers 30-7, the Rams 30-23, the Giants 30-12, the Cardinals 35-16 and the Cowboys 42-10 in that time. The 49ers faltered in game six versus the Browns however, taking an upset road loss 19-17. 

Matched up against the Vikings on Monday, the 49ers started slowly in the first half with a nine-point deficit by the break. San Francisco got better from there but couldn’t come back in a 22-17 loss. QB Brock Purdy logged 252 yards with one TD and Christian McCaffrey was the leading rusher with 45 yards and a score. George Kittle managed five catches for 78 yards as well. 

San Francisco 49ers Team Facts

• The 49ers have won each of their last 15 games played on the West Coast.
• The 49ers have covered the spread in each of their last 10 games at Levi’s Stadium.
• The 49ers have won the first quarter in each of their last seven home games in October.
• The 49ers have won the first half in each of their last seven Sunday games at Levi’s Stadium.
• The 49ers have scored the first touchdown in each of their last seven games against AFC North opponents.

Matchup/League Facts

• The 49ers rank 1st in the NFL in interceptions this season (11).
• The 49ers rank 1st in the NFL in Q4 opponent points per game this season (1.7).
• The Bengals rank 32nd in the NFL in yards per game this season (256.3).
• The Bengals rank 1st in the NFL in punt return yards per game this season (36.8).

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ll probably stay with the 49ers in this one. Also probably not touching it due to the minor skid San Francisco is on. The 49ers had another pretty bad offensive game against Minnesota on Monday, posting three turnovers, 325 total yards (260 passing) and just 25:04 in time of possession. San Francisco had 33.4 points per game in their first five outings this year; they’ve scored just 17 in each of the last two. The good news is that the defense has allowed 23 or fewer points in every game so far. 

As for the Bengals, I imagine they’ll look better here following an extra week of rest and preparation. Cincinnati really needs to find their spark on offense, though. Defensively the team has given up 21.2 points per game this year, which is in the middle of the pack among NFL rankings. The lack of scoring has hurt, though; the Bengals have failed to hit 20 points in four of six games thus far. Unless they’re really firing on all proverbial cylinders here, I don’t think Cincinnati will keep pace for long if San Francisco wakes up offensively.