49ers, Bengals seek edge as playoff races heat up
CINCINNATI — The Bengals and 49ers are both hanging on the edge of the playoff picture with little room for error left.
The makes Sunday’s matchup in Cincinnati critical.
Cincinnati (7-5) and San Francisco (6-6) are coming off losses and wasted opportunities to make a move in the chaotic playoff chase.
Cincinnati, which hasn’t been to the postseason since 2015 and hasn’t won a playoff game in three decades, has an AFC wild-card spot with several teams still on the bubble.
The Niners also have a wild-card slot, with several other teams in a position to make a move. They had moved into the playoff position with a threegame win streak but couldn’t extend it, thanks to a series of special teams blunders, two interceptions from Jimmy Garoppolo and then the inability to finish off a final 95-yard drive in a 3023 loss to Seattle last Sunday.
The Bengals had won two straight before key injuries and mistakes took their toll in a 41-22 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers that left quarterback Joe Burrow nursing a sore little finger on his throwing hand.
“I think broadly you can just look around the league and see the balance this year, and that contributes to us and everybody going through the exact same thing,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said.
“We’re worried about us, first and foremost. But you can also see there’s really good balance in the league right now, and it leads to being difficult to keep the momentum, and it takes a lot of focus and poise.”
Burrow dislocated his finger on a strip-sack fumble on Cincinnati’s first possession last week. It popped back in place, and Burrow played the rest of the game with it swollen and sore. He said it didn’t affect this passes. He was limited in practice this week, but fully expects to play Sunday.
For much of the season, Cincinnati was one of the healthiest teams in the AFC. Suddenly, not so much. Their best linebacker, Logan Wilson, was carted off last week with a shoulder injury and is expected to be out at least a couple of weeks.