The San Francisco 49ers host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15, and the dynamic of the game has changed considerably. The 49ers were viewed as a touchdown underdog a week ago, but the line has come down with news that Andy Dalton suffered a thumb fracture in his throwing hand. He is likely to miss the rest of the season, and definitely will not play next Sunday.
Several sportsbooks have installed a line for the game, and most have the 49ers as four-point underdogs. You can get a 4.5-point line at the Wynn, and 3.5-points at the Westgate, but most are going with four points. It is not surprising to see the line come down as it has, considering AJ McCarron will likely be the starter, although I have to think the Bengals add a veteran quarterback as a backup.
The Bengals are better than the 49ers, but McCarron is a significant downgrade at quarterback. The 49ers defense has played considerably better at home, so this game is suddenly a lot more interesting from a win/loss perspective. The Bengals defense may or may not have Adam Jones available, and if he does not play, that is a significant downgrade as well. It is possible this Browns loss sends the 49ers into a tailspin, or maybe they right the ship for one week. I don't really know what to expect from this wildly inconsistent team.