49ers vs. Bengals: A prospector's guide

The San Francisco 49ers are back home on Sunday, facing the Cincinnati Bengals in their final inter-conference matchup of the 2015 season. They close out the season at Detroit and at home against St. Louis. The Week 15 contest kicks off at 1:25 p.m. PT, and will air on CBS. The announcer crew consists of Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots in the booth, and former NFL kicker Jay Feely on the sideline. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday Night Football, but was flexed out of it, and is likely to be a fairly regional broadcast.

The 49ers head into this game coming off an embarrassing road loss to the Cleveland Browns last weekend. They had secured their first road win of the season, the week before, when they beat the Chicago Bears. There was some thought the team might have been a little over-confident, although players and coaches disagreed on that. Whatever the case, the 49ers embarrassed themselves, and dropped to 4-9.

Now, the 49ers welcome aa Cincinnati Bengals squad that has some serious issues. The Bengals were slim favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers this past week, but were beaten badly in a game that saw them lose Andy Dalton for an undetermined amount of time. Dalton could be back by the playoffs, but he will not face the 49ers. A.J. McCarron came on in relief against the Steelers, and completed 22 of 32 passes for 279 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions (including a pick-six). He will make his first career star this Sunday, awaiting word on whether or not tight end Tyler Eifert will clear the concussion protocol.

The 49ers are a 4.5-point underdog at this point. They were expected to be a touchdown favorite prior to Dalton's injury, but that changed things quickly. A sizable chunk of the wagering has been on Cincinnati, and I don't expect that to change. The 49ers ugly loss to the Browns could mark the final descent of this team, but would it be entirely shocking to see the team rebound at home? The Bengals defense is very solid, but could be missing two key cogs. The complexion of this game has changed in a pretty significant manner.

The 49ers will have their normal Wednesday, Thursday, Friday media schedule. On Wednesday, things get going early in the morning. The opposing team media availability starts with Bengals QB A.J. McCarron on a conference call at 8:30 a.m., followed by Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis at 9:15 a.m. Jim Tomsula then meets with the media at 10:30 a.m., and that will be followed by quarterback Blaine Gabbert and special teams coach Thomas McGaughey at 11:35. The locker room will be open from 12 to 12:45, and the team will practice at 2 p.m.

On Thursday, Eric Mangini and Geep Chryst will meet with the media at 11:35 a.m. That will be followed by locker room availability from 12:00 to 12:45, and then practice at 2:00 p.m. On Friday, Jim Tomsula will speak at 11:55 a.m., practice will get going at 12:40 p.m., and locker room availability will be after practice.

Matchups: 14
Series Record: 49ers lead series 11-3
49ers Home Record vs. Bengals: 49ers lead series 5-1
First Meeting: 9/29/74, Bengals win 21-3, at SF
Last Meeting: 9/25/11, 49ers win 13-8, at Cin.
Current Streak: Won 2
Longest 49ers Win Streak: 9 (10/1/78 - 10/20/96)
Longest Bengals Win Streak: 2 (12/5/99 - 12/14/03)
Most 49ers Points: 38 (12/14/03): Bengals win 41-38, at Cin.
Most Bengals Points: 44 (12/5/99): Bengals win 44-30, at Cin.
49ers Shutouts: None
Bengals Shutouts: None

WR Anquan Boldin

• In 6 career against vs. Cin., has recorded 22 recepts. for 264 yds. and 4 TDs.

LB NaVorro Bowman

• Registered 13 tackles at Cin. (9/25/11).

K Phil Dawson

• As a member of the Cleveland Browns, converted all 3 of his FGAs and went 6-for-6 on XPAs vs. Cin. (9/16/07).

WR Torrey Smith

• In 8 career games vs. Cin., has recorded 24 recepts. for 378 yds. and 2 TDs.

• As a member of the Baltimore Ravens, registered 6 recepts. for a game-high 165 yds. and 1 TD (11/20/11).

2015 Statistics