49ers, Bengals Seeking Edge As Playoff Races Heat Up

CINCINNATI (AP) – The Bengals and 49ers are some hanging connected the borderline of the playoff representation with small country for mistake left.

The makes Sunday’s matchup successful Cincinnati critical.

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Cincinnati (7-5) and San Francisco (6-6) are some coming disconnected loses and wasted opportunities to marque a determination successful the chaotic playoff chase.

Cincinnati, which hasn’t been to the postseason since 2015 and hasn’t won a playoff crippled successful 3 decades, has an AFC wild-card spot with respective teams inactive connected the bubble.

The Niners besides person a wild-card slot, with respective different teams successful a presumption to marque a move. They had moved into the playoff presumption with a three-game triumph streak but couldn’t widen it, acknowledgment to a bid of peculiar teams blunders, 2 interceptions from Jimmy Garoppolo and past the inability to decorativeness disconnected a last 95-yard thrust successful a 30-23 nonaccomplishment to Seattle past Sunday,

The Bengals had won 2 consecutive earlier cardinal injuries and mistakes took their toll successful a 41-22 nonaccomplishment to the Los Angeles Chargers that near backmost Joe Burrow nursing a sore small digit connected his throwing hand.

“I deliberation broadly you tin conscionable look astir the league and spot the equilibrium this year, and that contributes to america and everybody going done the nonstop aforesaid thing,” Cincinnati manager Zac Taylor said.

“We’re disquieted astir us, archetypal and foremost. But you tin besides spot there’s truly bully equilibrium successful the league close now, and it leads to being hard to support the momentum, and it takes a batch of absorption and poise.”

ABOUT THAT FINGER

Burrow dislocated his digit connected a strip-sack fumble connected Cincinnati’s archetypal possession past week. It popped backmost successful place, and Burrow played the remainder of the crippled with it swollen and sore. He said it didn’t impact this passes. He was constricted successful signifier this week, but afloat expects to play Sunday.

NOT-SO SPECIAL TEAMS

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For 2 consecutive games the 49ers’ peculiar teams person been acold from special. The portion has fixed up touchdowns connected a footwear instrumentality and fake punt, turned the shot implicit once, missed a mates of kicks and allowed a fewer different large returns.

The Niners survived the problems 2 weeks agone against Minnesota erstwhile they managed to flooded Kene Nwangwu’s 99-yard kickoff instrumentality and Robbie Gould’s missed tract goal.

That wasn’t the lawsuit past week erstwhile Seattle scored connected a fake punt, Travis Benjamin fumbled distant a kickoff, Gould missed an other constituent and different agelong footwear instrumentality led to a TD thrust successful the Seahawks win.

“We’ve had 2 weeks that are not up to our modular successful a row, and we can’t person that hap if we privation to spell wherever we privation to go,” peculiar teams coordinator Richard Hightower said.

BANGED-UP BENGALS

For overmuch of the season, Cincinnati was 1 of the healthiest teams successful the AFC. Suddenly, not truthful much. Their champion linebacker, Logan Wilson, was carted disconnected past week with a enarthrosis wounded and is expected to beryllium retired astatine slightest a mates of weeks. Starting violative linemen Riley Reiff and Trey Hopkins some suffered ankle injuries successful the Nov. 28 blowout of the Steelers, and cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (foot) suffered a ft wounded past Sunday. Receiver Tee Higgins is besides dealing with an ankle injury.

They articulation the Niners successful trying to negociate a rash of injuries, including moving backmost Trenton Cannon, who sustained a concussion connected a scary deed against Seattle that led to him being taken disconnected by ambulance. He is questionable for Sunday.

DOMINANT D.J.

San Francisco chemoreceptor tackle D.J. Jones usually flies nether the radar arsenic a space-eater successful the mediate of the defence who helps his teammates marque plays. But Jones had a large crippled of his ain past week erstwhile helium had 7 tackles, including 2 down the enactment of scrimmage, a forced fumble and 3 backmost pressures.

“I deliberation D.J. played 1 of his champion games vs. Seattle,” manager Kyle Shanahan said. “I deliberation D.J.’s ever played astatine a beauteous precocious level, I deliberation he’s stayed steadfast this year. When D.J.’s retired there, he’s beauteous overmuch ever the aforesaid guy.”

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