In a thrilling road 31-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, the Cincinnati Bengals extended their winning streak to three games while the Niners lost their third straight game.
After saying he had been experiencing symptoms on the team's plane after their loss to the Minnesota Vikings on "Monday Night Football," 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy entered the concussion protocol on Wednesday, making him possibly the fastest player to be cleared from it before the game.
During this game, Purdy was not at his best; he threw his first two interceptions at home while playing for the 49ers. He has questions to respond to after being the talk of the NFC early in the season.
After the 49ers defeated the Cowboys three weeks before going 5-0 overall, everyone believed San Francisco was the best team in the NFL.
With the Bengals' victory over them today, the 49ers have now dropped three straight and are currently in a bad spot.
Story of the game:
Brock Purdy had a poor game; he was cleared fairly swiftly after sustaining a concussion six days prior. Perhaps the worst game in his early career, he often had trouble seeing the field and reading the Bengals defence, throwing a pair of poor interceptions. On a subsequent play, he struck his head on the ground again, and this time the independent concussion spotter failed to withdraw him, which probably ought to have happened.
In contrast, Joe Burrow, the quarterback for the Bengals, was outstanding, finishing 28 of 32 passes for 283 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions against a 49ers defence that is rarely penetrated by that.
Ja'Marr Chase, Burrow's favourite target, with 10 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown. Joe Mixon, who had 15 carries for 89 yards and the game-winning touchdown, also had a strong performance for the Bengals.
After Logan Wilson intercepted a Purdy pass early in the fourth quarter, Burrow assisted Cincinnati in seizing the initiative. On the next play, Burrow lofted a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase, giving the Bengals a 24-10 lead.
On the previous drive in the red zone, Purdy had thrown an interception to Germaine Pratt, giving him five interceptions in the last three games after starting the season with none.
Despite his back-to-back interceptions, Purdy went on to throw for 365 yards and a touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey during the drive. Purdy played despite being under concussion protocol during the week.
The 49ers had a difficult game overall, while McCaffrey scored a receiving and rushing touchdown, and George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk each exceeded 100 receiving yards.
Including the playoffs, McCaffrey has at least one touchdown in 17 straight games after scoring on a 2-yard run in the first quarter. This matched the NFL record held by Lenny Moore from 1963 to 1964.
With his fourth-quarter touchdown catch, McCaffrey moved one shy of Marshall Faulk's NFL record of at least one rushing and throwing in 14 games.
With the victory, the Bengals' record now stands at 4-3. Cincinnati is beginning to seem like the contender that everyone anticipated them to be after a difficult start to the season. Furthermore, the 49ers don't seem to be as good as everyone said they were three weeks ago.
What has gone wrong with Brock Purdy?
For both Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers, the shine is beginning to fade.
During almost three-quarters of the game, Purdy's progress was flawless. He was demonstrating his legs and tossing the ball with a great deal of anticipation and accuracy. It appeared as though he would be the 49ers' hero in their game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Sadly, he ultimately turned into the 49ers' archenemy. Purdy would intercept the ball twice in quick succession after the third and start of the fourth quarters. With a score on his final pick, the Bengals would take advantage, and those picks were the final nail in the coffin for the 49ers. Purdy stumbles late in the 49ers' 31-17 loss to the Bengals, much like he did against the Minnesota Vikings the previous week.
Only a few weeks ago, life was good for the 49ers. When they faced the Cleveland Browns in Week 6, they were on a high and unbeaten. They had no idea that game would be the first of a three-game losing streak. The 49ers are officially entering their bye week, therefore it's time to panic. With his errors overshadowing his successes, Purdy is no longer seeming like a decent quarterback, and the defence has lost its intensity.
The 49ers' defence continued where it left off against the Vikings the previous week. There being insufficient pressure, receivers were comfortably finding space, and the run was inconsistently stopped.
Given their current form, the 49ers should consider themselves fortunate the bye week is not the opposition, since they would likely lose that game as well.
Next up in week 9 for the Bengals, they host the Buffalo Bills at home while for the 49ers they have a bye week.