49ers vs. Bengals Week 14 Picks: High-Scoring Affair in Cincy

Even with a Week 13 loss in Seattle, the San Francisco 49ers are very much back. On Sunday, San Francisco will look for its fourth win in five games and one which will get the team back over .500. The Cincinnati Bengals, who have snapped out of a funk, will look to rebound from a Week 13 loss as well as they continue their march to the playoffs. Check out our 49ers-Bengals picks.

Both San Francisco and Cincinnati are currently clinging to playoff spots. Sunday's winner will get a leg up in the postseason chase.

Here are my picks and predictions for the NFL Week 14 matchup between the 49ers and the Bengals. (Odds via BetMGM; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5 star scale).

49ers vs. Bengals Game Info

Date/Time: Sunday, Dec 12, 4:25 p.m. ETTV: CBSLocation: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OHWeather: Sunny, 49 degrees

49ers vs. Bengals Odds Analysis

The 49ers are currently the favorites in this matchup, laying anywhere from one to two points depending on your book. That wasn't always the case, though. San Francisco opened up as 1.5-point underdogs before the market quickly adjusted to an influx of money coming in on the Niners. The total has moved ever so slightly from its open of 47.5 to 48.5 pretty much across the board.

49ers vs. Bengals Picks

49ers -1 (-110) ?????Over 48.5 (-110) ???

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49ers vs. Bengals Predictions

49ers -1 (-110)

Yes, I'm rolling with the public here. We're all well aware of the Niners' demons playing the Seahawks in Seattle, and despite a great showing in that game, the ghosts returned as the defense collapsed late.

It's easy to see that loss and immediately sell all your shares of the Niners, but this is definitely the time to buy in on San Francisco. Had the 49ers won, it'd be riding a four-game winning streak into this one and the books would have easily opened them as favorites.

The fact is, the 49ers still rank seventh in weighted DVOA on defense and fourth in adjusted line yards. They are excellent against the run, which is the lifeblood of the Bengals. Cincinnati runs it 43.7% of the time, which ranks 12th in the league.

We saw in Week 13, when the Bengals fell behind to the L.A. Chargers, just what happens to this team when it's forced to pass. Cincinnati did mount a miniature comeback, but without the opportunity to control the pace of the game on the ground, it was absolutely lost.

This defense has also really let itself go and now ranks 15th in DVOA after reaching elite status early in the season. The Niners are the clearly better side.

Over 48.5 (-110)

Given how bad this Bengals defense has been, I see the Niners getting off to a hot start here and running it up in the first half. With that, this one should be a high-scoring affair.

Up against a strong defensive line which has been excellent against the run, the Bengals will be passing all game long - especially in the second half when they fall behind. While the Niners don't throw a whole lot, Jimmy Garoppolo did pass 30 times for 299 yards last week and looked good in the process. That's two straight games with 26 or more attempts, and perhaps the confidence there is growing.

I think there should be enough passing in this one from both teams to get us to the Over, and I'm particularly excited to see this Bengals defense fold yet again and help us get there.

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49ers-Bengals picks made 12/9/2021 at 4:21 p.m. ET