Scoring on their first two drives, the Cincinnati Bengals forced the 49ers to play catch-up all day long, but it was the defense that really put San Francisco on ice at the end of the day.
Starting strong on offense was huge, but the Bengals failed to truly capitalize on getting the ball to start the second half. The true advantage of this is the opportunity to get two scores in a row.
The Bengals were on the brink of scoring to end the first half, but an Irv Smith fumble squandered that opportunity.