The Niners should be better than the other 2 defenses the Bengals have have faced. Sure, they gave up a lot of yards to Dallas last week but a lot were on big plays from Romo to Austin. Not sure the rookie combo of Dalton/Green can exploit the same weakness, with each just making their 3rd NFL starts. SF gave up nothing on the ground (F. Jones 9 car, 25 yds) and haven't given up a 100-yd rusher in 24 straight games. So the Bengals may be forced to pass and although Dalton threw for over 300 yards last week, it was against a defense without their best pass rusher and best corner. He only threw for 81 yds in his only other start. And as IceTea mentioned, Simpson being out can't be overlooked. He's accounted for 44% of the Bengals' receiving yards this season, ranking 17th in the league in targets and 13th among WRs with 180 yards. He also played a critical role in both of Cincy's TD drives in Denver. Simpson accounted for 43 of the Bengals' 72 yards on 2 catches on one drive, and 84 of 93 yards on the other with his long catch-and-run, dragging defenders for 10 yards before being tackled. Andre Caldwell is expected to start in his place.
