Week 14: Best and Worst Case Scenarios

Both teams are coming off a loss and the 49ers are heading into a situation in which they need to win a minimum of three of their final five games for a shot at the playoffs.

The 49ers made the long trip to Cincinnati to face a tough Bengals team on the road. Both teams are coming off a loss and the 49ers are heading into a situation in which they need to win a minimum of three of their final five games for a shot at the playoffs. With three road games remaining on the schedule, this appears to be the 49ers best shot at securing a road win to close the season. Here’s how it could shake out.

Best Case Scenario: Deebo Samuel has a heroic performance and Jimmy Garoppolo plays turnover-free football to secure a victory.

The 49ers are 1-5 this season when Garoppolo throws an interception and in last week’s loss he tossed two. Samuel has been the 49ers entire offense this season with the exception of last week when George Kittle awoke in Samuel’s absence and torched the Seahawks. Now that Kittle seems to be rounding into form, the two-headed attack of him and Samuel will be enough to beat any team in the NFL. The 49ers have great complementary pieces on offense to make a stretch run including second year wideout Brandon Aiyuk and All Pro fullback Kyle Juszczyk. The 49ers seem to be finding themselves at the right time and this week they will put it all together.

The 49ers defense has been up and down this season with more ups than downs. This week they face a tough Bengals offense that is full of weapons at the skill positions but has struggled to protect Joe Burrow. Look for the 49ers pass rush to wreak havoc on him all day behind the emergence of Arden Key and D.J. Jones. Nick Bosa is going to have his usual game but his supporting mates on the defensive line will be the difference. The secondary is running thin but honestly, that’s nothing new and it's been something the 49ers have been dealing with all season so they are used to it.

Worst Case Scenario: Garoppolo follows up a stinker with a double stinker. The 49ers will not overcome his mistakes and this could mark the end of the Garoppolo Era in Santa Clara.

Honestly, Garoppolo has the biggest impact on the 49ers success or failure this season. Samuel has been the 49ers best player thus far but Garoppolo’s ability to protect the football has been the main indicator of success and failure. Garoppolo must win today or the 49ers may decide that his mistakes are too much to overcome and might as well roll with rookie Trey Lance. Look for Kyle Shanahan to give Garoppolo the hook quickly in this game if Garoppolo has an early mistake. The 49ers are in playoff mode and every game from here on out is crucial, so it’s the perfect time for Kyle to build the team’s trust in Lance given an opportunity.

This is a good matchup for the 49ers defense but it's all dependent on the pass rush. The 49ers continue to be decimated by injury at cornerback and they will deploy either rookie Deommodore Lenoir who lacks speed in deep coverage or rookie Ambry Thomas who is a complete unknown that hasn't been good enough to dress for games. Either way, that’s a recipe for disaster given the abundance of talent on the other side of the field including Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Tee Higgins and Joe Mixon. This could be a long day for the 49ers defense if their pass rush is neutralized.

Chuy’s Prediction: The 49ers will find a way to pull out a tough road matchup behind a balanced attack.

Garoppolo will respond to his back being against the wall, because, let’s be honest, as much flack as he gets, he always comes through when his career is on the line. The 49ers will be without rookie running back Elijah Mitchell, who has been their workhorse, but this will force Shanahan's creative juices to come out and this will result in a masterpiece of playcalling. Look for Garoppolo to protect the football and spread the defense out in a balanced attack. The 49ers will control the time of possession and I predict at least three drives of eight minutes or more.

The 49ers defense will stop the run game with their base four defensive lineman and all world linebackers Azeez Al-Shaair and Fred Warner. Nick Bosa will be himself but, once the Bengals are one-dimensional, his cohorts will show up and will hit Burrow relentlessly. Another masterful performance by rookie defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans will ensue.

This is the game the 49ers put it all together and finally look like the Super Bowl contenders they’ve been touted to be.

Final Score: 49ers 30 - Bengals 22

Make sure and tune into my YouTube channel: Chuy and Alejandra at halftime to recap the first half action. And as always, follow me on Twitter: chuy_alejandra for 49ers news and commentary.