Would You Balk, if Kyle Decides to Sit Brock? 49ers vs Bengals Preview
This Bengals game was one of three games that I had circled prior to the inception of the 2023 season, along with the Cowboys game and the Eagles game, as the only three surefire Super Bowl contenders that the 49ers would face prior to the playoffs. Then, Joe Burrow injured his calf on July 27th. The Bengals offense hasn't been the same since, but Burrow has been starting to play better recently, and the Bengals offense has been heating up. So has the Bengals' superstar receiver, Ja'Marr Chase. Their star No. 2 receiver, Tee Higgins, also played through an injury early in the season. Together with Tyler Boyd, the Bengals arguably have the best trio of receivers in the NFL. Their running back, Joe Mixon, has 368 rushing yards and 104 receiving yards. They have a great pair of pass-rushing edge players in Trey Hendrickson (seven sacks) and Sam Hubbard (three sacks). Their inside linebacker, Logan Wilson, is one of the best in football. The Bengals just beat the Seahawks before their bye last week.
NFL experts had ranked the Bengals as low as the high teens. Now, they rightly have them in the top 10 of the NFL.
Deebo Samuel has also been ruled out for this game, which is a big blow to the 49ers offense.
It seems like a game where the 49ers would certainly want to play Brock Purdy, right? After all, he cleared the concussion protocol on Saturday.
Not so fast! Next week, the 49ers have their bye, so sitting Purdy for this game would give him two more weeks to get back to 100% from his concussion. He also told Troy Aikman that he is still working on strengthening his arm back to 100%. That's much more difficult to do after playing in a game and then having to rest afterward. The extra rest and rehabilitation from not playing would likely increase Purdy's arm strength.
I'll be at the game on Sunday, so I'd much rather watch Purdy play than Sam Darnold. In fact, that could be the difference between the 49ers winning or losing the game. Still though, I'd rather lose the battle to win the war. The 49ers will need Purdy more down the stretch and into the playoffs than they do now.
Even without Purdy, the Bengals are still beatable. Their offensive line has been their biggest liability since Burrow arrived. Their secondary is weak, other than Mike Hilton, one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the NFL, and Chidobe Awuzie, a solid cornerback. Their superstar safety, Jessie Bates, signed a huge deal with the Falcons in the offseason.
I'm pretty sure that Kyle Shanahan will play Purdy. I don't think it's worth the risk though, even if that means that the 49ers lose to the Bengals on Sunday. The fact that 49ers' all-world left tackle, Trent Williams, is out with a low ankle sprain just one more reason to sit Purdy. My two predictions are: with Purdy: 49ers 24 - Bengals 21; with Sam Darnold: 49ers 17 - Bengals 24.
