The defense gave McCarron the ball in excellent field position several times, and he converted two of those opportunities into scores.
Here is a look at the good, the bad and the key plays in this week’s Bengals Report Card:
RUSH OFFENSE
The good: Jeremy Hill ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns to give him 10 for the year after recording nine as a rookie.
The bad: The production by the running backs and offensive line was the worst it's been all year with a 1.9-yard average, and it came against the league's worst rush defense.
Key Play: Hill's fumble at the San Francisco 46 came after he had just appeared to get things going with 14 yards on three carries earlier in the drive, and it gave life to a 49ers offense that had been non-existent at that point.
Grade: D-
PASS OFFENSE
The Good: McCarron was an efficient 15 of 21 for 192 yards, and the backup-to-backup touchdown pass from McCarron to rookie tight end Tyler Kroft looked an awful lot like red zone strikes Bengals fans saw so much of earlier this year from injured starters Andy Dalton and Tyler Eifert.
The Bad: The four sacks the Bengals allowed were tied for the second-most this year, and they came against a defense that was specifically focused on shutting down the run.
Key Play: Although it didn't lead to points, McCarron's 37-yard strike to A.J. Green on the Bengals' fifth play of the game was a big confidence booster that let the rest of the offense exhale and settle into the gameplan.
Grade: C+
RUSH DEFENSE
The Good: The 55 yards San Francisco gained on the ground were the second fewest allowed by the Bengals this season, and the 49ers' 3.2 average marked the third consecutive game and fifth in the last six Cincinnati has held an opponent below 4.0.
The Bad: San Francisco starter Shaun Draughn, a journeyman who has been cut by seven teams, had 38 yards on nine carries (4.2) before leaving the game with a knee injury.
Key Play: Geno Atkins exploded into the San Francisco backfield on the third play of the game and dropped Draughn for a 4-yard loss to set the tone for the afternoon.
Grade: A
PASS DEFENSE
The Good: Three interceptions, four sacks and 12 third-down stops.
The Bad: Adam Jones not only dropped a sure interception that would have been his second of the game, he had the ball ricochet off his arms and go right to San Francisco receiver Torrey Smith for the 49ers first third-down conversion of the game on their 13th attempt.
Key Play: After the 49ers had appeared to convert their first third down on their sixth attempt, Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap chased down wide receiver Anquan Boldin and stripped him off the ball to set off a three-touchdown spree by the Cincinnati offense in a span of less than four minutes.
Grade: A
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Good: Carlos Dunlap blocked his second field goal of the year, and Jones dropped back to return a couple of punts, which is a good sign that his injured right foot is close to 100 percent.
The Bad: Kevin Huber put his two of his first four punts into the end zone for touchbacks after having only two touchbacks in 48 attempts during the first 13 games of the season.
Key Play: Mohamed Sanu's inability to field an onside kick with 2:16 remaining made things a lot more interesting than they needed to be.
Grade: B
COACHING
The Good: Hue Jackson's conservative approach to begin the game allowed McCarron to settle in and wait for the Bengals' disruptive defense to make things easier for him with some good field position.
The Bad: Even without the services of three starters – and four if you count A.J. Green, who left in the third quarter with a back injury – allowing a 21-point halftime lead to shrink to 10 in the fourth quarter is cause for a little concern.
Key Play: Taking a deep shot – and hitting it for a 47-yard reception to Marvin Jones – on the opening drive of the second half is something the Bengals are going to need to do more of as defenses load the box against the inexperienced McCarron.
Grade: B
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