CINCINNATI -- There's still about three months until the start of the regular season.
Still, it isn't too early to start previewing the Cincinnati Bengals' year by looking at the past and seeing how they previously fared against the teams they will be facing. Whether they last saw their upcoming opponents one year ago or four, and whether they faced them in the regular season or in the playoffs, there could be something to learn from those meetings.
We began with the first team on the Bengals' 2015 schedule, the Oakland Raiders. Next came the San Diego Chargers. Next came the Baltimore Ravens. Next came the Kansas City Chiefs. Next came the Seattle Seahawks. Next came the Buffalo Bills. Then came the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then came the Cleveland Browns. Then came the Houston Texans. Then came the Arizona Cardinals. Now, we continue with team No. 11, the San Francisco 49ers.
In their most recent outing against the 49ers, the Bengals were a special-teams touchdown away from walking off with a dramatic comeback win on the heels of a too-soon 49ers safety. But ultimately, the Bengals didn't find themselves in the end zone in the closing seconds, just like they didn't all game:
Date of 2015 meeting: Dec. 20, at San Francisco
49ers' 2014 record: 8-8
All-time series: 49ers lead 11-3
Last time Bengals faced 49ers: San Francisco won, 13-8, on Sept. 25, 2011
How the game was lost: Like nearly all of their meetings, this one came down to the wire. Now nine of the 14 games in this series -- including the two Super Bowl meetings -- have been decided by a touchdown or less. With the eyes of the nation on this year's Sunday night matchup, don't be surprised if the teams have another close contest.
In the 2011 game, the Bengals officially lost it when, with two seconds on the game clock, Nate Clements fumbled on an attempted safety punt return. Had Cincinnati been able to score on the return, it would have won in stunning walk-off fashion. It also likely would have come away with a victory it probably didn't deserve. The Bengals that day lost the turnover battle (3-1), were well outpaced in time of possession and converted only one third down. Sure, they entered the fourth quarter with a 6-3 lead, and their defense played well all day, coming away with five sacks and a 5-for-15 showing on third down. But offensively, Cincinnati just couldn't really put it together. Those two field goals were the only scoring the offense could muster.
Just before the hopeful end-of-game punt return, the Bengals claimed two more points. In an attempt to run out the clock and take their chances in giving up a safety on fourth down, the 49ers had punter Andy Lee run into the end zone and out of bounds. There were still two seconds left on the game clock when he did that, giving Cincinnati just enough time for one last hopeful play to go its way.
This year's key storyline: It was an offseason of change for the 49ers, who lost their head coach to the college ranks and have had a series of somewhat head-scratching retirements. While it was probably time for Patrick Willis and former Bengal Justin Smith to end their careers, 25-year-old Anthony Davis and 24-year-old Chris Borland left the game comparatively early. Davis still hasn't ruled out a return, though.
With other key players such as Michael Crabtree and Frank Gore gone in free agency, San Francisco's locker room will look dramatically different this year than it did three years ago when Colin Kaepernick led the team to the Super Bowl.