CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- A trip to Cincinnati in the past would have been a mere formality for the San Francisco 49ers. But these aren't the same 49ers or Bengals.
Heading into Sunday's game, the 49ers still are searching for their first road win of the season while the Bengals are in the thick of the AFC North Division race.
A perennial power, the 49ers have lost all six of their road games, including an embarrassing 44-6 rout at Baltimore two weeks ago.
San Francisco has not gone winless on the road since 1978 and 1979. It also went 1-7 away from home in 1999.
Meanwhile, the Bengals, who have not been to the playoffs since 1990, finally have postseason aspirations again. They are just one game behind Baltimore with three games remaining.
The Bengals also have started to gain a home-field advantage. After losing their first two home games, the Bengals have recovered to win their last four contests at Paul Brown Stadium.
Last Sunday, the Bengals had their four-game winning streak stopped with a 31-13 loss at Baltimore. It looked like the old Bengals as they committed five turnovers, yielded a season-high six sacks and allowed 233 yards rushing.
After hosting the 49ers, the Bengals close their season with a road contest at St. Louis and a home game against Cleveland.
The 49ers have slim playoff hopes, trailing Seattle and Dallas by two games for the final wild card. They have a road game at Philadelphia next week before closing the season at home against Seattle.
Following their debacle against Baltimore, the 49ers rebounded last week with a 50-14 rout of hapless Arizona. Jeff Garcia passed for four touchdowns and ran for two more scores and Kevan Barlow rushed for 154 yards and a TD in the victory.
This contest features two of the most talkative wide receivers in the NFL in San Francisco's Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson of Cincinnati. Owens has 71 catches for 955 yards and eight touchdowns while Johnson has 73 receptions for 1,120 yards and nine scores.
San Franciso leads the series, 7-2.
