49ers dominate Bengals in Week 2, improve to 2-0 after 41-17 win

The San Francisco 49ers hadn't gone 2-0 to start a season since 2012. And in that year, the Niners rode the momentum all the way to the Super Bowl.

After knocking off the Cincinnati Bengals 41-17 in Week 2, head coach Kyle Shanahan now has two road wins to open up his 2019 campaign. Road wins had been elusive for Shanahan, since taking over head coaching duties in San Francisco in 2017. But the 49ers' efforts in Cincinnati certainly didn't suggest that.

The Niners got off to a hot start, sacking Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton on their first defensive snap of the game. And by halftime, the 49ers had a commanding 24-10 lead, thanks to two touchdown passes from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and a rushing touchdown by running back Jeff Wilson, who was activated off the practice squad earlier in the week.

Garoppolo and the offense picked up right where they left off to start the third quarter, as Garoppolo hit rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel for a 2-yard touchdown -- the receiver's first in the NFL:

Samuel had himself quite the coming-out party in Week 2, posting five catches for 87 yards and the touchdown. Meanwhile, Garoppolo was 17-of-25 for 297 yards, three touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 131.2. For those wondering if Garoppolo could bounce back from his pedestrian efforts in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it's pretty safe to say he answered the critics nicely.

Garoppolo and Samuel weren't the only players who impressed on offense, as running back Matt Breida shouldered the majority of the load on the ground to the tune of 121 yards and an average of 12.1 yards per carry.

Including this impressive first-half 34-yard scamper:

The Bengals made things interesting in the first half, tying things up at 7-7 after a touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Eifert. After that, though, nearly all the momentum went in San Francisco's favor. In total, the 49ers managed 572 all-purpose yards against a Bengals defense, which surrendered just 232 total yards in a losing effort at the Seattle Seahawks the week prior.

Meanwhile, the Niners defense picked up where it left off in Week 1, holding Dalton to a 90.5 passer rating, which was improved thanks to a garbage-time touchdown late in the fourth quarter to wide receiver John Ross.

Defensive linemen Ronald Blair, Solomon Thomas, Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner all recorded sacks, while San Francisco gave up just eight Bengals third-down conversions on 17 tries. Linebacker Kwon Alexander, who posted seven tackles in the game, also recorded an interception off Dalton.

The 49ers did receive some bad news, though, losing left tackle Joe Staley to a leg injury in the third quarter. He was able to walk off the field with some assistance, but had to be carted off into the locker room. Yet San Francisco avenged the loss a few plays later, giving Wilson his second touchdown carry of the day and increasing the lead to 41-10.

As the fourth quarter wore on, the Niners used a stout rushing attack to grind down the clock, eventually culminating with 259 net rush yards on the day.

San Francisco now owns a 2-0 record for the first time since 2012, and the Niners' two wins on the road to start the season mark the first time that's happened since 1989. The 49ers went to the Super Bowl both those years, winning in 1989.