Kendall Hunter’s TD rallies 49ers over the Bengals

Associated Press

Cincinnati

One game into their weeklong trip, the San Francisco 49ers already have a very nice gift to take home and put on the shelf.

And they’ve left room in the suitcase for one more.

Kendall Hunter ran 7 yards for the game’s only touchdown with 3:59 to go Sunday, rallying the 49ers to a 13-8 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals that began their extended stay in the Buckeye State on an upbeat note.

The 49ers (2-1) haven’t had many wins on East Coast time lately, and it looked like they’d forgotten to pack their West Coast offense. San Francisco didn’t even cross midfield for the first time until midway through the third quarter.

Trailing 6-3, the 49ers put together their only drive of the game for the winning score, stunning the smallest crowd for a Bengals home opener in 30 years.

Now, there’s something to write home about.

“To become that type of team that wins on the road and take that next step, you have to win like this,” said Alex Smith, who was 4 of 5 for 48 yards on the winning drive. “I think guys were frustrated, but in a good way. They were frustrated and fired up. They wanted the ball back.

“That was different. A lot of times, I’ve been on teams where it’s kind of, ’Here we go again,’ and this is a lot different.”

It was a satisfying start to the 49ers’ visit to Ohio. They’ll practice at Youngstown State the next few days, then head to Philadelphia for their next game.

What do they think so far?

“It’s a lot different over here,” Hunter said.

Sure is. In a lot of ways.

There were only 43,363 fans at 65,500-seat Paul Brown Stadium, the Bengals’ smallest crowd for a home opener since they played at Riverfront Stadium in 1981.

Cincinnati (1-2) was limited to a pair of field goals by Mike Nugent during rookie quarterback Andy Dalton’s first dismal performance. He threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, the first of his career.

The 49ers sent that small crowd heading for the exits when Reggie Smith intercepted Dalton’s throw with 1:45 left.

“We started fast, which is what you come out to do,” said Dalton, who led the Bengals to an opening field goal. “We were flat after that. We couldn’t do the things we wanted to do.”

David Akers kicked two field goals for San Francisco, including a 53-yarder after Dalton’s first interception, pushing the lead to 13-6. After Smith intercepted Dalton again with 1:45 to go, punter Andy Lee ran out of the end zone for a safety to finish it with 2 seconds left.

Those last few minutes by the 49ers decided an ugly game overall: 12 punts, two field goals combined through three quarters.