3 things we learned from the Bengals against 49ers

The Bengals were ugly in their opening game at home. There is no way to erase it.

Each metric tells you that the Bengals have been severely surpassed. The 49ers totaled 572 yards over the 316 Bengals. They converted 27 first tries, while the Bengals only scored 14 points.

The poor performance of the Bengals came after an encouraging loss against the Seahawks. During week 1, the Bengals seemed new and improved. In the second week, they looked like the team that finished the 2018 1-9 season.

So what have we learned from the terrible, terrible loss of the Bengals?

The offensive line needs help

Cordy Glenn is always off going through the concussion protocol, and it shows. Andre Smith had a terrible first quarter, until he ended up leaving the match due to an injury to the groin. His replacement, John Jerry, did not do well either.

All day, the Bengals had to work around penalties, sacks and tackles for a loss. Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard had no room for maneuver and were combined nine times behind the line of scrimmage. Andy Dalton was constantly under pressure and was sacked four times.

This line costs the team. It cost them points when penalties drove the offense past the goal range. The defense needed a lot of rest because it could not qualify for a third.

This offensive line is not only bad, it's a handicap.

Lou Anarumo has some work to do

Kyle Shanahan made brilliant calls to the game that helped the 49ers' feat to explode. Most of the time, however, the defense was simply outclassed.

The defense lacked attacks. The defenders were being made by the screens. Linebackers and defensive defenders were caught off guard. The discipline on the defense was just neglected.

The game call could have really been better too. The defense has missed nickel formation on almost every game, which is great for defending the pass. However, the 49ers ran the ball 42 times and passed the ball 26 times. If you think the adverse offense is going to unfold, you want to have bigger bodies that can devour blocks instead of a smaller back that is easily swallowed.

Lou Anarumo was right when he said that everyone had to look in the mirror. There was a lot of bad Sunday. But he and Taylor should also be watching closely, as they are responsible for preparing their team to play on Sunday. This team did not look prepared.

Zac Taylor must realize what he has or does not have.

It looked like Zac Taylor was calling the Rams on Sunday. These games would probably have worked if he had had the Rams staff. Unfortunately, there is a great disparity of talent between the Rams and the Bengals.

Taylor must realize that his offensive line can not block or protect. It's not the end of the world if you can call the right pattern. This means that he has to extend the defense when running the ball or to get the ball out of the hand of the quarterbacks during passes.

The player who plays must realize what his players have the talent to do and no longer ask them to do things they can not. He should not ask Tyler Eifert or C.J. Uzomah to do a lot of blockages because their strengths are better able to receive. There was even a play in the first quarter where Alex Erickson was lined up and forced to block a linebacker (alert spoiler: it did not go well).

Taylor and Anamuro must realize what they have in defense. The defensive line is as good as in the league, but linebackers lack coverage. Maybe it means that they are planning their strengths. It may mean that they have to do more cycling to Germaine Pratt. Anyway, they try to do things that work with players they do not have.

If Taylor thinks he's the head coach, he'll spend a long day in the movie theater. There is a lot to work on, but it is not necessarily a death sentence for the Bengals. One thing is certain: they can not continue doing what they do. The only question is, will they make the adjustments?