Bengals vs. 49ers: San Francisco Grades, Notes and Quotes

The San Francisco 49ers offense continued to lack any kind of answers in Week 15, as they hosted the visiting Cincinnati Bengals at Levi's Stadium.

Despite some early inspiring efforts from the defense, the 49ers ended up dropping the game 24-14 to a Bengals team that was without quarterback Andy Dalton (hand) and tight end Tyler Eifert (concussion).

The Cincinnati injuries mattered little as the Bengals found themselves up 21-0 at the half, thanks to multiple turnovers from San Francisco's offense and rookie Bradley Pinion's shanked 18-yard punt.

With a seemingly less than half-full Levi's Stadium, the 49ers didn't show much life on offense during the second half. Although fullback Bruce Miller's one-yard rush in the third quarter finally got San Francisco on the scoreboard.

And wide receiver Anquan Boldin added San Francisco's second touchdown at the 2:17 mark of the fourth quarter.

Despite a recovered onside kick, the 49ers couldn't close the gap any further and now drop to 4-10 with two games left in the regular season.

Let's take a look at San Francisco's effort from this underwhelming performance.

Position Grades

Quarterback: D-

San Francisco's coaching staff doesn't appear to trust quarterback Blaine Gabbert to go deep on 3rd-and-long plays, and the 49ers converted just twice on 14 attempts—continuing an unsettling trend from the offense.

Gabbert finished 30-of-50 for 295 yards on the day with one touchdown against three interceptions, which resulted in a 58.3 passer rating. He wasn't helped by two bobbled interceptions off tight end Vance McDonald's hands.

The 49ers made it interesting late in the fourth quarter after recovering an onside kick just ahead of the two-minute warning. But Gabbert's third interception ensured there would be no 49ers comeback.

Running Back: D+

The 49ers lost running back Shaun Draughn to a knee injury in the first half after he posted 38 yards on nine carries. His backup, Travaris Cadet, finished with a meager four yards on two carries.

Aside from a few significant gains from Draughn, San Francisco's rushing attack was a virtual non-factor.

At least fullback Bruce Miller found the end zone for the 49ers' first points on the day.

Wide Receiver: F

Veteran wideout Anquan Boldin had a costly fumble in the first half, which led to the Bengals' first touchdown of the game. He led all 49ers receivers with 74 yards on eight catches and had San Francisco's lone receiving touchdown on the afternoon.

No other 49ers wide receiver crested more than 40 yards through the air.

Tight End: F

McDonald's two bobbled passes, which Cincinnati's defense intercepted, didn't help the third-year pro's chances of returning to San Francisco next season. He was removed from the starting position after his second drop but saw some snaps later in the contest.

Needless to say, both of those turnovers were killers.

Rookie tight end Blake Bell continued to flash some promise and ended up with 43 yards on four receptions. It wouldn't be surprising to see an increased role for Bell over San Francisco's remaining two games as the team gauges what it has in advance of 2016.

Offensive Line: D+

San Francisco's offensive line didn't allow nine sacks, as was the case last week, but it still gave up four of them for 32 yards.

Right tackle Erik Pears was flagged multiple times, and the 49ers lost offensive lineman Marcus Martin to a concussion during the contest. At least guard Andrew Tiller is looking like a solid piece if the 49ers elect to re-sign him this offseason.

Defensive Line: B-

Tackling was much better in Week 15 than it was the previous week in Cleveland. And the 49ers had some impressive defensive stands in the first half before Cincinnati started to run away with time of possession.

Defensive end Tank Carradine saw a significant increase in playing time, and defensive tackle Mike Purcell had some nice efforts.

Nose tackle Ian Williams, who posted six tackles and a fumble recovery during the game, remains a re-sign priority for San Francisco's run defense.

Linebacker: C+

Linebacker NaVorro Bowman returned to his tackling ways and posted 12 on the day. Fellow linebacker Gerald Hodges had 10 after getting another start in place of injured linebacker Michael Wilhoite (ankle).

Third-year linebacker Corey Lemonier continues to be a 49ers disappointment. And his late hit in the fourth quarter didn't impress Bowman.

Defensive Back: C+

Second-year defensive back Jimmie Ward was one of the stars on defense, and he looks nothing like the overmatched player seen a year ago.

Ward had five tackles, two of which were for a loss, and a sack.

The 49ers only gave up two passing plays of 30-plus yards and managed to hold Bengals receiving targets to just 192 yards through the air—not a spectacular effort, but not a horrendous one either.

Special Teams: D

Punter Bradley Pinion's shanked 18-yard punt marked the lowlight of San Francisco's special teams—a play that resulted in a Bengals first-half touchdown.

Pinion was busy with seven punts on the day.

And that's not a good thing.

Veteran kicker Phil Dawson's lone field-goal attempt was blocked, which further fueled San Francisco's point-scoring slump.

Coaching: F

The Bengals entered the contest with the league's second-best defense, which made the 49ers' game-planning efforts considerably difficult. But it's hard to suspect exactly what San Francisco's offensive approach was.

An offensive approach that resulted in just two third-down conversions on 14 attempts speaks volumes to the ineptitude of offensive coordinator Geep Chryst's unit.

Defensive coordinator Eric Mangini can be somewhat satisfied from his unit's efforts at various points, but it's clear the rest of the 49ers coaching staff didn't have an effective game plan in place to show any sort of team-wide competitiveness. 

And it doesn't help seeing San Francisco flagged 11 times for 98 yards.

Tight end Vance McDonald had a nice two-game stretch earlier this season and developed a little bit of a rapport with quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

But McDonald's concussion, suffered in Week 13, put a stop to his brief impact. He was unable to return until Week 15.

McDonald bobbled two passes during the effort—both of which the Bengals defense intercepted. It's an unsettling trend from the third-year pro, who has endured a history of dropped passes since being selected by the 49ers in Round 2 of the 2013 NFL draft.

Who knows whether or not McDonald remains with the team in 2016 given his struggles over his pro career.

Yet, San Francisco may start to ask more out of rookie tight end Blake Bell over the final two games of the remaining schedule to, at least, see what he can offer on offense in advance of next year.

The 49ers offense is bad. And this unit's Week 15 performance won't help the team get out of its last-place standing with two games left on the schedule.

San Francisco's offensive woes continued through its game versus Cincinnati. This unit finished with 17 first downs and a time-of-possession mark of 29:01. 

Ironically, the 49ers outgained the Bengals 318 yards to 242.

But San Francisco's three offensive turnovers, along with Pinion's shanked punt, were mistakes a struggling offense and overworked defense could not overcome. And going 2-of-14 on third downs isn't a respectable offense's winning formula.

The 49ers lack any sort of firepower and offensive approach to offset opposing leads this season. San Francisco seemed all but doomed the moment the Bengals scored their second touchdown of the day.

And that turning point came in the second quarter.

A week after allowing over 200 yards to the Browns, San Francisco's defense shored up a lot of its shortcomings in a much-better effort versus the Bengals.

Missed tackles were not as much of a factor as they were in Cleveland. And the 49ers' run defense managed to hold Cincinnati's rushing attack to just 68 yards and an average of 1.9 yards per carry. 

Nose tackle Ian Williams was a force against the run, and linebacker NaVorro Bowman led all 49ers defenders with 12 tackles—one of them for a loss.

And it was a good sign to see the 49ers' pass rush, minus linebacker Aaron Lynch (concussion), post-four sacks of rookie quarterback AJ McCarron.

One of the better defensive standouts was second-year defensive back Jimmie Ward.

Ward, who struggled his rookie season before an injury shut him down in the second half of 2014, has played solid this season. He finished the contest with five tackles—two for a loss, a sack and one pass defended.

But the defense couldn't overcome the offensive woes. Cincinnati took advantage of good field position in the first half.

Forty-niners CEO Jed York has been the focus of fans' wrath for almost the entirety of 2015.

One banner, flown over Levi's Stadium in Week 13, stated the 49ers and York should "mutually part ways"—comments emulating what York said following the departure of former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh at the end of the 2014 season.

Sunday, another flying banner was seen over the stadium. This one asked to hold York accountable, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.

York has been quiet for much of the season. But he did speak, albeit briefly, to CSNBayArea.com's Matt Maiocco.

"We'll talk about everything at the end of the season," York said, per Maiocco.

And, according to Inman, York declined to speak with Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News.

Niner fans will assuredly be awaiting what York has to say at the conclusion of 2015.

Along with CEO Jed York, head coach Jim Tomsula has also drawn a lot of heat from 49ers fans for his inability to adequately prepare his 49ers team in advance of each and every week.

Indeed, the 49ers sit at the bottom of NFL rankings on offense. And their defense, especially away from home, doesn't rank much better.

But safety Eric Reid noted, via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, San Francisco's shortcomings shouldn't fall solely on Tomsula.

"You can't put it on Jimmy (Tomsula)," Reid said. "A lot of the plays come down to us executing."

Reid also took accountability for the team's issues by pointing out self-inflicted wounds, per Jennifer Chan of Niners Nation.

"Every week we seem to shoot ourselves in the foot."

Indeed, the 49ers hurt themselves. Turnovers, problems on third down and a 21-0 deficit by halftime speak to that.

It shouldn't have taken too long for the casual television-broadcast observer to notice Levi's Stadium wasn't even close to half-full despite the 49ers honoring Super Bowl greats from the 1980s during halftime.

But, for those who didn't see it, this tweet from Brodie Brazil of CSN Bay Area should show you everything you need to know.

Week 15 marked the second home game in a row where in-game attendance (not total tickets sold) was an issue for the 49ers. Fans are clearly in protest of the product seen on the field this season. It doesn't take much to see that.

And the players themselves don't want to blame the fans.

"We love our fans to death," wide receiver Torrey Smith said, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. "But we played in an empty stadium. I don't blame them. We're not playing good. Not fun to watch."

No. The 49ers aren't fun to watch right now. And they'll probably not be very fun to watch over the remainder of their 2015 games.

All statistics, injury reports, records and accolades courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com unless otherwise indicated.

Peter Panacy is a Featured Columnist covering the San Francisco 49ers for Bleacher Report. Follow him @PeterPanacy on Twitter.