NFL Week 8 2023: 3 teams on upset alert this Sunday

1. San Francisco 49ers (vs. Bengals)

Cue the “what’s wrong with the 49ers” talk. After looking like the best team in the league and flexing their muscles on both sides of the ball, Kyle Shanahan’s club has dropped two straight games after an impressive 5-0 start. The Niners scored exactly 17 points in setbacks to the Browns and Vikings, this after the team put 30-plus points on the board during its unbeaten start.

So, what is troubling the NFC West leaders? Quarterback Brock Purdy has not been super sharp the past few weeks. After not throwing an interception in the team’s first five games, he’s been picked off three times in two weeks. The kicking game has been erratic as rookie Jake Moody has missed on three of his last five field goal attempts.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the 49ers’ performance has been the play of its supremely talented defense. It gave up a season-high 160 yards rushing in the two-point loss at Cleveland. On Monday night at Minnesota, coordinator Steve Wilks’s unit surrendered a season-high 452 total yards, most of that through the air. Vikings’ quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 378 yards and wasn’t sacked in his team’s 22-17 triumph.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in San Francisco on Sunday. Zac Taylor’s club had last week off and is looking to build off two straight wins. Will the Niners’ slide continue?