CINCINNATI _ A 2-0 start to the season became sweet reality Sunday for the 49ers traveling party.
How they ruined the Bengals home opener with a 41-17 rout will make the NFL take notice beyond an undefeated record. This 49ers win was way more convincing than their 31-17, season-opening victory at Tampa Bay.
Jimmy Garoppolo rebounded and threw three touchdown passes for the first time in a 49ers uniform, and further complementing the offensive onslaught was a 244-yard rushing attack.
Defensively, the 49ers dominated from the first snap, as Arik Armstead recorded the first of four sacks on Andy Dalton.
Potentially big trouble did arise in the form of a Joe Staley leg injury. Staley, their 13th-year left tackle, had to be carted off from the Bengals sideline with a lower-leg injury, and that left rookie Justin Skule the massive responsibility of protecting Garoppolo's blind side.
Another injury worth noting: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sustained an elbow injury Sunday. The Steelers make their first-ever trip to Levi's Stadium in the 49ers home opener next Sunday.
Here are the studs and duds from the 49ers' first 2-0 start since 2012, when that Super Bowl-bound season also included a week-long layover in Youngstown, Ohio, which is where this team sequestered itself ahead of Sunday's rout:
STUDS
Jimmy Garoppolo: He finished 17-of-25 for 297 yards with three touchdowns, one interception, no sackss and a 131.2 passer rating. After his first pass produced a third-down conversion to Kyle Juszczyk, he found Marquise Goodwin wide open for a 38-yard touchdown 47 seconds into the game. The other touchdown passes went to Raheem Mostert (39 yards) and Deebo Samuel (2 yards). Even Garoppolo's second-quarter interception didn't cost the 49ers points (Bengals missed a field goal).
Arik Armstead: Taking advantage of left tackle Cordy Glenn's absence, Armstead powered his way past Andre Smith to sack Andy Dalton on the game's first snaps. DeForest Buckner and D.J. Jones tagged Dalton down at the Bengals 4.
Marquise Goodwin: He slipped wide open down the left side of the field, snagged Garoppolo's pass at the 15-yard line, trotted into the end zone for his first touchdown of the season (38 yards) and celebrated with an Olympic-esque long jump. He had three catches for 77 yards, after just a 7-yard reception in the opener.
Matt Breida: Highlighting his 121-yard effort was a 34-yard, reverse-field, avoid-defenders run to the Bengals 15-yard line (on third-and-1) is one of the best we've seen in years. It followed Breida runs of 4 and 7 yards, and that set up Jeff Wilson's 2-yard touchdown run for a 21-7 lead.
Ronald Blair: He had a sack on the Bengals first series after halftime. He also showed up big in a first-half series, recording tackles behind the line of scrimmage against running backs Joe Mixon (minus-2 yards) and Giovani Bernard (minus-3 yards).
Nick Bosa: That right ankle injury doesn't seem to negatively impact him, nor his snap count. He narrowly missed at least three sacks, including one in the second period in which Andy Dalton flagged for throwing beyond the line of scrimmage.
Kwon Alexander: Hey, he lasted past the first quarter, and he keyed a strong defense with his tackles, swagger and speed. Mixon and Bernard weren't making it to the next level. He made his first interception as a 49er by covering Tyler Eifert and getting down field 74 seconds until halftime, after Nick Bosa flushed Andy Dalton the pocket.
Special teams: Mitch Wishnowsky's second-quarter punt was caught by 49er D.J. Reed at the Bengals 3 with 4:42 remaining. Raheem Mostert and Emmanuel Moseley had excellent tackles in coverage earlier. Robbie Gould tacked on a field goal just before halftime for the 24-10 lead.
Deebo Samuel: His first career touchdown came on a 2-yard reception as he broke open on the right side of the end zone. That made amends for a drop late in the first half. He had five catches for 87 yards, two carries for 7.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin (11) huddles with his teammates before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Frank Victores)
DUDS
K'Waun WIlliams: He was the goat for the Bengals game-tying touchdown drive in the first quarter, first allowing a 47-yard completion to a wide open Tyler Boyd and then unable to cover tight end Tyler Eifert on a 1-yard touchdown catch. Williams also had a holding penalty declined on that drive as the Bengals still completed a third-and-7 pass for an 8-yard conversion. He missed a tackle on the second series, but he made six tackles by halftime, including a touchdown-saving one on John Ross.
Solomon Thomas: He committed a late-hit, roughing-the-passer penalty after Dalton completed a pass (for no gain) with Nick Bosa grabbing at Dalton's right ankle. His persistence paid off in the second quarter by hustling to tackle a scrambling Dalton for a 1-yard sack.
Dee Ford: A knee injury led to his "questionable to return" status after halftime. He's not a dud as much as this is concerning news for a player who missed three weeks of training camp for treatment on his knee.
Richie James: He managed just 13 yards on a kickoff return, so the 49ers second possession started at their 16-yard line.
Mike McGlinchey: He committed a false-start penalty to back the 49ers up to the 20-yard line, then almost allowed a sack to Carlos Dunlap on the next snap.
Ahkello Witherspoon: Kudos to him for nearly making a pick-six in back-to-back games, but after dropping the second-quarter offering, he reverted to his soccer skills and punted the ball into the stands for a delay of game penalty.
Tarvarius Moore: Got juked at midfield on a 34-yard reception by John Ross.
