SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Jeremy Hill ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns to back AJ McCarron's first career start, and the patchwork Cincinnati Bengals clinched a fifth straight postseason berth by beating the San Francisco 49ers 24-14 on Sunday.
As Andy Dalton watched from the sideline with a large cast over his broken right thumb, McCarron threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kroft just before halftime as the Bengals (11-3) forced three second-quarter turnovers by San Francisco (4-10) to take command.
Vontaze Burfict and Adam "Pacman" Jones each made interceptions on balls that deflected off the hands of tight end Vance McDonald. Cincinnati capitalized with touchdowns on two of the turnovers, including Kroft's TD catch one play and five seconds after the second pick.
If all goes as planned, the Bengals will return to the Bay Area for the Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium.
Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press
