It seems that it hasn’t occurred to anyone in the Cincinnati Bengals organization, that the last time the franchise won a playoff game was around the time Vanilla Ice was the most popular rapper in the world. And yes, it’s been that long or January 6, 1991 to be exact when they blitzed the then Houston Oilers 41-14 at the late Riverfront Stadium. Well, today the Bengals suffered through 2 lost fumbles, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, and chronic second half inconsistency by quarterback Andy Dalton (29 of 51 for 334 yards, 1 touchdown pass, and 2 interceptions) as the Chargers claimed a 27-10 victory at Paul Brown Stadium.
This win gave the Chargers their first playoff win since January 3, 2009 when they beat the Indianapolis Colts 23-17 in overtime at Qualcomm Stadium.
Just think, the Bengals sold out Paul Brown Stadium for this game and this was the thanks their fans got. Some of the fans in attendance today have been season ticket holders since the days of Boomer Esiason, David Fulcher, Ickey Woods, Anthony Munoz, Max Montoya, and Carl Zander and it’s a done deal they’re fed up with the Bengals almost three-decade futility in the playoffs.
And if head coach Marvin Lewis wasn’t feeling the hot seat enough during the 2013 season, he’ll really feel it in 2014 if he can’t get this franchise past the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
The Chargers got on the board first when running back Danny Woodhead (68 yards total offense and 1 score) scored from 5 yards out behind key blocks from backup center Rich Ohrnberger and left guard Chad Rinehart to give the Chargers a 7-0 lead with 49 seconds left in the first quarter.
Then later in the second quarter, Dalton with linebacker Melvin Ingram bearing down on him (and then driving him into the turf after he threw the pass) threw a 4 yard touchdown pass to tight end Jermaine Gresham with Chargers linebacker Jarret Johnson in close coverage. That play tied the score at 7-7 with 5:59 left in the first half.
Then in the second half, the Chargers played lights out with the Bengals offense as the latter was shut out 20-0. Second year tight end Ladarius Green (3 catches for 34 yards and 1 score) started off the second half scoring for the Chargers, with his leaping 4 yard touchdown reception over cornerback Chris Crocker near the back left edge of the end zone from quarterback Philip Rivers (12 of 16 for 128 yards, 1 touchdown pass and no thefts). That made the score 14-10 with 6:46 left in the third quarter.
Rivers didn’t have to carry the Chargers on his back in this contest as turnovers and the Bolts defense carried the Chargers for most of this game. The 128 yards passing that Rivers had in this game was his lowest since he threw for just 97 yards versus Kansas City back on December 17, 2006 versus the Kansas City Chiefs.
Early in the fourth quarter, Chargers cornerback Shareece Wright intercepted Dalton at the CIN 33 yard line and then sped 30 yards to the CIN 3 yard line. The fact that the Chargers only got a successful Nick Novak 23 yard field goal out of the drive was beside the point. Wright’s theft was a sign of the beginning of the end for the Bengals as Dalton and his receivers couldn’t connect consistently, Dalton’s touch on deep throws was off, and Bengal trips inside the SD 45 yard line were wasted because the Bengals couldn’t score or convert 4th downs. Meanwhile, Novak’s 23 yard boot gave the Chargers a 20-10 lead with 14:16 left in the game.
Later in the quarter and a little after a Dalton deep down the field incompletion to A.J. Green (held to just 3 catches for 34 yards and no score) in double coverage, the Chargers were assessed a holding penalty which gave Cincy a first down at the SD 49. But this drive withered away when on 4th and 3 from the SD 41, Dalton threw a near the end zone incompletion to receiver Marvin Jones (8 catches for 130 yards and no score) versus double coverage which helped to seal the win for the Chargers with 4:44 left in the game.
But it wasn’t until Chargers running back Ronnie Brown (8 carries for 77 yards and 1 score) raced 58 yards down the middle and then down the left side for a touchdown that the Chargers REALLY had this game locked up. That score made it 27-10 Chargers with 2:17 left in the game.
