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Cincinnati Bengals quarterbak Andy Dalton, dives in for the game
winning score Sunday against the Chargers.
Cincinnati Bengals
Bengals Hold
Chargers to Zero 2nd-Half Points in win
bleacherreport.com
SAN DIEGO-Quarterback Andy Dalton snapped his three-week streak of no
interceptions while his offense showed signs of its previous
inconsistency, but the Cincinnati Bengals still managed to pull out
their fourth straight win and defeat the San Diego Chargers on Sunday,
20-13.
It wasn't perfect, but in the NFL, it rarely ever is. However, the win
keeps the Bengals in playoff contention and further serves to highlight
what an asset they have in their defense.
The Bengals allowed 13 points to the Chargers in the first half—a
pick-six by San Diego linebacker Demorrio Williams and two field
goals—but kept them off the board in the second half. Pressure was the
key. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is currently the
second-most-sacked quarterback in the league, thanks to being protected
by a terrible offensive line.
The Bengals, who are near the top of the league in generating sacks
themselves, got to Rivers four times on Sunday, with three of those
coming in the decisive second half. A quarterback with an offensive
line like that stands no chance against the Bengals, especially when
the pressure results in turnovers.
Rivers was picked off once—by safety Reggie Nelson in the end zone,
sealing the Chargers' fate—and was the victim of a strip-sack by Carlos
Dunlap, who also recovered the ball. Those drive-killing takeaways are
two reasons why the Chargers couldn't score any points in the second
half. Their own offensive ineptitude also played a hand, as well as
great downfield coverage by Cincinnati's secondary and the front seven
all but killing off the Chargers' ability to run the ball.
Of San Diego's total 297 yards, 205 came in the first half and 280 of
them belonged to Rivers. The Chargers had just 46 total yards on 11
rushes, with 29 yards on nine carries for running back Ryan Mathews.
Rivers' most productive target was wide receiver Danario Alexander,
with six catches on 10 targets for 102 yards. Malcom Floyd was solid in
the first half, catching all three passes thrown to him, for 45 yards,
but was held to just one second-half catch despite seeing four
additional targets. And most impressively, dangerous Chargers tight end
Antonio Gates was a non-factor in this game, as he had to settle for
six catches for just 49 yards.
Most of Cincinnati's offense came in the first half, with Dalton's lone
passing touchdown coming in those 30 minutes. Fourteen of Dalton's 25
completions were in the first half, as well as 141 of his 211 total
passing yards. The Bengals offense struggled in the third quarter, with
four straight possessions ending via interception, fumble and two
three-and-outs, but their defense bailed them out, not allowing San
Diego to creep up while the Bengals briefly floundered.
Read the rest of the article at the Bleacher Report
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