Chargers' dominating defense the key

Dump it off to the running back, hand it off, let the field goal kicker take it from there.

Philip Rivers didn't have to do a whole lot to get a playoff win. Not with the way San Diego's defense was dominating.

And not with the way Andy Dalton was coming apart in the playoffs again. The Chargers took advantage of Dalton's three turnovers in the second half on Sunday, pulling away to a 27-10 victory that extended San Diego's late-season surge and pushed the Bengals' postseason misery to record levels.

With Rivers making accurate throws in the chilling rain, the Chargers (10-7) won their fifth in a row, beating the last team that had knocked them off. They will play next Sunday in Denver, which has the AFC's top seed.

The Chargers lost at home to the Broncos 28-20 on Nov 10, then went to Denver and got a rejuvenating 27-20 victory on Dec 12.

"We will be confident," said Rivers, who was 12 of 16 for 128 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions on a rainy, 40-degree afternoon. "We have got to be careful we are not overconfident, which we won't be. Cincinnati came to our place and won five weeks ago."

The Bengals (11-6) won in San Diego 17-10 on Dec 1, starting their final push toward the AFC North title. They took advantage of three turnovers in that one.

The Bengals now have the sixth-longest streak of playoff futility in NFL history, stretching all the way back to the 1990 season. They have lost their playoff opener three straight years, matching a league record, according to STATS LLC.

- Associated Press

(China Daily 01/07/2014 page23)