They had no fancy explanations for the collapse, no X’s and O’s to show how a defense that started so well could implode so thoroughly. Perhaps that’s because only a simple reason could account for the Bengals’ 49-41 loss to the San Diego Chargers yesterday in Paul Brown Stadium. "We had some guys quit," Bengals safety Dexter Jackson said. "You saw the game. A lot of guys quit out there today." That’s about as damning an indictment as a teammate can make. Though other Bengals didn’t go as far, the evidence doesn’t contradict Jackson. After forcing punts on San Diego’s first four possessions, Cincinnati allowed touchdowns on seven of the Chargers’ next nine, and one of those possessions was one play to end the first half. The Bengals allowed 42 points in the final two quarters, the most Cincinnati has ever allowed in a half. Thirty-five came in the first 16 minutes after halftime, wiping out a 28-7 Bengals lead. The loss puts the Bengals’ defense of their AFC North title on life support. While Cincinnati (4-5) was disintegrating, Baltimore was rallying past Tennessee to increase its lead over the Bengals to three games. The collapse overshadowed a career passing day by Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer (440 yards) and a Cincinnati record of 260 receiving yards by Chad Johnson. "I was yelling on the sideline, ‘Do we need our offense to score 50 points for us to win?’ " defensive end Bryan Robinson said. "Our offense shouldn’t have to put up that many points. We went out there and laid an egg today. I’m embarrassed for this team. Our offense played its tails off and we couldn’t get off the field." San Diego (7-2) deserves much of the credit for the comeback. Running back La-Dainian Tomlinson scored four touchdowns, showing the shiftiness that makes him perhaps the NFL’s best runner. Quarterback Philip Rivers displayed the poise and play-making ability that made him so coveted. But some of the damage was done by lesser players. Receiver Malcom Floyd had five catches for 109 yards, including a 46-yard touchdown catch when he beat cornerback Deltha O’Neal. Floyd had 90 receiving yards in San Diego’s first eight games. Tight end Brandon Manumaleuna added two touchdown catches. The second, which accounted for the final score, was indicative of Cincinnati’s defensive futility. Facing third-and-goal from the 5, Rivers wanted to throw to Tomlinson, who was covered. So he scrambled left. Linebacker Caleb Miller had coverage on Manumaleuna coming across the field but slowed down as Madieu Williams and Johnathan Joseph closed in on Rivers. That allowed Rivers to chuck the ball to his open tight end to make it an eight-point game with 2½ minutes left. The Bengals still had a chance to send the game to overtime with a touchdown and two-point conversion, and they nearly did. Cincinnati drove to the Chargers 15, but Chris Henry dropped a seconddown pass in the end zone and Kenny Watson caught a pass for no gain. The fourth-down play didn’t come close to working. Palmer threw high to rookie Glenn Holt, and the pass was batted away. It didn’t appear that Palmer looked toward Chad Johnson on the opposite side of the field. "He’s always an option but not when he’s over-covered," Palmer said. "We had them three-on-three on the right and it was two-on-one (against Johnson) on the left. Of course, I’m going to go back and look at the film and say I should have thrown a jump ball to Chad on the left side. "But jump balls are tough. (Cornerbacks) Antonio Cromartie is 6-3 and (Drayton) Florence is 6-2. It’s not a great matchup." Columbus Dispatch http://columbusdispatch.com/bengals/bengals.php?story=dispatch/2006/11/13/20061113-G1-02.html |
