Last Updated on December 16, 2009 7:13 pm by Anthony Rome
Bengals-Bolts Preview
San Diego, CA – The San Diego Chargers are thriving despite a struggling running game. The Cincinnati Bengals and their ground-focused offense, meanwhile, may need a little more balance.
Winners of eight straight, the Chargers look to secure their fourth straight postseason appearance Sunday when they face a slumping Bengals team trying to lock up an AFC North title.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Chargers –6.5 point spread favorites (View NFL odds) for Sunday’s game (Game Matchup). Current public betting information shows that 65% of bets for this game have been placed on the Chargers –6.5 (View NFL bet percentages).
Though it has LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles in the backfield, San Diego (10-3) has had trouble running the ball. Led by quarterback Philip Rivers, though, the Chargers are averaging 27.8 points per game and can clinch a postseason spot with a win over the Bengals (9-4).
San Diego can also secure first place in the AFC West with a Denver loss to Oakland, or with a victory and a Broncos tie. The Chargers will have a first-round bye if they beat the Bengals and Denver and New England lose or tie.
"The first goal that you have, obviously, is to win your division, which we still have some work to do to get that done," Rivers said. "But you want to just get in. This game this weekend will allow that to happen if we go out and play well and win the game. … We win this game and we can be assured of playing past Jan. 3."
Rivers passed for 272 yards and a touchdown in San Diego’s 20-17 victory at Dallas last Sunday.
Tomlinson extended his NFL record of consecutive 10-touchdown seasons to nine, but he had 50 yards on 21 carries and is averaging a career-worst 3.2 yards per rush. The Chargers are 31st in the NFL in rushing at 87.5 yards a game, although that is due in part to the team shifting its offensive focus to the passing game.
San Diego is tied for 15th in the league with 26.9 rushes per game. With a pass-first approach, the Chargers are averaging 266.8 passing yards – fifth in the NFL.
Six of the top seven passing teams in the league are in playoff position. Five are division leaders and two are undefeated.
The top four rushing teams, meanwhile, currently sit outside the playoff picture. Cincinnati ranks sixth in that category with 132.8 rushing yards a contest, and that has helped put them a win away from securing the AFC North title.
The Bengals’ commitment to the running game, however, has exposed a weakness over the past month: Being so intent on gaining yards on the ground puts them out of sync when they need to throw.
With their running game contained, Carson Palmer was held to 94 yards through the air in a 30-10 defeat to Minnesota last Sunday. The Bengals failed to win their third straight and lost for the second in four games.
"I don’t know if we’re going to change what we do," Palmer said. "We’re on the top of our division and still can control our destiny. After one loss, there’s no reason to say, ‘All right, we’re going to become a passing football team,’ because we’re a running football team."
Cincinnati was held to fewer than 100 yards passing for the second time in three games. It beat Cleveland 16-7 on Nov. 29 despite gaining 96 yards through the air.
Cincinnati reached 200 yards passing once in its last five games.
The loss of deep threat Chris Henry (broken arm) appears to have hampered Palmer and the Bengals. Since Henry was injured in a 17-7 win over Baltimore on Nov. 8, Cincinnati has scored five TDs in 63 possessions.
Chad Ochocinco is the only consistent downfield threat remaining, drawing extra coverage as a result. Laveranues Coles has not been able to take advantage, catching 33 passes in 13 games.
Even though the Bengals had little trouble throwing the ball in their last matchup with the Chargers, it wasn’t enough. San Diego scored 42 points in second half of a 49-41 win Nov. 12, 2006, as Rivers’ shovel pass into the end zone with 2:29 left completed one of the Chargers’ greatest comebacks.
Ochocinco set a team record with 260 yards and two long touchdowns, and Palmer passed for a career-best 440 yards and three TDs.
Rivers threw for 338 yards and three scores. Tomlinson had four TDs, rushed for 104 yards and caught six passes for 54 yards.
Tomlinson is having his worst season, but his ability to find the end zone has kept defenses honest in goal-line situations. His 136 career rushing TDs, all since 2001, match Emmitt Smith’s record for most in a single decade.
Smith had 136 of his NFL-record 164 scores from 1990-99.
Posted: 12/16/09 7:16PM ET