National Football League
Cincinnati 17, San Diego 10
When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, December 1, 2013
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Temperature: 77°
Head Official: John Parry
Attendance: 61536

Bengals 17, Chargers 10: Andy Dalton overcame a wretched first half to throw for 190 yards and the go-ahead touchdown as visiting Cincinnati dealt a blow to San Diego's playoff hopes.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed for a season-high 92 yards and a touchdown and A.J. Green had five catches for 83 yards and a score to keep the Bengals (8-4) two games in front of Baltimore atop the AFC North. Dalton, who threw for only 41 yards with an interception in the first half, finished 14-of-23 for 190 yards.

Philip Rivers threw for 252 yards with one touchdown and one interception for the Chargers (5-7), who fell a game behind Miami and Baltimore for the second wild card in the AFC. Rookie Keenan Allen had eight receptions for 106 yards.

The teams traded touchdowns on back-to-back possessions in the first four minutes of the second quarter as Green-Ellis scored on a 4-yard run for the Bengals and Rivers countered by hitting backup tight end Ladarius Green for a 30-yard scoring strike over the middle.

Cincinnati's Dre Kirkpatrick intercepted Rivers to halt a drive by San Diego and the Bengals turned it into seven points when Dalton capped a 75-yard march with a 21-yard TD pass to A.J. Green to make it 14-7 with 1:42 left in the third quarter. Mike Nugent's 46-yard field goal extended the lead to 10 with 9:16 to play before Nick Novak kicked a 48-yarder for San Diego with 4:42 left, but the Chargers never got the ball back.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Dalton has surpassed 3,000 yards in each of his first three seasons while Green-Ellis scored his first touchdown since Week 5 versus New England. ... Allen had his fifth 100-yard game and is one shy of tying LaDainian Tomlinson's franchise-rookie mark of 59 receptions. ... Cincinnati limited the Chargers to 91 yards rushing on 24 attempts.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Cincinnati   San Diego
BenJarvus Green-Ellis Player Ryan Mathews
20 Attempts 14
92 Yards 61
4.6 Avg Yards 4.4
1 Touchdowns 0
13 Long 13
Receiving
Cincinnati   San Diego
A.J. Green Player Keenan Allen
5 Receptions 8
83 Yards 106
16.6 Avg Yards 13.2
1 Touchdowns 0
28 Long 22
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Cincinnati 354 164 190 2 1 1 2.0 2
San Diego 334 91 243 1 1 1 0.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • San Diego will play their next game at home against N.Y. Giants. The Chargers have a W/L % of .200 after a win and .571 after a loss.
  • Cincinnati will play their next game at home against Indianapolis. The Bengals have a W/L % of .625 after a win and .750 after a loss.