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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Mike Riley's coaching debut was as good as it
gets.
Jim Harbaugh threw a pair of touchdown passes and Junior Seau
led a punishing defense that helped the Chargers pull away to a
34-7 victory over the bumbling Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
|  | | Chargers running back Natrone Means wards off Bengals safety Greg Myers with a stiff arm. |
Once it finally ended -- and there was no doubt about the outcome
after halftime -- the Chargers headed for the locker room to cheer
their first-year head coach, present him with a game ball for his
first win and then think about what they'd accomplished.
"This feels really good for them," Riley said, after leading
his players in cheers so loud they could be heard in an adjacent
interview room. "I heard some comments like, 'I haven't felt this
in a while.' "
Optimism mingled with relief in the Chargers' locker room. They
went 0-5 in the preseason, reinforcing the notion that one of the
NFL's last-place finishers in 1998 had changed coaches and
quarterbacks but little else.
The Chargers destroyed the notion while destroying the Bengals
(0-2), who lost quarterback Jeff Blake to a sprained shoulder and
got jeered off the field.
"I'm happy for coach Riley," Seau said. "We put him through
hell in the preseason by going 0-5. We had to prove ourselves."
Seau led a defense that allowed only 172 yards and produced a
touchdown -- he forced Blake to fumble, and linebacker Gerald Dixon
returned the ball 27 yards for a touchdown that essentially put it
out of reach late in the first half.
It was San Diego's most one-sided opening victory since a 42-13
win in Minnesota in 1984 under coach Don Coryell.
"Aw, it feels great," Riley said. "I thought the fourth
quarter wouldn't end."
The Bengals are once again wondering when their decade-long run
of losing will end. They fell to 0-2 for the fifth time in the
decade and remained winless in 1999 -- like San Diego, they failed
to get a victory in the preseason.
Only 47,660 fans saw the most lopsided home opening loss in
Bengals history, surpassing a 30-7 drubbing by Houston in 1991. The
few that stuck around cheered sarcastically when the Bengals
managed a first down in the fourth quarter and jeered the players
as they left the field.
The Bengals tied their team record with seven fumbles, losing
four of them. Akili Smith also was intercepted.
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GAME NOTES |
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The Chargers had not won a road opener since a 37-34
victory in Denver in 1994.
The 28 first-half points marked the Chargers' best half in eight years.
The NFL's top run defense of 1998 started strong, holding Cincinnati to 47 net yards rushing on 17 plays -- an average of 2.8 yards per play.
Bengals fullback Brian Milne was inactive with a sore knee.
The Bengals aren't sure how long Jeff Blake will be sidelined. Coach Bruce Coslet
said it could be anywhere from a week to a month.
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"It hurts and I'm sick of it," Blake said. "Every Sunday I
come out focused and I play my heart out. On our first drive, I
thought we'd found some answers. We go down and -- bing, boom -- we
score, but you can't win with turnovers like that."
The Chargers were the only NFL team to sit out last week with a
bye, and looked rusty when at the outset. Seau jumped offsides and
drew a personal foul for a late hit on Blake on the game's opening
series, setting up Blake's 12-yard touchdown pass to Tony McGee.
That was it for the Bengals, who failed to get a first down on
their next six possessions and lost Blake on the seventh when he
was hit by Seau on a passing play. He completed 7 of 16 passes for
68 yards.
Smith took over for Blake and was 10-of-17 for 100 yards with
one interception and two sacks.
"What can I say? We just looked horrible," said Corey Dillon,
who fumbled twice and was held to 37 yards by the NFL's top-ranked
run defense of 1998. "It just wasn't happening. I take
responsibility. The turnovers just hurt us."
Jim Harbaugh had an erratic debut, but it was an improvement
over last season, when the Chargers offense went nowhere behind
Ryan Leaf. Harbaugh was 15-of-26 for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
The Chargers' offense was out of sync initially -- Freddie Jones
dropped Harbaugh's first pass and the quarterback nearly was
intercepted on his next throw.
San Diego had to settle for the first of John Carney's four
field goals after a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line following
Dillon's fumble.
But the Bengals gave the Chargers plenty of chances to work off
the rust, fumbling three times in the first half.
"You've got to give all the credit to the defense," Harbaugh
said. "They shut them down after that first drive. They got no
more points and, really, first downs were tough for them to come
by."
Harbaugh put the Chargers in control by threading a pass to Jeff
Graham in the end zone between safety Greg Myers and cornerback
Rodney Heath for a 20-7 lead with 2:08 left in the half.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
San Diego Clubhouse
Cincinnati Clubhouse
Bengals QB Blake sprains passing shoulder
Week 2 wrap-ups
Week 2 infirmary report
TJ's Take: Patriotic display
Week 2 PrimeTime Players
Week 2 stats leaders
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