Charger Notebook : No Rest for the Weary; High-Scoring Bengals Await
It doesn’t get easier for the Chargers. After allowing 475 yards and 48 points (both season highs) to the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, they must figure out a way to stop the Bengals in Cincinnati this Sunday.
The 49ers were ranked third in NFL offense before playing the Chargers. The Bengals rank first. The Chargers have won only 4 of 13 games and harbor no playoff aspirations.
“Our guys won’t quit,” Charger Coach Al Saunders said Monday. “It’s not in their nature. These guys are fighters.”
Said Ron Lynn, Charger defensive coordinator: “The challenge will be to get ourselves back up off the ground and get ready to play.
“What can I say? Yeah, we’re in great shape? This is just the way we want it? We’ve got ‘em right where we want ‘em?
“The only advantage we might have is they’ll look at this score (48-10) and look at this game and say these guys don’t know what they’re doing. And we’ll get a chance to sneak up on ‘em. That’s the only plus to this.”
After 13 weeks:
--Cincinnati, the Chargers’ next opponent, has 100 more first downs (304-204) than the Chargers.
--Anthony Miller, the Chargers’ leading receiver with 32 catches, has only 8 more receptions than Quinn Early, the team’s sixth-leading receiver.
--The Chargers have recovered fewer fumbles (7) than any other team in the AFC.
The Gary Anderson disappearing act recurred against 49ers. Anderson, the Chargers’ leading rusher, gained 60 yards on 13 carries in the first half and finished with 61 yards on 14 tries.
It was not the first time. The week before against the Rams Anderson gained 52 yards in 11 attempts and finished with 53 yards in 14 carries.
In Week 9 at Seattle, Anderson rushed 10 times for 44 yards in the first 30 minutes and wound up with 44 yards in 11 carries. In Week 2 in Denver, Anderson was 9 for 16 in the first half and didn’t carry the ball in the second half.
Offensive coordinator Jerry Rhome said the main reason for Anderson’s lack of work in the second half against the 49ers was the score. It was 31-7 before the Chargers got the ball in the third period.
Charger Notes
Coach Al Saunders said Mark Malone would start at quarterback Sunday against the Bengals. . . . The Chargers’ preliminary injury report for Sunday’s game in Cincinnati: linebacker Keith Browner (ribs), defensive end Leslie O’Neal (knee), linebacker David Brandon (groin), linebacker Gary Plummer (hip), and defensive end Tyrone Keys (lower back) questionable; defensive back Pat Miller (hamstring), defensive back Leonard Coleman (arm contusion), center Dan Rosado (ankle), running back Gary Anderson (knee contusion) and linebacker Cedric Figaro (ankle) probable.