Malone Still Winless as a Starter as Chargers Fall to Bengals, 27-10

First the Chargers shot themselves in the foot. Then they spent the rest of this chilly, autumn, Midwestern afternoon dodging bullets.

The end result was a 27-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals (11-3), a team headed for the playoffs for the first time in 6 years.

To the casual observer, the error-prone and outmanned Chargers (4-10) appear headed for a nervous breakdown.

They have scored 14 or fewer points in 9 of their 14 games. Their current quarterback, Mark Malone, is 0-6 as a starter. And their hottest receiver, Rod Bernstine, is out for the year with a left knee injury that X-rays suggested to be a torn ligament. The Bernstine injury occurred in the second half when he suffered a direct hit to the knee from a Bengal helmet.

“Help,” said Charger offensive coordinator Jerry Rhome after the game. “Help.”

Rhome was referring specifically to the rash of penalties that prevented his offense from scoring a touchdown on its first possession. Two of the infractions wiped out scores.

But Rhome could have been talking about what head Coach Al Saunders will need to prevent owner Alex Spanos from replacing him soon after the season ends.

Last month Spanos said Saunders’ job was secure through the remainder of the schedule. He said he expected improvement. After that, he promised nothing.

“We’re learning,” said Malone, who completed 14 of 37 passes for 138 yards while throwing 3 interceptions. “But we’re learning through the school of hard knocks.”

Meanwhile, the Charger defense gave up more than 200 yards rushing for the second straight week. The Chargers have also allowed a whopping 75 points in their last 2 games.

None of which sounds like the profile of a team with the modest goal of playing a little better each Sunday.

“Collectively we’ve had a lot of breakdowns,” said rookie wideout Quinn Early, who scored the Chargers’ only touchdown on a 9-yard toss from Malone late in the third period. “Those things can’t happen.”

“We’ve had more success screwing ourselves up than defenses have had stopping us,” Malone said.

Steve DeLine’s 26-yard, first-quarter field goal accounted for their only other points.

The Chargers have scored fewer points (187) than any team in the league. The team that beat them Sunday has scored more (423) than any team in the league.

Rookie running back Ickey Woods paced the Bengals with 141 yards in 19 carries and touchdown runs of 4 and 30 yards. Cincinnati quarterback Boomer Esiason completed 10 of 19 passes for 178 yards including scoring passes of 23 and 2 yards to Cris Collinsworth and ex-Charger James Brooks.

The Bengals can clinch the AFC Central with a win next week in Houston. Their victory over the Chargers secured at least a wild-card berth.

Woods, an engaging sort who dances something called the “Ickey Shuffle” after each score, has now run for 15 touchdowns. That’s a Bengal record and three less than the entire Charger offense has scored all year.

“We just dug our own hole,” Rhome said.

And the Bengals shoveled in the dirt.