Experience Pays Off in Bengals’ Victory : Interconference: Breech’s ninth overtime field goal gives Cincinnati 31-28 victory over Chicago.

CHICAGO — Kicking overtime field goals is nothing new to Jim Breech.

Breech increased his NFL record to nine in a row Sunday night with a 36-yarder with 6:21 to play in overtime that gave the Cincinnati Bengals a 31-28 victory over the Chicago Bears.

“They asked me where I wanted the ball, and I told them a little to the left,” Breech said. “I was comfortable and I hit it real good.”

Coach David Shula had so much confidence in Breech that he went for the victory on third down.

“I would have had him kick on second down, but we lost a couple of yards on the previous play,” Shula said.

Breech’s first overtime field goal also was against the Bears, giving the Bengals a 17-14 victory in 1980.

It was the second overtime victory provided by Breech’s foot this season. He kicked a field goal on Sept. 13 to beat the Raiders, 24-21.

The Bengals (4-5) tied the score with 59 seconds to play in regulation on Boomer Esiason’s third touchdown pass, a 23-yarder to rookie Carl Pickens. The 6-foot-2 Pickens outleaped 5-9 defensive back Lemuel Stinson in the end zone.

Harold Green, who rushed 25 times for 117 yards, got most of the overtime yardage on the ground, and Esiason completed an 18-yard pass to Rodney Holman to set up Breech’s winning kick.

Jim Harbaugh, who threw two interceptions, including one that led to the tying touchdown, said: “This is the worst feeling I’ve ever had.”

The Bears seemed to have the game in hand after Darren Lewis’ 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown after the Bengals cut Chicago’s lead to 21-14 on a 35-yard scoring pass from Esiason to Eric Ball in the third quarter.