Chargers Reach Milestone, Defeat Bengals : AFC: Humphries and Means lead easy, 27-10, victory over Cincinnati. Chargers are 2-0 for first time since 1981.

It seems every time the Cincinnati Bengals come to town, the San Diego Chargers reach some kind of milestone.

Stan Humphries passed for 299 yards and two touchdowns, Natrone Means ran for 107 yards and a touchdown, and San Diego’s defense forced three turnovers deep in its own territory as the Chargers won their home opener, 27-10, over the Bengals on Sunday.

When these two teams met here on Dec. 13, 1992, the Chargers were playoff bound. They beat the Bengals, also 27-10, to become the first team in NFL history to clinch a winning record after starting with four consecutive losses.

The Chargers are 2-0 for the first time since 1981, when Air Coryell was reaching its zenith. Cincinnati fell to 0-2.

In past seasons, this might have been the kind of game the Chargers would lose. They were coming off a 37-34 victory at Denver, and there were questions about how well they would handle their sudden success.

“I think that was what kept us out of the playoffs last year,” Humphries said. “We didn’t take care of business at home, and we should have. I think maybe this team has grown up a little bit.”

Defensive end Chris Mims noted that consistent playoff contenders usually start strong.

“We’re always starting off 0-4 or 0-something,” Mims said. “We’re starting off pretty good.”

Humphries was 18 of 29, including touchdown passes of 49 and 4 yards to Mark Seay. He was not sacked by a defense that includes tackle Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson, the first pick in last April’s draft.

“That’s excellent,” said second-year left guard Joe Cocozzo, who faced Wilkinson.

Humphries has yet to be sacked this year.

“That’s hard to do in the NFL, go two games without giving up one,” left tackle Harry Swayne said.

Humphries moved San Diego 80 yards on merely five plays for a 20-3 lead with 26 seconds left in the third quarter. On third-and-8 from the Bengal 49, he found Seay--his third option--wide open at about the 20 and he outraced a defender for the score.

“I’ve never been this wide open in my whole entire career,” Seay said. “But I’ll take it.”

Seay barely kept his feet in-bounds on a 4-yard touchdown catch with 4:12 left in the game that set the final score.

Seay, whose first NFL catch was for a 29-yard touchdown last week, had eight receptions for 119 yards.

Cincinnati quarterback David Klingler was 21 of 34 for 180 yards with one touchdown, but committed two of the Bengals’ three turnovers.