Del Greco Learns From Foe

Al Del Greco didn’t want to make the same kind of mistake that gave Houston its final opportunity.

A few minutes after he watched Doug Pelfrey miss a potential game-winning kick, Del Greco took the field and reminded himself to kick it straight. His 49-yarder 7:07 into overtime was down the middle, sending the Houston Oilers to a 30-27 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I knew I could get it there,” Del Greco said of his longest field goal of the season. “All I wanted to do was get it on line. My adrenaline made it go as far as it did.”

Cincinnati (1-4) had a chance to win in regulation, but Pelfrey’s 40-yard field-goal attempt as time expired drifted right. The ball had plenty of distance--it soared higher than the top of the upright--but never hooked.

“I felt good before the kick,” Pelfrey said. “It wasn’t a solid hit. It came off just a little bit to the right and drifted.

“You get paid to come out and make field goals, whether it be in the first quarter or the fourth quarter. I got the opportunity and didn’t do it.”

The two kicks provided an emotional swing for the Oilers (3-2), who fell behind in the first half with sloppy play but pulled even and then pulled it out with the help of Pelfrey’s miss.

The Bengals went three-and-out to open the overtime, and Chris Chandler put the Oilers in position for the victory by completing a 37-yard pass to Willie Davis, his first reception of the game.

Eddie George had 152 yards and a touchdown that started Houston’s second-half comeback.

“It felt good to be back in Ohio,” said George, who won the Heisman Trophy at Ohio State. “It kind of brings back my Ohio State days.”

The loss brought back a familiar feeling for Dave Shula, who fell to 19-50 in his five seasons as the Bengals’ coach. His contract is up after the season, and he needs to make a run at the playoffs to save his job.

“It’s going to be tough on us now,” Shula said. “We thought it was tough before, but we haven’t seen anything yet. We’ll see what kind of fight we’ve got, because we’ve still got a lot of games to play.”

Garrison Hearst, who replaced Ki-Jana Carter as the Bengals’ starting running back this week, gained 90 yards in 15 carries despite missing time in the first half because of a sprained ankle.

The Oilers had to play catch-up because of two turnovers that resulted in a touchdown, a field goal and a 13-10 Cincinnati lead at the half. It was a continuation of the Oilers’ problems last week, when they had five turnovers in Pittsburgh and lost, 30-16.

With the Oilers ahead, 10-3, after Frank Wycheck’s nine-yard touchdown reception, Wycheck fumbled while trying to stretch for an extra yard after a catch, and Ashley Ambrose returned the recovery 59 yards for a touchdown.

Ambrose intercepted Chandler in the closing minutes of the half, setting up Pelfrey’s 31-yard field goal with 25 seconds left.