By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Good teams, says Bengals coach Marvin Lewis - those deserving of playoff berths - win on the road down the stretch. If the Bengals want to punch their postseason ticket, a victory Sunday at San Diego would be a major step toward that goal. It is their first of three in a row away from home.

Lewis has worked hard to eliminate the excuse of playing on the West Coast. The Chargers are a team the Bengals should beat, even in San Diego, where they've lost four in a row.

The Bengals lost a game at Arizona three weeks ago that they should have won. They didn't manage noise from even a small crowd. They were flat offensively and couldn't stop the run on defense.

But more than specific game objectives, the Bengals have to be mentally right to play on the road - as they were in Week 2 at Oakland.

"It's just an away football game," Lewis said of San Diego. "Let's just go and play."

The Bengals are 1-12 on the West Coast since the start of the 1991 season.

FLUTIE CAN'T RUN: Chargers quarterback Doug Flutie - even at age 41 - can run.

On defense, the Bengals can't let him. Flutie has to be kept in the pocket by a disciplined pass rush that doesn't allow him to step up, find a lane and run. Against the Vikings two weeks ago, Flutie ran for two touchdowns in a 42-28 victory. He has 48 yards on 13 carries, including a 17-yarder.

Nobody's saying, but the Bengals might employ strong safety Rogers Beckett or linebackers Brian Simmons on Adrian Ross as spies on Flutie. Lewis and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier have strategized well against opposing offense's strengths.

Flutie, in two starts, is 1-1 this season, bringing his career record as a starter to 36-26. He is 3-0 against the Bengals and a remarkable 22-7 as a starting quarterback in home games.

RUNAWAY: This game is one the Bengals should win, scoring early and often and running the ball effectively. The Chargers are 27th in rush defense, and over the past month - thanks to the offensive line and Rudi Johnson - the Bengals have rediscovered their identity as a run-oriented offense.

Lewis wants to use Corey Dillon and Johnson against the Chargers and has been experimenting on formations that use both of them in the same backfield. Dillon and Johnson are big, physical runners who can beat on defenders, gain first downs and create a significant edge in possession time. All of the above would all but seal an important first victory outside the state of Ohio for the Bengals.

Keeping the ball in Dillon's and Johnson's hands would keep it away from San Diego's star tailback, LaDainian Tomlinson.

He is the NFL's fifth-leading rusher, with 971 yards. In two career starts against the Bengals, Tomlinson has rushed for 221 yards and four touchdowns. San Diego won both games.

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E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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