By Kevin Kelly and Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SAN DIEGO - Corey Dillon left no doubt Sunday that he's fully recovered from the groin injury he suffered in Week 3 against the Steelers.

PHOTO GALLERY

Photos of Sunday's game

The Bengals tailback, who had rushed for 85 yards in his past four games, carried 18 times for 108 yards on Sunday.

It was his first 100-yard rushing game since Dec. 22, 2002, when he rushed for 126 yards on 18 carries.

"Everything happens for a reason," said Dillon, whose longest run was his first, a 39-yarder in the first quarter. "I went out with a groin strain and now I'm back feeling pretty good.

"I'm just going to try and help these guys get into the playoffs."

Dillon's performance accounted for almost half of the Bengals' rushing attack.

Rudi Johnson carried 16 times for 65 yards.

"We were both able to get in there and get the offense going," Johnson said.

Cincinnati gained 225 rushing yards against the Chargers - its third straight game with 200 yards or more.

"We just needed to come in and apply our pressure, run the ball, take our shots downfield with the passing game," Dillon said. "Everything worked out."

FUTILITY ENDS: The Bengals won for the first time on the West Coast since Nov. 6, 1994, at Seattle.

The Bengals had been 0-7 in the Pacific Time Zone since defeating the Seahawks 20-17 in overtime.

The Bengals won on the West Coast for only the second time since 1990. The Bengals also had lost four games in a row at San Diego (2001, 1996, 1994 and 1992.)

CAREER DAY: Jon Kitna tied a career high with four touchdown passes against the Chargers. He also had four last season in the victory at Houston. Kitna did not throw an interception, and he has 19 touchdown throws and just nine picks for the season.

In the past six games, five of which were Bengals victories, Kitna has 13 touchdown passes and just three interceptions.

"Our coaches are doing a great job game-planning what the other teams are doing," Kitna said. "All the looks (the Chargers) gave us we saw in practice this week.

"(Quarterbacks coach) Ken Zampese did a great job of really making sure I knew where I was going with the football against every coverage that (the Chargers) have."

CLUTCH THIRD DOWNS: Tailback Brandon Bennett had three receptions for 26 yards, and all three catches came on third down and resulted in first downs.

Bennett played consistently Sunday on third down and contributed to the offense's overall success. The Bengals were 13-of-20 on third down (65 percent), and the defense held the Chargers to 3-of-11 (27 percent).

HOMECOMING: Bengals safety Rogers Becket made a triumphant return to San Diego, where he played his first three seasons. He had four tackles on defense and two on special teams.

DEBUT, ALMOST: Wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh was active for the first time in 2003 after missing the first 10 games from recurring hamstring problems. He did not play.

INACTIVES: The biggest names on the inactive list for the Bengals were tight end Reggie Kelly (foot) and cornerback Jeff Burris (concussions).

ABOVE AND BEYOND: Entering Sunday's game, Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson needed 29 yards to reach 1,000 for the third consecutive season.

He met and passed that mark with a 38-yard run in the first quarter.

PENALTIES: The Chargers were penalized four times for 33 yards during Cincinnati's game-opening drive. Three of those penalties came on the first three plays of the game.

ODDS AND ENDS: Bengals wide receiver Kevin Walter caught his first career pass, a 9-yarder, with 16 seconds remaining in the first half ... Shayne Graham's 47-yard field goal with 5:26 remaining was his longest of the season. . . . The 28 first-half points were the most since the Bengals scored 30 on Dec. 12, 1999, in a 44-28 victory against Cleveland. . . . The Bengals also have won three games in a row for the first time since Nov. 28-Dec. 12, 1999.

Return to Bengals front page...