AFC Championship: San Diego Chargers travel to face Cincinnati Bengals at Riverfront Stadium, one win from a Super Bowl berth. Kickoff time: 1:00pm. Winner advances to the Super Bowl. Loser carries one of the year's hardest what-ifs into the offseason.
San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth on the line. The conference title round is the one that turns nameplates into legacy. For Cincinnati Bengals, the home crowd at Riverfront Stadium is asked to be a player; for San Diego Chargers, the road environment is supposed to be the test that breaks lesser teams. Coaches will lean on what worked all year. Players will lean on what their bodies have left in them.
San Diego Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals have outlasted everyone else in their conference. One walks out of Riverfront Stadium with the conference title; the other walks out with a brutal what-if. Around the league, coaches are watching tape on both staffs for next year's prep. Every Super Bowl-bound team starts the offseason as the team to beat.
San Diego Chargers versus Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship. The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of San Diego Chargers-Cincinnati Bengals cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-8 | L3 |
| Houston Oilers | 7-9 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5-11 | L5 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 11-4-1 | W4 |
| New York Jets | 10-5-1 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 10-6 | L1 |
| Baltimore Colts | 2-14 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 2-14 | L9 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-6 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 10-6 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9-7 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-10 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-3 | W5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-10 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 4-12 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9-7 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 8-8 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8-8 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7-9 | L5 |
| Chicago Bears | 6-10 | W3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 12-4 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 9-7 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-8 | W3 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-9 | L2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 07777 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 10 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 1017202727 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Jim Breech 31 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Bengals | M.L. Harris 8 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick) | 0-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chargers | Kellen Winslow 33 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) | 7-10 |
| Bengals | Pete Johnson 1 yard rush (Jim Breech kick) | 7-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Jim Breech 38 yard field goal | 7-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Don Bass 3 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick) | 7-27 |
Cincinnati Bengals defeated San Diego Chargers 27-7 at Riverfront Stadium in the AFC Championship. The final scoring play was Bengals: Don Bass 3 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Top line of the day: Dan Fouts: 185 pass yards on 15-of-28, 1 TD, 2 INT. Cincinnati Bengals advance to the Super Bowl.
Cincinnati Bengals walked out of Riverfront Stadium as the team that survived an AFC Championship San Diego Chargers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 27-7. The final scoring play came from Bengals: Don Bass 3 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Cincinnati Bengals are bound for the Super Bowl.
Cincinnati Bengals 27, San Diego Chargers 7.
Round: AFC Championship. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 2 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 1 scoring play.
Top performers: - Dan Fouts: 185 pass yards on 15-of-28, 1 TD, 2 INT - Chuck Muncie: 94 rush yards on 23 carries - Wes Chandler: 6 catches for 79 yards
AFC Championship, played at Riverfront Stadium. Final: San Diego Chargers 7, Cincinnati Bengals 27, with Cincinnati Bengals taking the result by 20.
**First quarter**
- Bengals: Jim Breech 31 yard field goal - Bengals: M.L. Harris 8 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick)
**Second quarter**
- Chargers: Kellen Winslow 33 yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick) - Bengals: Pete Johnson 1 yard rush (Jim Breech kick)
**Third quarter**
- Bengals: Jim Breech 38 yard field goal
**Fourth quarter**
- Bengals: Don Bass 3 yard pass from Ken Anderson (Jim Breech kick)
**Top performers**
- Dan Fouts: 185 pass yards on 15-of-28, 1 TD, 2 INT - Chuck Muncie: 94 rush yards on 23 carries - Wes Chandler: 6 catches for 79 yards