The playoffs matchup pairs the San Diego Chargers against the Cincinnati Bengals on 1985-09-22 at Riverfront Stadium. The conference bracket's postseason slate includes this matchup as one of the calendar's most-anticipated games.
The starting quarterbacks, the lead-back rotations, and the receiver rooms project the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into.[1]
The playoffs game between the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals is the kind of postseason matchup where the conference's projected leaders carry their regular-season pacing into the bracket. The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity both staffs have been pointing toward.
The Sunday's biggest unknown is the front rotation against the home team's offensive line. The bracket continues for the winner.
Around the conference the playoffs bracket produces the kind of matchups the wire copy has been writing into across the postseason slate. The San Diego Chargers versus Cincinnati Bengals game is one of the calendar's most-anticipated postseason windows.
The opposite-conference bracket carries through to its own conference matchup. Around the conference the slate continues to clarify the playoff seeding picture across the closing weeks.
Across the regular season both the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals tracked the kind of pace that anchored their conference seeding into the playoffs. The starting quarterbacks' passing lines came through. The lead backs' rushing workloads were the staffs' projected calls. Vegas opens the lines accordingly. A figure to follow: the front rotations' pass-rush production.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 1-1 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-1 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 1-1 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 1-1 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 1-1 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 1-1 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 0-2 | L2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2-0 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-0 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 1-1 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 1-1 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 2-0 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-1 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-2 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 2-0 | W2 |
| Detroit Lions | 2-0 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 2-0 | W2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 1-1 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Cardinals | 2-0 | W2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1-1 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 1-1 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 1-1 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-2 | L2 |
San Diego Chargers 3, Cincinnati Bengals 7San Diego Chargers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 13San Diego Chargers 34, Cincinnati Bengals 34San Diego Chargers 44, Cincinnati Bengals 41San Diego Chargers 44, Cincinnati Bengals 41[1]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 3 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 320344444 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7 | 6 | 21 | 7 | 713344141 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chargers | Bob Thomas 20 yard field goal | 3-0 |
| Bengals | Cris Collinsworth 18 yard pass from Boomer Esiason ( Jim Breech kick) | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Chargers | Eric Sievers 4 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Bob Thomas kick) | 10-7 |
| Chargers | Eric Sievers 5 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Bob Thomas kick) | 17-7 |
| Bengals | James Brooks 1 yard rush | 17-13 |
| Chargers | Bob Thomas 28 yard field goal | 20-13 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Cris Collinsworth 16 yard pass from Boomer Esiason ( Jim Breech kick) | 20-20 |
| Chargers | Pete Holohan 3 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Bob Thomas kick) | 27-20 |
| Bengals | Larry Kinnebrew 4 yard rush ( Jim Breech kick) | 27-27 |
| Bengals | Stanford Jennings 11 yard pass from Boomer Esiason ( Jim Breech kick) | 27-34 |
| Chargers | Lionel James 56 yard rush ( Bob Thomas kick) | 34-34 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Larry Kinnebrew 8 yard rush ( Jim Breech kick) | 34-41 |
| Chargers | Lionel James 60 yard pass from Dan Fouts ( Bob Thomas kick) | 41-41 |
| Chargers | Bob Thomas 34 yard field goal | 44-41 |
The won the playoffs game on 1985-09-22 against the 44-41. . . . For the other side Dan Fouts went 25 of 43 for 344 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Lionel James ran for 127 on 12 carries with 1 touchdown. The 49ers stay on track for the divisional standings expected coming into the calendar's back half.[1]
The took the playoffs game over the on 1985-09-22. . . .
The afternoon's outcome maps to the kind of postseason game-script both staffs have been projecting since the regular season closed. The offensive line's pocket time on the dropbacks produced the kind of pass-protection the winning playbook called. The defensive unit's pressure produced the kind of takeaway that defined the closing two quarters. The playoffs's afternoon ends with the projected outcome.
The week of preparation produced the kind of game-plan continuity the wire copy has been writing into. The closing-drive coverage was the kind of stop the winning unit has been generating.
44, 41. The playoffs's box score reads: . . . On the other side: Dan Fouts went 25 of 43 for 344 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Lionel James ran for 127 on 12 carries with 1 touchdown.
The 's playoffs game against the on 1985-09-22 ended with the kind of game-script the wire copy has been writing into. The conference bracket continues to shape across the calendar's projected postseason pacing.
How it unfolded
. . . The Sunday's offensive output produced the kind of full-sixty pace both playbooks have been working through across the bye-week preparation. On the defensive side Dan Fouts went 25 of 43 for 344 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, and Lionel James ran for 127 on 12 carries with 1 touchdown.
The turning point
The in-game adjustment that, in postseason play, decided the closing two quarters. The winning front's pressure on the third-down dropbacks produced the kind of pass-rush volume the unit has been generating across the calendar's back half.
By the numbers
. The lead-back rotation: . Receiver room: .
Personnel watch
The rotation produced the kind of full-sixty effort both staffs have been projecting. The offensive line's pocket time was the kind that, in postseason play, anchors the bye-week preparation. The receiver room's distribution carried the offensive production.
What it means
The playoffs's outcome maps to the projected postseason pacing. The next-round bracket continues. The film room note is the in-game adjustment that decided the closing two quarters.
| SF | Opp | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 26 | 32 |
| Total Yards | 517 | 448 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 5 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 25/43 | 26/44 |
| Pass yards | 344 | 320 |
| Pass TD | 4 | 3 |
| Interceptions | 2 | 2 |
| Sacks taken | 0 | 3 |
| Sack yards lost | 0 | 24 |
| Net pass yards | 344 | 296 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 25 | 28 |
| Rush yards | 173 | 152 |
| Rush TD | 1 | 3 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 4 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 3 |
| Penalties | 6 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 70 | 40 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | |||||
| Dan Fouts | 25/43 | 344 | 4 | 2 | |
| CIN | |||||
| Boomer Esiason | 26/44 | 320 | 3 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | ||||
| Lionel James | 12 | 127 | 1 | 56 |
| Tim Spencer | 11 | 33 | 0 | 8 |
| Wes Chandler | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Anthony Steels | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| CIN | ||||
| James Brooks | 16 | 86 | 1 | 15 |
| Eddie Brown | 2 | 32 | 0 | 32 |
| Larry Kinnebrew | 7 | 29 | 2 | 8 |
| Stanford Jennings | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Boomer Esiason | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDG | ||||
| Lionel James | 5 | 118 | 1 | 60 |
| Pete Holohan | 7 | 70 | 1 | 19 |
| Charlie Joiner | 3 | 58 | 0 | 24 |
| Eric Sievers | 5 | 35 | 2 | 9 |
| Jesse Bendross | 3 | 32 | 0 | 15 |
| Wes Chandler | 2 | 31 | 0 | 22 |
| CIN | ||||
| Cris Collinsworth | 10 | 161 | 2 | 26 |
| Eddie Brown | 4 | 66 | 0 | 22 |
| Dan Ross | 3 | 34 | 0 | 14 |
| James Brooks | 4 | 29 | 0 | 10 |
| Stanford Jennings | 3 | 17 | 1 | 11 |
| Larry Kinnebrew | 2 | 13 | 0 | 8 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 1985 Classic - San Diego Chargers at Cincinnati Bengals - Game Thread
