24. San Diego Chargers – 4-6
The Chargers were in a back-and-fourth battle with the Miami Dolphins the whole game. Both teams got off to a slow start, not scoring until the second quarter. It came down to the wire, with Miami hanging on to win 31-24.
Philip Rivers threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Williams to put the Chargers up 24-21, with 4:04 left in the game. With 1:01 left and the game tied at 24, Rivers threw an interception for a touchdown. Rivers got the ball back down 31-24, but threw another interception to end the game.
Rivers went 23-of-44 for 326 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. Melvin Gordon was held to 70 rushing yards. Rivers moved ahead of John Elway for eighth place with 301 touchdown passes.
This week, the Chargers have a bye. They need this time to recover from all their close games. The Chargers have had trouble holding onto leads. They seem to blow it with minutes left in the game. They need to figure out how to close out games.
25. Cincinnati Bengals – 3-5
With all the talent the Bengals have, it is hard to believe that they have a losing record. The Bengals were on the losing end of a hard-fought game on Monday Night against the New York Giants. The Giants red zone defense was too much for the Bengals.
On, Paper the Bengals look like a top team, but on the field, they can’t seem to figure it out. Andy Dalton showed signs of being brilliant and then struggles. The Giants sacked Dalton three times at crucial points in the game to hold on to a 21-20 victory.
Dalton went 16-of-29 for 204 yards, one touchdown and one interception. A.J. Green came into the game averaging 112 receiving yards and was held to seven catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. The defense sacked Manning once, grabbed two interceptions and forced a fumble.
On the opening drive, the Giants scored and the Bengals answered on their drive to tie it at seven. The game looked like it was going to be a shoot-out but both teams would then stall. At only two games out of first place but need to start this week against the Bills.