CINCINNATI (AP) — So much went into the second-biggest comeback in San Diego history last week that Philip Rivers didn't even realize he'd set a club record for accuracy.
He completed his final 20 passes while leading the Chargers from an 18-point deficit to a 33-28 victory over Detroit on Sunday. The 20 in a row is four shy of the NFL record held by Donovan McNabb.
"I didn't know we'd hit the last 20 until the next morning, actually," Rivers said. "We were in a pretty good groove."
He puts his streak on the line Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium against a team that has managed to contain him the last few years. The Bengals (1-0) have beaten the Chargers three of the four times they've played since 2010.
San Diego's only victory came in a first-round playoff at Paul Brown Stadium during the 2013 season, and Rivers didn't have to do a whole lot in that one. He was 12 of 16 for 128 yards with a touchdown as the Chargers ran the ball and took advantage of Andy Dalton's three turnovers in the second half for a 27-10 win.
The Chargers have undergone a lot of change since that win, which remains their only playoff victory in the last six seasons.
"Our left guard was on another team, our center was in college, our right tackle was on another team, our running back was in college, one of our receivers was in college," Rivers said. "It's a good memory, but I see it more as a long time ago than I do something to draw from this week."
LISTEN to Philip Rivers on phone interview with CIncinnati media this week.
That one still sticks with the Bengals, who are 0-4 in the playoffs the last four years and haven't won in the postseason since the 1990 season. They got off to an impressive start with a 33-13 victory in Oakland on Sunday, and immediately started talking about the rematch with Rivers' team.
"I think a lot of the football team played against the Chargers last time we played them," coach Marvin Lewis said.
