CINCINNATI -- With rookie Ickey Woods rushing for a career-high 141 yards and performing his 'Ickey Shuffle' on the sideline, the Cincinnati Bengals waltzed into the playoffs Sunday with a 27-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
Cincinnati, 11-3 and 7-0 at home, clinched at least a wild-card berth as the club qualified for the post-season for the first time since 1982. The Bengals can win the AFC Central division title by beating Houston next week.
'It was a subdued celebration in the dressing room because we still have work to do,' Bengals Coach Sam Wyche said. 'We want to win the division and get home field advantage for the playoffs.'
'Our mission isn't accomplished yet,' Cincinnati quarterback Boomer Esiason said. 'It won't be until we get to Joe Robbie Stadium (site of the Super Bowl in Miami). But that Houston game next week will be a war.'
Woods, who averaged 7.4 yards for his 19 carries, scored touchdowns on runs of 30 and four yards to give him a Cincinnati season record of 15 rushing TDs, breaking Pete Johnson's mark of 14.
Woods, who was penalized a week ago for celebrating in the end zone after a touchdown, raced to the Cincinnati sideline with the ball after each TD and peformed his 'Ickey Shuffle' dance without penalty to the delight of cheering fans.
'Coach Wyche asked me to do the shuffle on the sidelines, so not to be penalized,' said Woods. 'I don't know why the fans like it so much, but whatever it is, I'll keep doing it.'
Woods, college football's rushing champion last year at Nevada-Las Vegas, has a good shot at rushing 1,000 yards in his NFL rookie season. He now has 880 with two games to go.
'Getting 1,000 in my rookie year would not only mean a lot to me, it would mean a lot to those guys up front who are blocking for me,' said Woods.
'Woods was running right through people today,' said San Diego defensive end Joe Phillips. 'He's a tough guy. He gets down low and buries his shoulder into you.'
'I think Woods has put Cincinnati over the top offensively,' said Chargers' Coach Al Saunders. 'He complements Boomer and (James) Brooks well.
'The Bengals may be the strongest team, other than the 49ers, that we've seen on offense,' added Saunders. 'They can play with anybody offensively and they can also get fired up on defense.'
Esiason, who completed 10 of 19 passes for 178 yards, fired TD passes of 23 yards to Cris Collinsworth and two yards to Brooks. It was Collinsworth's first score of the year.
'Boomer is a great quarterback, but the key to their team is an offensive line that gives Boomer plenty of time to throw,' said San Diego quarterback Mark Malone. 'They've got five guys as big and as good as anybody in the NFL. They just line up and explode off the ball.
'I can see that the Bengals have the confidence they've been lacking in recent years,' added Malone. 'In the past, they've always found a way to lose. This year, they're finding ways to win. They're right where they should be.'
Eddie Brown broke Collinsworth's Cincinnati season record of 1,130 reception yards with two catches for 37 yards to give him 1,158 so far this year.
San Diego, 4-10, scored on Malone's nine-yard pass to Quinn Early and Steve DeLine's 26-yard field goal. Malone completed only 14 of 37 passes for 138 yards and was intercepted three times. The Chargers were never really in the game, falling behind 27-3 at the start of the second half.
