European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 8, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 b the stars and stripes sports tuesday december 8, 1992 chargers overtake cardinals Tempe Ariz. A the san Diego chargers who have been coming from behind since starting the season 0-4, did it again sunday. Their 27-21 Victory Over the Phoenix cardinals lifted them into a tie for first place in the acc West. Stan Humphries threw for one touchdown and set up the winning score with a 46-Yard pass to Nate Lewis As the chargers rallied. Cornerback Gill Byrd made two crucial plays in the fourth Quarter a a Fumble recovery which led to a 63-Yard drive for the winning to and a forced Fumble with 5 41 to play which ended the last serious threat by Phoenix. The chargers 8-5 arc tied with Kansas City atop the acc West with Denver one game behind. It was the fourth consecutive win for the chargers and the cardinals fourth straight loss. San Diego trailed by 14-0 in the first Quarter and 21-10 at halftime. Eric Bieniemy Cut the deficit to 21-17 on a 5-Yard run with 43 seconds left in the third Quarter and the chargers put the game away with their nine play March with 8 44 to go. Humphries who was 20 of 32 for 275 Yards hooked up with Lewis to the cardinals 1-Yard line on the play after a 12-Yard gain to Brian Brennan was nullified by a holding penalty. Ronnie Harmon scored on the next snap. In the first half Humphries threw a 23-Yard scoring strike to Anthony Miller and John Carney kicked a 50-Yard Field goal. Carney had a 43-yarder to close out scoring. Phoenix 3-10 got its Points on a 4-Yard pass from Chris Chandler to Ernie Jones a 6-Yard run by Johnny Johnson and a 63-yarder from Chandler to Ricky Proehl. However Phoenix saw a drive stopped in the second Quarter by Johnson a Fumble and lost the Ball twice in the fourth Quarter on fumbles by receivers Randal Hill and Proehl. Byrd recovered Hills Fumble caused by Junior Seaux a tackle on the san Diego 37. It came on the first Phoenix play after Robert Massey picked off his fifth interception of the year an cd returned it 20 Yards to the chargers 40. Rice Breaks to Mark As 49ers rip dolphins san Francisco up Jerry Rice caught his 101st career touchdown pass to break Steve Large nth a nil record and Tom Rathman scored twice sunday to Lead the san Francisco 49crs to a 27-3 rout of the Miami dolphins. Rice broke Largento a record mid yay through the fourth Quarter on a 12-Yard touchdown pass from Steve Young. Rice ran a slant pattern and caught the record setting pass in the front of the end zone to give san Francisco a 27-3 Lead. Rice broke the record in his ninth season. Largent needed 14 years to set the record. The 49ers improved to 11-2 and maintained a one game Lead Over second place new Orleans in the pfc West. Miami 8-5 failed to gain ground on first place Buffalo in the acc East and remained one game behind the Bills. Young completed 19 of 27 passes for 220 Yards and two touchdowns. He broke a scoreless tie Early in the second Quarter with a 27-Yard scoring strike to Rathman. Rathman gave the 49crs a 13-0 halftime Lead with a 1-Yard run that capped an 11-play, 58-Yard drive. Pete Stoyanovich put Miami on the Board with a 32-Yard Field goal Early in the third Quarter but former Dolphin Marc Logan returned the ensuing Kickoff 82 Yards to set up amp Leeds first career touchdown a 1-Yard run with 7 15 remaining that gave the liners a 20-3 Lead. Miami was stopped three times from the san Francisco 1-Yard line late in the third Quarter. Dan Marino threw a pair of incompletion and Mark Higgs was stopped on a plunge up the Middle. Marino was 19 for 30 for 192 Yards before being replaced in the fourth Quarter by Scott Mitchell who completed one of five passes for 14 Yards. Metcalf keys Browns win Cleveland apr Eric Metcalf put on a show that would have made any father proud. With his father Terry watching him at Cleveland stadium for the first time in his four year career Metcalf gained 210 All purpose Yards sunday As the Browns routed the Cincinnati bengals 37-21. Metcalf ran nine times for 53 Yards returned five punts for 75 Yards had a 9-Yard Kickoff return and caught six passes for 73 Yards. Included was a 35-Yard touchdown pass from Bernie Kosar that started the Browns 21-Point third Quarter. It was a performance reminiscent of Terry a work As an All purpose All pro Back for St. Louis and Washington in the 1970s. Cleveland 7-6which lost 30-10 at Cincinnati last month beat the bengals 4-9 for Only the second time in the last eight meetings. The Browns took control with three touchdowns within a 95-second Span in the third Quarter. Metcalf and Kosar started it by beating a Cincinnati Blitz with a Quick hitting pass Over the Middle that Metcalf turned into the 35-Yard touchdown. The bengals went three plays and out and Metcalfe a 21-Yard punt return set up Kosaris 45-Yard touchdown pass to Michael Jackson on Cleveland a next play from scrimmage. The Browns Mike Johnson then recovered David Klingler a goal line Fumble for a touchdown on Cincinnati a next play making it 34-7. As Good As Metcalf was Kosar matched him. In his second game Back from a broken ankle Kosar completed 19 of 23 passes for 239 Yards and two touchdowns without an interception. The Only error either made was Metcalfe third Quarter Fumble at the Cleveland 26, which led to Klingler a 10-Yard touchdown pass to Jeff query. Klingler who replaced Boomer Esiason bengals a a David Klingler tries to escape sack by Browns Michael Dean Perry. As the bengals starter last week completed 12 of 25 passes for 134 Yards and two touchdowns before leaving with a bruised left thigh Early in the fourth Quarter. He directed one Superb drive in the second Quarter converting two third and Long situations before hitting Rodney Holman for a 26-Yard score a Klingler a first pro touchdown pass. After getting sacked 10 times by Pittsburgh in his debut last week Klingler was sacked four times sunday. Don Hollas filling in after Klingler got Hurt threw a 24-Yard touchdown pass to query with three minutes left. Cleveland led 13-7 at halftime on Kevin Macks 7-Yard run and a pair of Field goals by Matt  redskins Romp Over giants East Rutherford . A put the Washington redskins Back in the super bowl picture. Mark Rypien has suddenly found some consistency and the redskins Are starting to score which Isnit a bad combination when you have a Good defense to go along with it. And write off the new York giants while you re at it. Ray Handley already has. Rypien threw two touchdowns and Ernest byner ran for 100 Yards and a pair of i is As the defending super bowl Champion redskins 8-5 Defeated new York 28-10 on sunday handing the giants 5 8 their fourth straight loss. With three weeks left in the season Washington controls its own playoff destiny. The giants will be eliminated for the second straight year by either losing once More or by having Washington and Philadelphia each win once. A a this was one of our better All around games a coach Joe Gibbs said after the redskins gained a measure of revenge for a 24-7 loss last month. A a i Hope this is a sign of us coming together at the right  by the numbers the win was very impressive. The redskins who had been inconsistent after a 5-2 Start had 22 first Downs held the Ball for 35 33 and out gained new York 393-165. A big part of the offence was Success on third Down plays. Washington converted 8 of 11, gaining 123 Yards on those plays. Rypien who came into the game ranked last among pfc quarterbacks hit 15 of 18 passes for 216 Yards As the offensive Tine held new York without a sack. He hit Terry Orr with a 20-yarder in the third Quarter after new York got within 14-10, then clinched the game with a 4 Yard scoring strike to Art Monk. A a that was monks Only catch allowing him to extend his Streak of catching at least one pass per game to 145. What made Rypien a performance so impressive was that each of the passes he missed was watchable. Ricky Sanders dropped Rypien a first pass. The other two were just a Little too hard for Ricky Ervins and Monk to handle. A when you give rep the kind of time w e were Able to give him today he can do that against anyone a said pro bowl tackle Jim Lachey who returned to the lineup last week after being sidelined with a knee injury