Philip Rivers has said that the San Diego Chargers will face a tough task when they play the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL playoffs this weekend.

The AFC West side will be aiming to become the first team to beat the Bengals at the Paul Brown Stadium this season.

The quarterback told reporters: "It's a tough opponent. It's a good defense. I don't know exactly where they are statistically. I know they are really high.

"It's evident when you watch the tape that they are really good. They have won all eight of their games at home. We definitely have our work cut out for us.

"We obviously know what is at stake, but we have to have the same mindset we have had all month. Everything gets turned up a notch and there is a little more at stake no question. We are all going to play the way we play, play hard and battle like crazy to advance."

This will be the Chargers' first appearance in the post-season since the 2009 campaign.