Sports

San Diego Chargers Go Into Denver With Injuries

While the Chargers list several questionable players, as of Friday the Broncos only listed defensive end Derek Wolfe as out with an illness.

Chargers fans throughout San Diego County wore powder blue jerseys, lightning bolt hats and other combinations of blue and gold Friday in a display of support before Sunday's National Football League playoff game in Denver.     

"I've been wearing my jersey since November and when I was wearing my jersey I didn't see a lot of fans, but after beating Kansas City and the Bengals, it just grew huge and everybody's just celebrating," Napolian Love told 10News in National City.

The Chargers won their final four regular season games to squeak into the playoffs, then routed the Bengals, 27-10, in Cincinnati last weekend. Their next challenge is Sunday against the Broncos.

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Fans have also taken to wearing bolo ties of the sort quarterback Philip Rivers has been sporting recently.

Interim Mayor Todd Gloria has wagered samples of San Diego's best Mexican food against the mayor of Denver, Michael Hancock, who is offering up chili.

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In another show of support, the dome of the new Central Library is being lit in blue and gold from dusk to 11 p.m. each night through Sunday. Whether all the love is enough to propel the Chargers to the AFC Championship Game is uncertain until the game, scheduled for 1:40 p.m.

The team put out an official practice participation report for Friday that could be interpreted as deflating, as running back Ryan Mathews (ankle) and wide receiver Eddie Royal (toe) didn't see any action on the field for the third day in a row.

Also, guard Jeromey Clary (shoulder) didn't participate in practice for the second day in a row, while center Nick Hardwick (concussion) and tackle D.J. Fluker (ankle) had only limited participation. Most of the Chargers success this year has occurred when the offensive line has been intact.

All of those players were listed as "questionable" for the game. In comparison, the Broncos only list defensive end Derek Wolfe as out with an illness and everyone else appears ready to play. 

The Chargers won 27-20 at Denver in a Thursday night game last month, but the Broncos were without receiver Wes Welker and cornerback Champ Bailey. Both are expected to play Sunday. --City News Service


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