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Chargers face daunting task against Steelers

Jan 11, 2009 - 2:35 PM San Diego (9-8) at Pittsburgh (12-4), Sunday, 4:45 p.m. EST

PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The San Diego Chargers have had to overcome a ton of adversity just to get into the playoffs.

They'll get another healthy does when they travel to Pittsburgh on Sunday to take on the top-seeded Steelers in an AFC divisional round game.

San Diego enters the game on a roll, having won five consecutive games, including last weekend's 23-17 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round.

Yet the AFC West champions also are the first team to win a division title with a .500 record since 1985 and became the first team in league history to snatch a playoff berth after starting a campaign 4-8 which included four losses in the final 24 seconds.

So don't expect San Diego to be brimming with confidence when it faces the league's top-ranked defense in a rematch from Week 11 - which the Steelers won by the first 11-10 score in league history.

"I think definitely through 17 games that's the toughest defense we faced," said Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who threw a league-high 34 touchdown passes this season.

The numbers certainly bear that out. The Steelers allowed a league-low 223 points and ranked No. 1 overall and in pass defense. Eight of their opponents were held to 10 points or fewer and only Tennessee managed to collect 300 yards against them.

"They're the top defense in the league," Chargers coach Norv Turner said. "People have scored very few points back there at Pittsburgh so we know what the challenge is and we're going have to do it our best to give ourselves a chance."

Pittsburgh held San Diego to just 213 yards of total offense in the first encounter, but still needed a field goal by Jeff Reed with 11 seconds to play to eke out the victory.

Making the Chargers' task even tougher this time around is the health of running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who had just five carries for 25 yards before having to leave the game against the Colts with a groin injury.

San Diego absorbed another potential setback Tuesday when star wide receiver Vincent Jackson was arrested on suspicion of DUI. The fourth-year receiver, who is having his finest season with 59 receptions for 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns, said he looks forward to proving his innocence.

Tomlinson, the 2006 league MVP, did not sound optimistic when discussing his chances to play in Sunday's game, with the winner advancing to the AFC championship tilt.

"This is a tough injury," Tomlinson said. "I would probably venture to say it's probably the toughest of my career. We'll see what happens."

Fortunately for San Diego, diminutive Darren Sproles filled in more than capably for Tomlinson, zipping through and around the Colts for 105 yards and two touchdowns, including a 22-yard score in overtime for the victory.

Sproles also returned four kicks and three punts while amassing 328 all-purpose yards - the third-highest total in playoff history.

"He has been doing it all year," Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend. "He has been explosive all season. You just have to try and contain him."

Pittsburgh has health issues of its own, namely quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who suffered a scary concussion in a 31-0 rout of the Cleveland Browns in the regular season finale.

Roethlisberger was carted off the field late in the first half after banging his head on the ground following a sack.

Admitting both his arms went numb on the hit, Roethlisberger passed his final post-concussion test on Monday and said he expects to be "100 percent ready" to play Sunday.

The Steelers also will have a healthy Willie Parker, who missed five games this season with leg injuries to end his streak of three consecutive seasons with 1,200-plus yards. He rushed for 116 yards against the Browns - just his third 100-yard effort this season.

Even at peak health, Pittsburgh is wary of the surging Chargers.

"They're a good football team playing great football right now," Roethlisberger said. "They've been playing, for the last month or two, playoff-caliber football. It's going to take our best shot. Last time we played them we squeezed out a baseball-score victory. It's going to take our best."