Chargers still feeling playoff KO by Patriots

(Chris Park/Associated Press)

SAN DIEGO - Memories of a cheap-shot-filled regular-season game are motivating the San Diego Chargers and Tennessee Titans for today's wild-card playoff meeting.

Both teams sustained injuries and the NFL fined Tennessee players for overaggressive hits in the Chargers' 23-17 overtime win in Nashville Dec. 9. The league also investigated a charge by San Diego's Shawne Merriman, whose hit on Titans quarterback Vince Young sent him to the sideline, that the Titans had targeted him, though it did not substantiate the accusation. Merriman was forced from the game with a knee injury.

"If any payback is due, the league already took care of it," Merriman said. "I'm over it. I'm ready to just go out and play. It's going to be a physical game and not because of what happened the first time. It's going to be a physical game because whoever loses goes home."

But the Chargers also have another game on their minds.

They were 14-2 entering last year's playoffs, but squandered an 8-point second-half lead in losing, 24-21, to the Patriots at home. The result led to the firing of coach Marty Schottenheimer.

"It was tough because, first of all, that was my first time playing in a playoff game," Merriman said. "And having the kind of season we had and then going home so early in the playoffs was tough. That would probably help us now because now we approach this a little bit differently than we did last year.

"A lot of things that happened in that game were uncharacteristic. There were a lot of things we didn't do the whole season - some dropped punts, some dropped balls wide open, and some missed tackles. We did some things, I wouldn't necessarily say bone-headed, but uncharacteristic things in that game that we don't normally do."

Some of that bumbling carried over to this season, the Chargers starting with three defeats in their first four games, including a 38-14 loss to the Patriots. They have momentum now - six straight wins to end the regular season - but they are also performing in the shadow of last year's playoff defeat.

"That's a big problem, that much pressure," Merriman said. "You've got to also remember that it's just another game. You've been in the situation before. More is on the line now and there's more meaning in that game out of any game during the year until the next one.

"You still have to go out and make plays and not think about what happens if I drop this ball or what happens if I miss a tackle and it's going to be our fault if we lose, because these things happen. You have to just go out and play.

"I think we are in a better position now than we probably were last year and not because of who we're playing but because of the experience. We've been there before. We know that feeling and we don't want that feeling again."

The Chargers (11-5) have not lost to the Titans in four games since the team moved from Houston in 1995. Tennessee (10-6) has not lost in regulation since Nov. 25.

San Diego's strong finish to the regular season also allowed coach Norv Turner to rest key players such as LaDainian Tomlinson, who had just five second-half carries in a 30-17 win at Oakland last week.

Tennessee's major injury question concerns Young (quadriceps), who was hurt in a 16-10 win over Indianapolis last week and was replaced by Kerry Collins. Young's status won't be announced until gametime. Right guard Benji Olson was ruled out for today with a back injury.

The Chargers also had questions at quarterback until recently. But Philip Rivers, who collapsed dramatically on the sideline after a late hit in the Tennessee game, has recovered and threw two touchdown passes in the regular-season finale.

Merriman expects the officials to influence the tone of the game.

"I'm expecting them to come in with a magnifying glass and some X-ray goggles to see everything that's going on during the game and paying attention to everything," Merriman said. "You can't take the physicalness out of football. You have to kind of let the game be played up in between the whistles. I expect that."

Frank Dell'Apa can be reached at f_dellapa@globe.com.