Detroit @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 24, 2011 ) San Diego 10, Detroit 38

Philip Rivers continues his climb toward first place on the franchise list in passing yards when he leads the San Diego Chargers into battle against the visiting Detroit Lions on Sunday in the season opener for both teams. Rivers has thrown for 36,655 yards over 12 seasons, putting him second on the Chargers' all-time list behind Hall-of-Famer Dan Fouts (43,040).

He also aims to guide the club to a fifth AFC West title under his watch - and possibly last in San Diego, as the Chargers' negotiations to remain in the city appear to be at an impasse. Rivers, who signed a four-year, $84 million contract extension last month, will be without one of his favorite targets as tight end Antonio Gates will miss San Diego's first four games due to a suspension for his use of performance-enhancing drugs. Matthew Stafford is coming off his fourth straight 4,000-yard season for the Lions, whose stingy defense took a major hit with the free-agent losses of defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh (Miami) and Nick Fairley (St. Louis). Stafford hopes to have a full season to complete passes to the injury-prone Calvin Johnson, who sat out all four preseason contests in an effort to be available for all 16 regular-season games for the first time since 2012.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: CHARGERS -3. O/U: 46

ABOUT THE LIONS (2014: 11-5, 2ND, NFC NORTH): Johnson was limited to 13 games last season due to a high ankle sprain and registered 71 receptions for 1,077 yards - his lowest totals since 2009. Stafford owns the franchise records for completions (1,848) and passing yards (21,714) and looks to increase his totals but must receive better protection from his offensive line as he was sacked a career-high 45 times last season. Detroit, which led the league in rush defense (69.3 yards) and was second in total defense (300.9) in 2014, added defensive lineman Haloti Ngata from Baltimore, but the five-time Pro Bowler battled hamstring issues in the preseason.

ABOUT THE CHARGERS (2014: 9-7, 3RD, AFC WEST): Rivers, who has started 145 consecutive games, has been sacked at least 30 times in five straight seasons. San Diego is hoping to end that streak as it helped shore up its offensive line with the additions of tackle Joe Barksdale (St. Louis) and guard Orlando Franklin (Denver). The Chargers hope to have found their next dominant running back in Melvin Gordon, who was the 15th overall pick in this year's draft after rushing for 2,587 yards at Wisconsin last season.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Rivers is two touchdown passes shy of matching Fouts (254) for the franchise lead.

2. San Diego owns a 5-0 home record against the Lions but suffered a 38-10 loss at Detroit in their most recent overall meeting on Dec. 14, 2011.

3. Detroit, which posted its highest win total since 1991 (12), has gone 23 seasons without winning a playoff game.

PREDICTION: Lions 31, Chargers 23