St. Louis @ San Diego preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2010 ) San Diego 17, St. Louis 20

The San Diego Chargers were less than impressive in snapping a three-game losing skid while the St. Louis Rams were downright dominant in dumping Peyton Manning and Denver last weekend. The Chargers look to keep the pressure on the Broncos and Kansas City in the AFC West and vie for their eighth home win in nine outings when they host the Rams on Sunday. Philip Rivers has cooled down considerably since a blistering performance during his team's five-game winning streak, throwing for under 200 yards for the second straight contest as San Diego posted a 13-6 win over Oakland last week.

After the contest, tight end Antonio Gates unintentionally disclosed that his veteran quarterback is playing through "a very severe rib injury." Gates later backtracked on his comments and said they were taken out of context, but Rivers was officially listed with having a chest injury in Wednesday's practice report. The ailment could prove to be a target for an aggressive St. Louis defense, which has registered 18 sacks in the last five weeks - including two in a 22-7 victory over Denver.

TV: 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Chargers -4.5. O/U: 44

ABOUT THE RAMS (4-6): Rookie Tre Mason recorded a season-high 113 yards last week to take the pressure off Shaun Hill, who went 20-of-29 for 220 yards and a touchdown while making his first start since the opener. Kenny Britt became the first St. Louis receiver to reach triple digits in a game with 128 yards - highlighted by a 63-yard scoring reception on a post pattern. Signed to a one-year, $1.4 million deal after a lackluster 2013 season in Tennessee, Britt has reeled in two of his three touchdowns in the last three games.

ABOUT THE CHARGERS (6-4): Ryan Mathews rushed for 70 yards on 16 carries in his return to the field for the first time since suffering an MCL sprain in Week 2. The physical back provided a jolt in the backfield as the team rolled up 120 yards on the ground, a significant upgrade from its season average of 85.6 (29th in NFL). On the other side of the ball, San Diego will provide a stern test against the rush-happy Rams, having limited opponents to 109 yards on the ground (12th-best) and 19.2 points overall (sixth-best).

EXTRA POINTS

1. St. Louis DE Robert Quinn has collected all six of his team-leading sacks this season in the last five games.

2. Gates is one touchdown shy of becoming the first tight end in NFL history to record four seasons of at least 10 scores.

3. Rams K Greg Zuerlein drilled five field goals versus the Broncos - including kicks from 55 and 53 yards - to claim NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

PREDICTION: Chargers 17, Rams 14