SAN DIEGO
In typical Southern California fashion, the San Diego Chargers have been chillin' since the end of the regular season.
They've rested, rehabbed, practiced and largely kept their mouths shut about their chances of finally winning the Super Bowl. The NFL's hottest team and AFC's No. 2 seed, the Chargers (13-3) will try to win their 12th straight game when they host the New York Jets (10-7) in the divisional round today.
It's the first stop along the road that they hope ends with their first NFL title. They're not openly talking about being a Super Bowl favorite, something they've done in the past, only to fall short.
"You have a team in the Jets that is very physical and wants to come in and kick our (rear)," said linebacker Shawne Merriman of the Chargers. "Here we've got a team in this locker room that is very focused, humble about winning, not saying much, that's eager to get on the field and play on Sunday. It's going to be a battle."
The upstart Jets, on the other hand, aren't shy about proclaiming themselves as Super Bowl favorites, starting with rookie head coach Rex Ryan.
Ryan even created a postseason itinerary for his players that included the Super Bowl in Miami followed by a parade two days later. He's not sure of the route, "but I sure hope we find out," said Ryan, whose Jets have six wins in the last seven games.
It's a bold proclamation, considering that a few weeks ago Ryan thought the Jets were out of the playoff picture. "I think the vision that we have for our football team is we only have one goal, and that's to win a Super Bowl," Ryan said. "Anything less than that is going to be a disappointment for us."
Ryan said he had "a great deal of respect" for the Chargers, whom he considers an elite team.
"But that doesn't mean that I'm coming in there not expecting to win, because we are," Ryan said.
Although the Chargers are favored by a touchdown, it's an intriguing matchup. The Chargers have a high-voltage offense that's difficult to stop and often can score at will.
The Jets have the NFL's top-ranked defense and No. 1 running game.
While the Chargers had a bye weekend, the wild-card Jets went to Cincinnati and beat the Bengals 24-14 in a game that gave rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez some confidence.
There's talk that the Chargers need to shut down the Jets' powerful running game and make Sanchez beat them.
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