High-voltage Bolts put win streak on line vs. Jets

January 17, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — 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 today when they host the New York Jets (10-7) in the divisional round.

It’s the first stop along the road that they hope ends with their first NFL title. It’s just that 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],” Chargers outside linebacker Shawne Merriman said. “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 their 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 exact route, “but I sure hope we find out,” said Ryan, who has presided over 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. That’s just how we go into it. It’s not a slight on who we play or anything else, it’s a belief that we have that this is why we’re here.”

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 sometimes can score at will, with Pro Bowler Philip Rivers throwing to Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates and 6-foot-5 receivers Vincent Jackson, Malcom Floyd, a healthy LaDainian Tomlinson and the speedy Darren Sproles.

The Jets have the NFL’s top-ranked defense and No. 1 running game, led by Thomas Jones and rookie Shonn Greene, who had 135 yards in the Jets’ playoff opener.

While the Chargers rested during their 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.

Although it’s a road game for the Jets, it’s a homecoming of sorts for Sanchez. He grew up in Orange County and played at Southern California.

Efficient against the Bengals, he’s trying to join Baltimore’s Joe Flacco (2008), Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Tampa Bay’s Shaun King (1999) as the only rookie starting quarterbacks to reach the conference championship game since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

Sanchez hopes he’s gotten past the point of being considered the Jets’ weak link.

“I knew I had some tough games, that’s for sure,” he said. “I knew that I played well in spurts and that I needed to keep plugging away, keep preparing, not lose focus, not lose faith in myself and this team. To let things work for me instead of forcing.