The Chargers still need to sell about 1,800 tickets to avoid having its regular season opener blacked out for local television viewers for the second year in a row, the team announced today.
The Chargers need to sell the tickets by 1:15 p.m. Thursday to avoid the blackout on Sunday, but the NFL usually grants a 24-hour grace period if they're close.
In 2010, the Chargers fell about 6,000 seats short of a sellout when they hosted Jacksonville in their first home game. That ended a run of 48 games in which all the seats were full.
Qualcomm Stadium, which the team's owners want to replace, seats 71,500 people for football games. The NFL exempts expensive club seats, of which about 1,500 are available -- in addition to the 1,800 general seats that still need to be sold.
If the blackout is lifted, the game will air on Fox 5.
