Chargers vs Seahawks
Chargers vs Seahawks The 2008 Monday Night Football season premiers tonight at 8PM on ESPN with the defending AFC and NFC West champions facing off in San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers and Seahawks both come in looking to gain momentum as the regular season rapidly approaches. Odds makers are calling San Diego a 5 1/2 point favorite as preseason week three comes to a close.

The Chargers stand at 1-1 with all the focus being placed on LB Shawne Merriman's injured knee. Merriman sat out of practice earlier this week after announcing his surgically repaired left knee did not feel right. This past week he saw specialists that reveled the standout LB has a tear in the lateral collateral ligament as well as a grade-three tear in the posterior
collateral ligament. 

"I'm stubborn as hell." Merriman said to reporters on Saturday.

Merriman will have to have surgery to reconstruct the knee at some point. He is weighing on whether to start the season and play through the pain or have the surgery and begin rehab to get ready for the 2009 season.

The 2-0 Seattle Seahawks look to stay on a roll after winning in Minnesota in the opener and beating Chicago last week at home. Seattle's concerns lie with starting QB Matt Hasselbeck and his ailing back. Hasselbeck sat out last week and will not see action tonight because of tightness in his back.

Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said, "He's just got to let it calm down a bit." He is expected to be ready for the regular season opener against the Bills.