Bengals-Chargers to be blacked out in SoCal

SAN DIEGO (AP)—The San Diego Chargers say their game Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals will be blacked out in Southern California because nearly 11,000 general admission tickets remained unsold at Thursday's deadline.

It will be the second straight blackout and third this season for the Chargers (4-7) who are nearing elimination from playoff contention for the third straight season.

The team said earlier this week "many" higher-priced club-level seats are available. Those don't count toward the numbers needed to lift the blackout.

It's believed the Chargers lose roughly $1 million in ticket revenue when that many tickets remain unsold.

Earlier this year, several corporate sponsors stepped up to help save the Chargers the embarrassment of having an NFL Network game against the Kansas City Chiefs blacked out on local TV. Those sponsors guaranteed the purchase of roughly 10,000 tickets to lift the blackout.

More than 9,000 general admission tickets remained unsold 72 hours before last week's game against Baltimore. The Sept. 23 game against Atlanta was blacked out when 9,200 tickets remained unsold at the deadline.