First, no Ben Roethlisberger. Now, maybe no Byron Leftwich for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dennis Dixon, you're up next. Leftwich, expected to be the fill-in starter for the suspended Roethlisberger at quarterback for the Steelers, sprained his left knee in the second quarter as Pittsburgh (3-1) beat the starter-less Carolina Panthers 19-3 in the preseason finale Thursday night.

A capsule look at reasons for concern among teams in the AFC West: Denver Broncos 1. Inexperience/injuries on O-line. Denver likely will start two rookies — LG Zane Beadles and C J.D. Walton — and while there's talent, there's a learning curve. To compound matters, LT Ryan Clady has only recently returned to practice coming off knee surgery and RG Chris Kuper has some ankle issues. Continuity will take some time. 2. Pass rushers. There have been signs OLB Robert Ayers might be ready to make a step forward.

SAN FRANCISCO – On a night when San Francisco's offensive stars sat out, the 49ers got more big plays on the other side of the ball to cap their first unbeaten pre-season in 18 years.

With their last pre-season game taking place tonight, the San Diego Chargers will look ahead to the beginning of their 2010 season with high expectations and will set the bar higher than they have in quite some time.

There’s talent up and down this roster on both sides of the ball. They have a talented quarterback who is another year smarter. A up and coming running back that has just about earned the respect of his coaches, teammates, and even the media. A strong offensive line and a talented corps of receivers.

Where the Chargers will need to get better is on the defensive side of the ball. Sure they gave up less than 20 points per game on average, but if you look at a few of their early games, they were giving up big points.

Their line-backing corps needs to be stronger and their secondary needs to be faster. Sure up both of those and the Chargers will be a team to be reckoned with in 2010.

Here is a breakdown of their 2010 schedule complete with predictions of each and every game this season.

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With each passing day the likelihood that Vincent Jackson will play a down for the Chargers this season worsens. Even with their new rookie RB Ryan Mathews figuring to provide more balance on offense, this is still Philip Rivers team, meaning they will be throwing the football early and often.

Antonio Gates will likely lead the Chargers in targets, but Floyd will be counted on to use his big frame (6’5″, 225 lbs) similar to the way Vincent Jackson did.

Floyd showed big play potential last year catching 45 passes for 776 yards (17.2 yards per catch). His career ypc is 16.5. He’ll have to improve on his one TD though. However, with Vincent Jackson (6’5″, 230) out of the mix, Floyd will be more likely to get them. Legedu Naanee (6/2″, 220) just doesn’t have the size Floyd does.

Assuming V-Jax doesn’t play for the Chargers Floyd could be a steal in fantasy drafts. His current Mock Draft Central ADP is 69th (25th WR). It’s a little bit of a risk going with a somewhat unknown commodity, but sometimes you need to take risks to win. In all likelihood you can get the number one WR on a pass-first team as a WR3. What’s not to like about that scenario?

What are your thoughts on Malcom Floyd? Would you want him as your WR3?

Also check out:

- 2010 Top 30 Fantasy QB Rankings
- 2010 Top 50 Fantasy RB Rankings
- 2010 Top 60 Fantasy WR Rankings
- 2010 Top 25 Fantasy TE Rankings
- 2010 Top 25 Fantasy Team Defense Rankings
- 2010 Top 25 Fantasy IDP Rankings
- 2010 Top 15 Fantasy K Rankings

Read more San Diego Chargers news on BleacherReport.com

The Chargers put the lid on what on the most bizarre camps they’ve had in years.

They hit the field for good Sept. 13 in a Monday Night game against the Chiefs. Maybe at that point the year will take on a sense of normalcy.

The recently concluded camp will be known almost for as much as who wasn’t here and those in attendance.

The Chargers got linebacker Shawne Merriman in late and never did see two other Pro Bowlers, left tackle Marcus McNeill and wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Those two are still bent over the lack of a long-term contract and it appears unlikely they will play much—if at all—for the Chargers this year.

That’s quite a blow to a squad with Super Bowl aspirations—again—and the Chargers were hoping this was the year they…

If Zygi Wilf is really willing to do whatever it takes to win the Super Bowl, he’ll find a way to land Vincent Jackson.

I heard it last year, I’m hearing it again this year.

The San Diego Chargers are one of the favorites to make it to Arlington, Texas, the site of this season’s Super Bowl. The biggest game in the industry.

The city of San Diego, the fans, and even the media are buzzing about the potential of the team that’s about to embark on what could be the franchise’s best run since they made it to the big game back in 1994—a run that ended with a blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers, whom at the time, had not only more talent, but also more consistency.

If you look at 2010 San Diego Chargers, consistency will be the key for a legitimate run at the Super Bowl at Cowboys’ Stadium.

They have a well above average quarterback in Philip Rivers, a running back that could be a star in the making in Ryan Mathews, an offensive line led by one of the best centers in the league in Nick Hardwick, and a wide receiving corps who, despite the absence of Vincent Jackson, still has a lot of talent and ability. They also have a defense that, despite their troubles in the secondary, was still giving ugave up less than 20 points per game last season.

The talent is there. It’s what they do with it during the season that counts the most.

The Chargers play in a division that lacks any real threat at the division crown, so getting into the playoffs is merely a formality unless this team takes themselves far too seriously.

When you look at the first half of their schedule, there’s no reason that the Chargers shouldn’t at least be able to win seven of those nine games, if not eight.

They will have Jacksonville, Arizona, New England, and Tennessee at home, and will be on the road for Kansas City, Seattle, Oakland, St. Louis, and Houston. Those nine teams were a combined 59-85 in 2009, and three of which (Arizona, New England, Houston) finishing above .500 last year.

Their final seven games down the stretch, four at home against Denver, Oakland, Kansas City, and San Francisco, and three on the road against Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Denver, will be the deciding factor on just how determined they are to get to the ultimate prize.

If there was ever a schedule set up for the Chargers to have home field advantage throughout the playoffs, this is the year to get it done.

This is the year where one-and-done isn’t an option anymore. This is the year where they put it all together and make their biggest run since the Natron Means days.

Win the games they’re supposed to win, take care of business, and let the rest work itself out. They have the talent, but consistency will be the name of the game for this 2010 team.

Read more San Diego Chargers news on BleacherReport.com

The battle may be over, but the war has just begun. With eight days to go until the start of the 2010 NFL…

The battle may be over, but the war has just begun. With eight days to go until the start of the 2010 NFL…