Chargers to retire Junior Seau's number at home opener vs Titans but game faces blackout

The Chargers are honoring the late Junior Seau on Sunday, but the game may be blacked out locally. (Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

The San Diego Chargers' home opener against the Tennessee Titans is facing a local blackout on Sunday after a team spokesman confirmed that there's still "several thousand" tickets that remain unsold, according to Michael Gehlken of The San Diego Union-Tribune:

The team has until 1:25 p.m. Thursday to sell those general tickets; otherwise, the game will not be televised in Southern California.

The team faced a similar situation last year, when home games against the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals were not aired locally. In 2010, the Chargers had three games that also did not air locally, including the team's first two of the season.

This season marks the fifth consecutive year that the team has not raised ticket prices, but season-ticket sales are reportedly lower than last year. The dip could be due to the fact that the Chargers haven't made the playoffs for the past two years after a streak of 48 sold-out games, dating back to Nov. 11 2004.