Scouting Report

San Diego (11-5) vs. San Francisco (13-3)

Game time, TV: 3:17 p.m., ABC Line: San Francisico by 18.

Record vs. spread: Chargers 11-5; 49ers 10-5-1.

Series record: 49ers lead 4-3.

Last meeting: 49ers defeated Chargers 38-15 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego in Week 15. Niners jumped ahead 21-0 in first half and Chargers never threatened.

Last game: Chargers came from 13-3 deficit with two second-half TDs to upset Steelers 17-13 at Three Rivers. 49ers jumped to 21-0 lead less than 8 minutes into first quarter of NFC championship game vs. Cowboys and went on to 38-28 win.

Chargers offense

Rush (No. 7), Pass (No. 12t), overall (No. 11).

Gained just 226 yards vs. Steelers, but QB Stan Humphries threw second-half TD passes of 43 yards each to TE Alfred Pupunu and WR Tony Martin. RB Natrone Means, AFC’s second leading rusher (1,350 yards), was held to 69 yards by Steelers. Means gained just 50 yards in regular-season meeting with Niners. Humphries threw for 337 yards against 49ers, but most came when game was out of reach. Second-most points scored in AFC with 381.

49ers offense

Rush (No. 6), pass (No. 4), overall (No. 2).

QB Steve Young was 13 for 29 for 155 yards vs. Cowboys, but threw TD and ran for another and did not commit a turnover. Young set NFL record with 112.8 rating, throwing 35 TDs and just 10 INTs. WR Jerry Rice had 112 catches, 15 TDs and NFL-best 1,499 yards receiving. Rice caught 12 passes for 144 yards vs. Chargers in regular season. Offense ran for 139 yards vs. Cowboys. RB Ricky Watters was third in NFC in total yards with 1,596. Highest-scoring team in NFL with 505 points.

Chargers defense

Rush (No. 5), Pass (No. 22), overall (No. 14).

MLB Junior Seau, who was team’s leading tackler in regular season with 172, had 19 tackles vs. Steelers. OLB Dennis Gibson broke up Steelers final pass in end zone in last minutes of AFC title game. Unit had 43 sacks (second in AFC). DE Leslie O’Neal led team with 12.5 sacks and DE Chris Mims had 11. Allowed 417 total yards to 49ers in regular-season meeting and Young completed 25 of 32 passes. Allowed 349 yards passing to QB Neil O’Donnell and Steelers.

49ers defense

Rush (No. 2), Pass (No. 17), overall (No. 8).

Forced five turnovers vs. Cowboys. CB Eric Davis had two INTs, forced a fumble and returned his first INT 44 yards for TD against Cowboys. Did, however, allow 451 yards to Cowboys. CB Deion Sanders had INT vs. Cowboys and capped 49ers regular-season win over Chargers with 90-yard INT return for TD. Sanders had six INTs and three TDs during regular season and S Merton Hanks led team with seven INTs. Defense tied for NFL lead with 23 INTs.

Special teams

Chargers have one of best special teams in league. KR

Andre Coleman averaged 26.4 yards per kick return and PR Darrien Gordon led AFC with 13.2-yard average on punt returns. John Carney led AFC in points with 135 and FGs with 34… . 49ers KR Dexter Carter averages 8.4 yards on punts and 23 yards on kickoffs. K Doug Brien led team with 105 points.

Streaks, stats and notes

49ers trying to become first team to win five Super Bowls.

They are tied at four with Cowboys and Steelers… . Rice is 1 yard behind Lynn Swann’s career Super Bowl record of 364 yards receiving. Rice also owns Super Bowl records for catches in game (11 vs. Cincinnati in 1989) and TD receptions in game (three vs. Denver in 1990). . . . 18-point spread is largest in Super Bowl history. In Super Bowl III Colts were 18-point favorites over Jets, who won 16-7… . Chargers, making their first Super Bowl appearance, looking to break 10-game losing streak by AFC. Last AFC team to win Super Bowl was Los Angeles Raiders who defeated Redskins 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII. … San Diego won AFL Championship in 1963… . Chargers backup QB Gale Gilbert is in his fifth straight Super Bowl. He has not played in any of previous four, serving as Buffalo’s third-string quarterback in each one.