BY JIM DONALDSON
Journal Sports Writer

SAN DIEGO -- It's a beautiful morning here. Not a cloud in the light-blue sky, temps in the 70s, so it should be a great night for football.

Patriots fans looking for alternative investments, with the stock market in free fall, can get their team at a bargain price in tonight's prime-time matchup with the Chargers.

Even though the Pats are 3-1, the Chargers are 2-3, and New England has beaten San Diego three times in the last 21 months -- twice in the AFC playoffs -- the Patriots are 6-point underdogs, up from 5 last week.

Of course, all of those victories came with Tom Brady at QB, not Matt Cassel. While San Diego fans have been bemoaning the loss of standout linebacker and pass rusher Shawne Merriman -- out for the season following knee surgery -- his absence, while detrimental to the Chargers' defense, certainly is not as big a factor as the loss of Brady is to New England, which set an NFL record for points scored while going undefeated through the regular season in 2007.

Cassel and the Pats should be able to put up points tonight. The Chargers have given up more TD passes -- 10 -- than any team in the NFL.