SAN DIEGO -- Not that he had to, but tight end Antonio Gates continues to show what makes him so special. He's playing with a strained MCL in his left knee and it's obvious when watching him get off the line and then try to make cuts in his routes. Gates is having trouble getting an separation, but he won't ask out. "I'm just trying to fight though it and lead by example to show these guys what it's like to be a pro in this league," said Gates, who finished with six receptions for 69 yards on Monday night against the Chicago Bears. "This is what it takes to be successful. Sometimes you have to fight through these situations when it's not as comfortable as you like."
--Wide receiver Malcom Floyd's career could be over if it's true he sustained a torn labrum in his right shoulder in Monday's loss to the Bears. Floyd, 34, who announced before the year that this would be his last season, laid out on a Philip Rivers deep pass, landing hard on his upper body.