Chargers get 24-hour reprieve to avoid blackout

The San Diego Chargers were granted a 24-hour extension on Friday to attempt to sell enough tickets in order to avoid an area television blackout of Monday night's game against the Indianapolis Colts in Qualcomm Stadium.

The Chargers must sell nearly 9,000 tickets by 8:40 p.m. ET on Saturday -- 48 hours before kickoff -- to avoid the first Monday Night Football blackout since the final week of the 1999 season. The deadline normally is 72 hours before the starting time for a game.

The league has a history of only granting extensions when there is a good chance that the remaining tickets will be purchased, possibly by a sponsor or the team.

No NFL game has been blacked out this season in its home market.

According to NFL policy, if not enough tickets are sold, the game will blacked out in the local televison market.