This is going to be interesting.

The Chargers play the Broncos for the second time in three weeks on Sunday in Denver. Playing a team two times in a month is tough enough as it is. Playing a division rival in what amounts to the NFL’s version of a home-and-home complicates things a bit more.

When you play a pair of games in a month against a team you already know so well you kind of have to change things up. But you also don’t want to get away from the game plan, especially if it worked like it did in San Diego’s 21-13 win on Thursday Night Football. But they know what the game plan is so you can’t just do the same thing again. But you can’t get too far away from your bread and butter.

It’s a vicious cycle.

At this point there is very little unfamiliarity between these two longtime rivals. So as quarterback Philip Rivers said it’s very likely going to come down to which team executes better. If the Chargers run their plays better than the Broncos run their plays they should be in good shape. That leads us to this week’s three players to watch:

Josh Lambo, K

The weather in Denver is going to be beautiful for Sunday’s game. Warm, calm, dry. And that could mean big things for the kicking game. Lambo’s only field goal miss this season was a 56-yard try in Kansas City that had plenty of distance. A new off-season training system strengthened his leg to the point that the Chargers have one of the strongest kickers in the NFL. So, when you have thin air … warm air … and little to no wind Lambo could be in line for some monster blasts. He said during the week that he’s not sure what his range will be at Sports Authority Field but will kick some testers before the game. The NFL record is 63 yards. If the conditions stay as they are (never a guarantee in Denver) that could be up for a challenge. Plus Lambo has hit eight field goals in the last two games so he’s in a nice little groove right now.

Dontrelle Inman, WR

The Chargers signed Isaiah Burse to the 53-man roster on Saturday. That is a sign that either Travis Benjamin or Tyrell Williams, who both missed practice time with knee injuries this week, is not going to be able to play. Inman was already the longest-tenured Chargers wideout on the roster after Keenan Allen’s injury. He has the most experience working with Rivers so if Philip needs to trust someone down the field to make a big catch he has the most trust in Inman so look for him to get a few big targets on 3rd down.

Melvin Ingram, OLB

Joey Bosa took three games to match Ingram for the team sack lead. In his 5th season, the outside linebacker has not evolved in to the elite pass rusher many thought he would become. Now that Bosa is going to get a lot more attention from offenses Ingram has the chance to start pumping up those sack stats. Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian is not going to do anything dazzling to win a game but he’s managing things nicely. If you let him just sit back and find his wideouts it’s going to be a long day for the Chargers defense. Plus Ingram is in his contract year so he needs to start picking things up if he wants a big payday in 2017 and beyond.

Derek’s Prediction

This is going to be a low-scoring game. The Chargers are missing pieces in the passing game; the Broncos are missing C.J. Anderson in that running game. I like what I’m seeing from the resurgent Bolts defense, which should be able to hold Denver down just enough to squeak out a W.

Final score: Chargers 16, Broncos 13

With nine days until Election Day, Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a six-point advantage over Republican Donald Trump in the battleground state of North Carolina, while the candidates are essentially deadlocked in Florida, according to two new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls.

In Florida, Clinton gets the support of 45 percent of likely voters, while Trump gets 44 percent. Libertarian Gary Johnson gets 5 percent and the Green Party’s Jill Stein is at 2 percent.

In an earlier NBC/WSJ/Marist poll this month, Clinton was ahead by three points in this four-person race in the Sunshine State, 45 percent to 42 percent.

When the contest is reduced to two candidates, Clinton and Trump are tied in the new poll at 46 percent.

In North Carolina, meanwhile, Clinton enjoys a six-point lead over Trump among likely voters, 47 percent to 41 percent, with Johnson at 8 percent. (Stein isn’t on the ballot in the Tar Heel State.) Earlier this month in the poll, Clinton was ahead by four points, 45 percent to 41 percent.

In a two-person race in North Carolina, Clinton’s lead in this new poll is an equal six points, 50 percent to 44 percent.

The Broncos made a whole lot of plays. The Chargers did not. The scoreboard at the end reflected that.

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was picked off three times (one of them not his fault), Josh Lambo missed a field goal and had an extra point attempt blocked and San Diego defenders dropped multiple balls that should have been intercepted to help Denver beat San Diego 27-19 on Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

For the Chargers the game started much the same way as their previous meeting with the defending Super Bowl champs, a 21-13 Bolts win two weeks before at Qualcomm Stadium. Rivers led an 85-yard touchdown drive, finishing it off with a 7-yard touchdown pass to #85 Antonio Gates to put the Bolts on top 7-3.

After that the Chargers defense played really well, forcing four consecutive 3-and-outs where they allowed just three total yards of offense. But while the defense stood tall the San Diego offense flew off the rails.

The Chargers punted on three straight possessions before a wild series of events in the second quarter. Rivers was hit by DeMarcus Ware, causing the ball to come out funny. The play was originally ruled a fumble, which Denver recovered, but replay reversed it to an incomplete pass. On the next snap punter Drew Kaser was hit illegally, giving the Chargers the ball back.

After two straight penalties on right tackle Joe Barksdale, Rivers tried to hit wide receiver Tyrell Williams but the ball bounced right off Williams’ hands. Broncos cornerback Bradley Roby plucked it out of the air and ran 49 yards for a touchdown and a 10-7 Denver lead.

During the return, however, there was a moment that silenced the entire stadium. Broncos Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips, who held the same position with the Chargers under Marty Schottenheimer in the early-to-mid 2000’s, was inadvertently run over by San Diego running back Melvin Gordon. Phillips was down for several minutes and had to be taken to Denver hospital. At last report Phillips was alert, responsive and able to move all his extremities, hopefully a positive sign.

Before the break the Bolts had a chance to get a defensive score of their own. Defensive back Casey Hayward jumped a route but couldn’t make the interception. He would have run for a while, too, because the Broncos had nobody back to try and run him down. Hayward’s drop was one of at least three passes that should have been picked off but were not.

The Chargers had a shot to tie the game but Lambo missed a 45-yard field goal try, which is not a very long attempt in the thin air of Denver, so the Broncos led 10-7 at halftime.

Then things REALLY started going downhill for San Diego. The 3rd quarter started like this:

-    Rivers picked off by Darian Stewart.
-    Devontae Booker 3-yard touchdown run.
-    Rivers intercepted by T.J. Ward.

That is not the way to win on the road in the NFL. Luckily the Bolts forced a turnover of their own when linebacker Korey Toomer stripped Booker of the ball just short of the goal line. Fellow linebacker Jatavis Brown recovered it to get a little bit of momentum back.

Then Rivers final put together another good drive. The Bolts went 98 yards in 13 plays for a touchdown. The drive ended with Rivers finding Travis Benjamin for a dazzling 15-yard touchdown catch at the back of the end zone. But Lambo’s point-after try was blocked by Shaq Barrett so Denver still had a 17-13 lead.

The Broncos scored again to make it 24-13 when finally somebody held on to a football. Hayward grabbed a tipped pass and took it back 24 yards for a touchdown. The 2-point conversion was no good so the Bolts were down 24-19. After a Broncos field goal made it an 8-point game San Diego went back on offense with 5:19 to play.

This is where Gordon took over for a bit. He made a 30-yard catch then ripped off a 17-yard run. The drive got down to the 2-yard line where it was first and goal. Instead of trying a running play (Gordon had 108 yards on 22 carries to that point) the Chargers called four consecutive passes. All of them fell incomplete against one of the best pass defenses in the league.

The Chargers fall to 3-5 while the Broncos improve to 6-2. San Diego returns home to face the Tennessee Titans in a week.

A 22-year-old man killed in a car crash in El Cajon last Sunday has been identified, California Highway Patrol (CHP) confirmed.

Chase Wolters, 22, died in a solo crash after he lost control going northbound in the 300 block of La Cresta Road and his car went into an embankment and burst into flames.

He had blunt force injuries to his head and torso and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Wolters lived in El Cajon.

Speed was a factor, according to CHP.

A pedestrian was crossing the street when he was struck and seriously hurt by a hit-and-run driver at Main Street in El Cajon Saturday night, El Cajon Police said. 

The collision happened on the 1100 block of Main Street, near 1st Street, at approximately 8:57 p.m. in El Cajon when officers responded to reports of a car and pedestrian collision, police said. 

Witnesses told police the victim, a man approximately 45 years old, was crossing outside of a controlled intersection on E. Main Street when a car traveling in the eastbound lanes struck him. 

When officials arrived, they learned the victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to Sharp Memorial Hospital. 

The victim's identity is not being released at this time. The full extent of his injuries are unknown. 

Westbound Main Street was shut down as officials investigated, but has since reopened.

The suspect's vehicle was described by witnesses at the scene as being a late model Honda Accord, gray or silver in color, with possible front end damage. They were unable to obtain a description of the driver or any possible passengers.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact the El Cajon Police Department at (619)579-3311.

Dozens of people lined Horton plaza Saturday to protest Iran's sentencing of several dual-nationals, and to demand their immediate release.

Robin Shahini, 46, a graduate student who’s lived in San Diego for the last 16 years, is now a prisoner in Iran – sentenced to 18 years.

“We want to send a message to the [Obama] administration to not forget about the human rights situation in Iran as they are dealing with the Iranian government,” Iranian human rights lawyer Bahram Maher told NBC 7. “We need to have same kind of pressure on the Iranian government that brought them to the table for the nuclear deal.”

Bahram says the U.S. government is so involved with the nuclear issue they forget about human rights.

Shahini is just one of many faces – now prisoners – plastered on posters.

Shahini left Iran in 1998 and graduated from San Diego State in May with a degree in International security and conflict resolution, but during a recent trip back home in July he was arrested then sentenced last week to 18 years in prison for ‘collaboration with a hostile government.’

He is the most recent dual-national to be convicted in a secret trial since Iran's nuclear deal.

AP reports Shahini plans to protest his sentence with a hunger strike.

“We want whoever is president to listen to the people of Iran and stop appeasement policy with the regime of Iran,” protester Pooran Arbabi said.

Some experts and family members have suggested the Iranian government will use people like Shahini as bargaining chips in future negotiations similar to the prisoner exchange in January that freed Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and three other Iranian-Americans. The U.S. made a $400 million cash delivery to Iran the same day, part of a settlement of a decades old arbitration claim that seemed to some like ransom. 

The FBI obtained a warrant to search emails related to the Hillary Clinton private server probe that were discovered on ex-congressman Anthony Weiner's laptop, law enforcement officials confirmed to NBC News on Sunday.

The warrant came two days after FBI director James Comey revealed that the emails were linked to Weiner's estranged wife, top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

The FBI already had a warrant to search Weiner's laptop, but that only applied to evidence of his allegedly illicit communications with an underage girl.

Comey's disclosure of the emails ignited fierce criticism, particularly from Clinton, who called the move an "unprecedented" departure from FBI policy.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid meanwhile accused Comey of a "disturbing double standard" and said Comey may have violated the Hatch Act.

The FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A Chula Vista motor home fire quickly spread to nearby property Sunday afternoon, officials said. 

The fire, which broke out on the 100 block of Amy Street, spread to a car and truck. The cars belonged to the motor home owner. 

No one was injured. 

Fire investigators are on scene investigating. 

No other information was immediately available.

It's more than just a ball game. 

Barry Cunningham says he has something to prove. 

"I want to show them that I got talent and that we have more to give," he told NBC 7.

Cunningham is a Special Olympic athlete, like others on his team, who face challenges others don't.

Sunday, MLB pros hit the diamond alongside the athletes with special needs for a special occasion. The event was part of the Jack-O-Smash festival to raise funds for students with special needs in the Poway Unified School District.

Cunningham's teammate, Matt Murphy, says that in situations like these, he tends to feel nervous -but also excited. 

"When I waked up this morning, I was like, this must be a dream come true for me," Murphy said.

Poway hometown hero Alex Dickerson from the Padres also joined their team.

"So much excitement. So much fun out here," Dickerson said. "It's honestly an honor for me being out here as much as them being here with me."

Dickerson said he used to do a lot of work at the exact Sportsplex they were at Sunday, and said he was happy to be able to give back.

“It’s an awesome event getting out here being with the kids especially it being in my backyard grew as a kid growing up in Poway,” he said.

Other players from the Padres, Red Sox, Mets and Astros also got in on the action.

"It's really heartwarming that the MLB players can give to people with special needs," said Cunningham. "I've always wanted to be an MLB player, so when they're here I feel like I'm part of the team."

For many of the players, it's about being part of a team - a feeling bigger than sports. 

“I’m feeling pumped. My heart’s pumping ten thousand miles per hour. I’m just ready to play right now," Cunningham said.

A concrete pump on a trailer overturned Monday and blocked several lanes of northbound Interstate 15 at Bernardo Center Drive.

California Highway Patrol officers called for a Sig Alert as of 8 a.m. because the trailer was blocking two lanes.

Drivers were delayed while crews cleaned up the overturned pump and worked to clear the fluid that leaked onto the highway.

Monks who were raising money to repair an ancient basilica in central Italy by brewing beer destroyed there found the structure "flattened" in last week's earthquake, NBC News reported.

The Basilica of St. Benedict in Norcia was destroyed in the strongest earthquake to hit the country in over three decades, said the Monks of Norcia Sunday.

"The entire monastic community is together again at our mountain monastery which overlooks a now fractured Norcia," said a statement signed by Fr. Benedict on their monastery's website. "Messages are pouring in from all over the world."

The monks weren't available for comment when NBC News reached out on Monday. Three American monks took over the monastery in 2000, starting a brewing business to raise funds for repairs for the facility.

Ching Lee Laundry in California, believed to be the oldest Chinese-owned laundry in the United States, closed shop for the last time Saturday after 140 years of operations by the same family, NBC News reported.

Longtime customers at the laundry in San Mateo brought flowers, cookies and cards.

"It deeply saddens me that this era is ending," Jacque Yee, who has managed the shop with her father for the past 30 years, told NBC News.

Yee's great grand-uncle started the business in 1876. He traveled by horse-drawn carriage to pick up laundry 20 miles away in San Francisco.

Chinese immigrants dominated the laundry business during the late 19th and early 20th centuries after "being excluded from virtually everything else," John Jung, author of "Chinese Laundries," told NBC News.

Now one in five people in San Mateo are Asian American, and many of them work in technology.

Summarizing Donald Trump's worldview isn't easy, but this may come close: The world is a violent place, and it demands a violent response, according to NBC News' analysis. 

He's made news by giving out a Republican rival's phone number, tweeting about a "sex tape" and even accusing his opponent, Hillary Clinton, of possibly taking drugs.

Trump's emphasis on violence and retaliation, especially outside the confines of the law, is unique among modern nominees and is rooted in a set of guiding principles. In his eyes, the world is an unforgiving place where cities are "war zones," where "rapists" are streaming across the border and where jealous rivals are hatching plots to humiliate America and Trump personally. To prevail in such an environment, he suggests, the response to any slight must be swift and overwhelming. Dwelling on limits imposed by law or tradition is usually a secondary concern.

The Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment for this story. With Trump's language heating up in the final days and his list of enemies growing fast, some civil rights groups and law enforcement officials are raising fears that things could get out of hand.

A vacant home in Escondido caught fire early Monday, spreading into the trees before firefighters were able to contain and extinguish the fire.

A security guard reported the fire just after 3:30 a.m. on North Escondido Boulevard near State Route 78 and Centre City Parkway.

The bulk of the fire was in the attic according to Acting Battalion Chief Chip Paulson.

The home was put up for sale so it was empty, without residents or furniture inside.

“There were a couple of doors in the back that were open,” Paulson said.

The stubborn fire was in the middle of the home. Flames did spread into cypress trees nearby but were quickly knocked down.

Crews were using ladders to pour water into the home to try and access the fire without sending crews into the home.

“It’s unsafe to put anybody in the structure at this point because of the compromised roof,” Paulson said.

No one was injured in the fire.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

A dislodged sewer pump that caused lifeguards to become ill at La Jolla Cove has been fixed, city officials confirmed Monday.

Sewage problems shut down San Diego's new lifeguard tower at Children’s Pool beach over the summer. The tower was closed soon after it opened in June, leaving beachgoers to use Porta-Potties nearby.

Lifeguards had fallen ill from breathing in the fumes when a lid was dislodged in the pump room.

The pump room, which was used for storage, will also be emptied out but will remain accessible, and a small area adjacent to the pump room will be enclosed “to ensure ongoing operability and accessibility to the pump for future maintenance and repair needs,” according to city spokesperson Katie Keach.

Keach said the lid has been re-secured to avoid any additional illnesses.

NBC 7 is awaiting a report from the Teamster 911 Lifeguard union.

The tower was years in the making, no thanks to seal pupping seasons and funding delays. Design and construction costs: $4.25 million.

Police say three men harassed then beat a Somali Muslim man at a San Diego restaurant. They say the man was hit with brass knuckles and a chair and the attack is being investigated as a hate crime.

San Diego police say the three white men in their 30s were at Zappy Pizza on University Avenue in the Redwood Village neighborhood when a group of Somali men and women walked in on Sunday afternoon.

Police say the men then began making degrading comments based on the group's race and religion.

An argument broke out and the fight became violent when the men hit the 20-year-old Somali man in the face with a pair of brass knuckles and in the back of the head with a chair.

Police say they arrested the three suspects after restaurant patrons helped them track the men down. The victim had cuts and bruises but refused treatment.

Two of the men were arrested for assault with a deadly weapon while the third man was arrested for battery. All three men are facing hate crime charges.

No names have been released.

Nearly $1 million in cocaine was seized by U.S. Border Patrol agents who discovered the drugs hidden inside the rear axles of semi-trucks at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Fifteen bundles of cocaine were found in each truck. Combined, the amount of drugs seized was 76.50 pounds of cocaine.

The trucks were stopped Friday by El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents from the Indio Station assigned to the Highway 86 checkpoint.

The drivers, described by agents as Mexican nationals, and their trucks were handed over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for further investigation.

Decorative and colored contact lenses are what bring many of the most popular Halloween costumes to life. With Halloween right around the corner, brushing up on the precautions of wearing false contacts  are a must.

For those dressing up as a vampire or a cat, the lenses may seem fun. However, counterfeit lenses are illegal due to their history of causing serious injuries and in some cases permanent vision loss.

“Wearing any kind of contact lens, including decorative lenses, without proper consultation of an eye care professional can cause serious injury” said Dr. Karen Smith, California Department of Public Health Director and State Public Health Officer.  

Medical experts insist consumers consult a trained professional if interested in buying decorative lenses.

"Make no mistake, contact lenses are medical devices that should be prescribed by trained professionals," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) Los Angeles.

Even those who believe to have perfect vision should still obtain a prescription from a professional.

It is illegal to buy and sell contact lenses of any kind without a valid prescription in the state of California. To be safe, don't buy contact lenses from a vendor that does not require a valid prescription.

Officials caution customers not to buy contacts from Halloween shops, beauty supply stores or novelty stores due to health risks such as “infection, ulcers, decreased vision, cuts or scratches to the surface of the eye, itchiness and redness." If conditions are left untreated, they may result in blindness.

"… Halloween is a fun and festive holiday, and nobody wants to see those celebrations end with a trip to the ER," Arnold said.

If you know of any illegal sales of contact lenses, call CDPH’s Food and Drug Branch Hotline at 1-800-495-3232.

A cluster of small earthquakes rattled the Salton Sea area overnight in the desert southeast of Los Angeles.

About 35 earthquakes, ranging in magnitude up to 3.5, were reported overnight and into late Monday morning in the historically active seismic area. Clusters of quakes like this are not unusual in the region, suggesting the seismic activity is not cause for alarm, according to the USGS.

Last month, about 200 minor quakes were reported in the area, including nearly 100 with a magnitude over 2. The largest quakes in that September swarm were magnitudes 4.3 and 4.1 on Sept. 26, when the activity began.

The swarm of quakes near the southern tip of the San Andreas Fault, California's longest fault, subsided earlier this month. The earthquakes, near a set of cross-faults beneath the shallow Salton Sea, led scientists to determine there was a slightly elevated risk for a large quake along the San Andreas Fault.

The probability of a major quake on the San Andreas during any one week has been put at 0.02 percent. The probability for the week following the September cluster was increased to 0.04 percent and 1 percent.

No such increased probability was associated with Monday's swarm, which occurred southeast of the Salton Sea.

The majority of the quakes occurred within about an hour of each other, joining about 50 small quakes recorded in the area over the past six days, according to Jennifer Andrews of the Caltech Seismological Laboratory. Andrews said the swarm occurred in the southern section of the Brawley Seismic Zone, one of the most active areas in all of California.