Last week
San Diego blew a 10-point lead to the Chiefs and lost, 30-16, falling to 1-3 in the process. Tomlinson, who rushed for 116 yards in the first half, ran the ball only six times for 16 yards in the second half. ... The Broncos kept pace with the Colts for awhile but were eventually overwhelmed by Peyton Manning in a 38-20 defeat.
At stake
The Chargers, who already have more losses this season than they had in 2006, are in jeopardy of having their season spiral out of control. Their saving grace might be the forgiving division they are playing in; they're only one game out of first place in the AFC West. Fans are already calling for former coach Marty Schottenheimer and Tomlinson has looked despondent in press conferences. ... The Broncos need to rebound after a tough loss at Indianapolis. But the team might have to do it without star running back Travis Henry and receiver Javon Walker. The Broncos also need to keep pace with the Chiefs and Raiders, who have both won two consecutive games to forge a three-way tie atop the AFC West.
Key matchup
Tomlinson vs. Denver's rushing defense. LT finally got back on track against the Chiefs and eyes another big game against the Broncos, who rank next to last in the NFL against the run. Having gone away from him in the second half last week with deadly results, it will be interesting to see if lessons were learned.
Did you know?
Chargers coach Norv Turner went 1-11 against the AFC West during his two-year stint as coach of the Raiders and has a career mark of 1-5 against Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. ... The Broncos are 17-3 at home against the AFC West since 2001.