by Sports Xchange

Orton, who was knocked out of last week's game against Washington with a left ankle injury, has not practiced yet this week. He missed his second straight workout on Thursday, although the Broncos aren't ruling him out.

"He's feeling better," Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said. "Certainly not making any determinations based on where he's at now."

McDaniels said early this week he doesn't have a set theory on sitting a player who doesn't practice all week. He said he evaluates those situations on a case-by-case basis.

Backup Chris Simms is in line for the start if Orton can't play. Simms, who struggled last week against Washington, hasn't started since 2006, when he was with Tampa Bay. He was knocked out of his last start with a ruptured spleen, an injury that threatened his life.

Simms looked good in his first practice with the starters, McDaniels said, and seemed to gain confidence throughout the session. Still, the Broncos are publicly holding onto the hope that Orton can play.

"We'd love for him to be out there as soon as he can possibly be out there, and very hopeful he's going to play," McDaniels said.

--So much will change for the Denver Broncos based on this week's result.

The San Diego Chargers are coming to Denver for an AFC West showdown. The outcome will go a long way in determining the division title, and for the Broncos, what their 6-0 start meant.

Denver was 6-0 and leading the AFC West by three-and-a-half games after a pretty easy 34-23 win at Qualcomm Stadium. The Broncos had beaten four teams of note: Cincinnati, Dallas, New England and San Diego. They were riding high, and the Chargers were reeling. Since then the Chargers have won four in a row, the Broncos have lost three in a row, the AFC West is tied and people around Denver are worried they have seen this unfold before.

Last year, the Broncos joined the 2003 Vikings in a dubious category. They are the only teams to hold a three-game lead in a division and not make the playoffs. The slide this year is much earlier in the season, but it feels similar.

Still, a win this week could help the Broncos immensely, and coach Josh McDaniels is keeping his message positive.

"I don't know why we wouldn't like to be in this situation," McDaniels said. "I wish we had won the last three games. I think everybody in this building does, but we didn't, and there are reasons why we didn't. We've got to go fix the problems and play good football from here on out, starting with this week against a great team."

The Broncos would regain the lead in the division with a win, and also clinch the tiebreaker with a head-to-head sweep. With three games left against Oakland and Kansas City (twice), winning the division would again be a reasonable and realistic goal for the team.

That's why, even after a tough loss at Washington last week, players were able to put their situation into perspective.

"Crisis? No. Tough spot? Absolutely," safety Brian Dawkins said. "There's not too many teams that are going to have a straight shot and not go through some adversity. In those adverse situations, you have to have the fortitude to stand up in them, stand strong in them, and stand together in them."

The Broncos need to start playing better to win this week and keep winning. The offense has struggled for most of the three-game losing streak, especially last week after quarterback Kyle Orton was knocked out of the game with an ankle injury. Orton's status is questionable for this week's game. Chris Simms, who struggled against the Redskins in relief of Orton, would start in his place.

The defense has been vulnerable against the run, something that wasn't the case over the hot start to the season. The special teams have made mistakes as well.

That's why, even though nobody involved with the organization is in a panic, there is a sense of urgency to play better.

"Until we start to play smart football, tough football, coach well and do it for four quarters, we're going to struggle," McDaniels said.

SERIES HISTORY: 100th regular-season meeting. Broncos lead series 54-44-1. Denver won the first meeting this season, 34-23 at San Diego. The Chargers had previously won five of the last six games against the Broncos, four of which came by 20 points or more.