(Sports Network) - It appears lightning could be about to strike twice for the San Diego Chargers in their quest for a fourth consecutive AFC West title, since they've won three in a row to pull within a game of the division lead.

The Chargers got a colossal breakdown from Denver to snag a third straight AFC West crown a year ago, and the Broncos seem to have lost their edge again with back-to-back losses following a sizzling 6-0 start under first-year head coach Josh McDaniels. San Diego is now 5-3 after testing its mettle with a trip across the country to face the New York Giants, with the club coming away with Sunday's stunning 21-20 victory it so desperately needed.

San Diego owes credit to a late defensive stand as well as quarterback Philip Rivers, who completed 24-of-36 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. Rivers connected on 6-of-8 attempts during a late game- winning drive in which he fired a touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson with 21 seconds left. The defense then forced Giants quarterback Eli Manning to throw two incomplete passes before stud linebacker Shawne Merriman closed the door with a game-ending sack.

"We're getting better every week," Merriman said. "We're getting better as a team. We're playing with more continuity. It's translating to wins and we're having a lot of fun."

Head coach Norv Turner must have had fun watching his defense prevent the Giants from converting a third down in the second half. New York was 5-of-8 on third downs in the first 30 minutes, but went 0-for-6 during the last two quarters.

The Chargers were coming off victories over also-rans Kansas City and Oakland before posting five sacks on Manning over the weekend to solidify their place as a contender in the AFC.

Turner stated afterward the performance was a "character win" and that his players are going to fight until the end, no matter what the results are. Both the offense and defense did just that in a huge test at Giants Stadium.

Turner will be hoping for a similar showing when the team returns home this Sunday to battle a very tough opponent in the Philadelphia Eagles. The key for this week is applying the same type of pressure on Donovan McNabb that the defense did to Manning on Sunday. The Eagles' offense was held in check by Dallas in similar fashion on Sunday, with McNabb's timing with his receivers often thrown off by a fierce Cowboys' rush.

San Diego's passing offense is seventh in the league thanks to Rivers, who is averaging 280.6 passing yards a contest. His favorite target has been Jackson, who has reeled in a touchdown pass in four straight games and garnered five over that stretch. Jackson has eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark four times in 2009 and matched a career high with his seventh touchdown grab on Sunday. He is on pace to break all of his records established a season ago.

Rivers and Jackson need to be on point again versus an Eagles secondary stacked with a solid cornerback tandem in Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown. Like San Diego, the Eagles are 5-3 and in second place in their division (NFC East). Philly plays four of its next five games on the road starting with San Diego.

"If we put down our foot right now, we're going to be in pretty good shape," Merriman said. "Every game's not going to go how you want it, but we can do our best to make sure it's in our favor."

CHIEFS: The Kansas City Chiefs have less to worry about now that Larry Johnson's bags are packed and out the door, but the team is still struggling to find continuity under first-year head coach Todd Haley.

The decision to release the disgruntled Johnson was based on years of frustration that the running back brought upon himself. What organization wants to be affiliated with someone who has been accused of beating women, disrespecting his coach and even insulting innocent people? Even though it seems Kansas City can't buy a win or even an ounce of respect, Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli and Haley got it right by cutting ties with the former first-round draft pick.

"Over the last couple of weeks, Scott (Pioli) and I have been spending a lot of time and energy, along with (owner) Clark Hunt, in talking about this and trying to figure out the direction that we wanted to go," Haley said in a statement released on Monday. "We decided that it is the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs organization to move forward at this time."

The three heads of the organization performed surgery on the team much like a doctor removing a malignant tumor from one's anatomy. For the Chiefs' sake, hopefully the extraction of Johnson will bring new life to an offense that is now in remission. Maybe Haley can finally unleash the pass-happy approach that landed him this job in the offseason, instead of having to worry about satisfying the needs of one player who appears to have lost his edge anyway.

Haley let Matt Cassel throw 39 times in Sunday's tough 24-21 loss to Jacksonville, resulting in 241 net yards passing. Cassel immediately built a rapport with new wide receiver Chris Chambers, with the two connecting on pair of touchdown passes. Chambers was acquired last week after San Diego cut ties with the wideout.

To revert back to the running game, the Chiefs got a peek at what life after L.J. might look like by using a trio of runners in Jamaal Charles, Kolby Smith and Dantrell Savage against the Jaguars. Charles led the trio with 36 yards on six carries, while Smith posted 17 yards on four touches. Savage wasn't used much, posting four yards on two carries, and gets most of his work on special teams.

Johnson left some pretty powerful shoes to fill, but perhaps one of the new backs will one day break Priest Holmes' team rushing record of 6,070 yards. Johnson ended his KC career with 5,996 yards on the ground.

Johnson, who set an NFL record with 416 carries in 2006, should get a shot to revive his career elsewhere in the league. Time is certainly not on his side since running backs tend to drop off in productivity at the age of 30. Johnson will turn 30 next week.

"Yes, he's a very good back," Smith said. "He's a two-time pro bowler and he was only 74 yards away from holding our all-time record here. I know that other teams are looking at that and have seen what he's done in the past. I think that someone will pick him up."

The Chiefs will take their 1-7 record to Oakland this week and will try to avenge a Week 2 loss to the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. Oakland was outplayed in every facet of the game, but managed to squeeze out a 13-10 triumph.

BRONCOS: The hair on the back of Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's neck has to be standing, and one of his ears must be ringing. Nolan's department hasn't performed at full capacity over the last two weeks, both losses, and now has given up at least 23 points in three straight games.

Nolan's defense was exposed when the Pittsburgh Steelers used a no-huddle offense in Monday night's 28-10 victory in front of the Mile High faithful. The game was tight at halftime with Denver trailing, 7-3, but a huge second half surge by Pittsburgh sent first-year head coach Josh McDaniels and the Broncos to their second straight defeat following a sizzling 6-0 start.

Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy did no better than Nolan with his side of the ball, as the Broncos failed to score more than 10 points for the second week in a row.

"They didn't do anything we didn't game plan for or anything that was unexpected," said Broncos rookie defensive lineman Robert Ayers, who did his best by returning a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown. "They just executed when they needed to and they made the plays that they needed to make. We didn't."

Broncos efficient quarterback Kyle Orton was intercepted three times after getting picked off just once -- a Hail Mary pass that was plucked out of the air by New England Patriots wideout Randy Moss -- during the first seven weeks. Orton was forced to pass often, since the Denver run game was unaccounted for, and he finished 23-of-38 for 221 yards and the three turnovers. The Broncos posted an embarrassing 27 yards rushing in the loss.

McDaniels stated the obvious after the game, remarking how the Broncos had trouble providing adequate protection for Orton. He also added that the balance on offense wasn't there in the team's fifth straight game against a tough opponent (Dallas, New England, San Diego, Baltimore and Pittsburgh).

The next three games aren't any easier, with Washington, San Diego and the New York Giants on the upcoming docket, but at least Denver matches up well against the Redskins. The Broncos must get back on track in order to keep hard-charging San Diego at bay in the race for AFC West superiority, as the Chargers sit one game behind the division-leading Broncos with a 5-3 record.

"If you told us at the beginning of the season we'd be 6-2 at the halfway point, I think most of us would have been happy with it," Broncos defensive back Andre Goodman said. "The way the last two weeks have gone, losing to the same division, the same type of team -- playoff teams -- having a poor second half on the defensive side of the ball, it's a little disheartening, but we're not going to panic. We're just going to go back to work and do what we're used to doing."

The defense hopes to lock down Washington's running attack this week after the Steelers ran at will on Nolan's unit. Pittsburgh finished with 173 yards rushing, led by Rashard Mendenhall's 155 yards, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was only intercepted once. Denver had a knack for shutting down opposing ground games, but seemed out of sync in its latest attempt on Monday.

The 2-6 Redskins were just trounced by Atlanta and will be looking to establish the ground game early, even with starting tailback Clinton Portis most likely to miss the competition. Backup Ladell Betts should get most of the carries against a Denver rush defense rated eighth in the NFL, allowing 97.0 yards per game.

RAIDERS: There's not much expected from the Oakland Raiders in the second half of 2009, simply because the first eight games were brutal enough.

Several storylines concerning head coach Tom Cable, the ineffectiveness of quarterback JaMarcus Russell, a shoddy defense and the weekly whereabouts of first-round draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey have consumed the Silver and Black nation, and there doesn't seem to be any hope left for a miraculous turnaround. But anyone who's watched this team play for five minutes would be conscious of its incompetence on the gridiron.

Excluding the win over the heavily-favored Philadelphia Eagles back on October 18 that left Raiders fans in a surprised state of jubilation, this team needs to undergo more facelifts than Joan Rivers. In his first season as full-time head coach, Cable's offense and defense are both comparable to that of a Division FCS team.

The only section of this football team Cable has been able smile about is the secondary, and that unit isn't even in the top 10. Oakland's pass defense, led by high-priced cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, is only rated 13th in the league, allowing 212.2 yards a game through the air. Asomugha has played in all eight games and doesn't have an interception to show for it, because opposing teams tend to avoid throwing his way. And that's a good thing. Safety Michael Huff currently owns a team-best three interceptions, while cornerback Chris Johnson has the other two.

Teams have been able to run wild on the Raiders, as evidenced by their miserable 29th-rated rush defense. They're allowing almost 374 total yards a game, including 161 on the ground, and are 25th in points allowed. Linebackers Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard need some help from the front line if they intend on having enough energy to close out the season.

It's hard to imagine any line suffering with names such as Richard Seymour, Greg Ellis, Gerard Warren and Tommy Kelly on the roster. Then again, players usually go to the Black Hole to watch their careers die out. The unit loaded with former prospects may get some life with the addition of William Joseph, a one-time first-round draft pick re-signed this week.

Needing of a defibrillator is the Oakland offense, led by the struggling Russell. The quarterback should have been relegated to backup duties by Week 6, but Cable has so far stood by the former No. 1 overall pick. So far the commitment to Russell has the offense 26th in rushing, 30th in points scored, 31st in passing and last in total yards. Those aren't the numbers a head coach should be looking for, but then again, what exactly is Cable in search of right now? A good lawyer? A trusting relationship?

Russell and the Raiders' offense have mustered just six touchdowns in eight games this season, while the cannon-armed LSU product is averaging just 125 passing yards a game in his second year as a starter. He has completed only 48.4 percent of his passes to go along with two touchdown strikes and nine interceptions, a 48.3 quarterback rating.

Russell has also been sacked 23 times, but may get a lift with the pending return of offensive guard Robert Gallery, who has been sidelined since breaking his right leg in Week 2.

Tight end Zach Miller leads the Raiders with 28 receptions for 421 yards, while rookie Louis Murphy leads the wide receivers with 16 catches for 232 yards. Heyward-Bey, meanwhile, has only five catches for 74 yards in eight games as a rookie. Whether he doesn't understand the offense or just can't get open, Oakland must find a way to get the ball into the speedster's hands.

In more encouraging news for Cable and crew, running back Darren McFadden returned to practice in limited capacity this week for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. McFadden, another former first-round pick, went down in Week 4 against Houston, with Justin Fargas and Michael Bush carrying the load in his absence.

Either way, the Oakland offense has been in trouble for weeks now, and the team hopes to steal another win from Kansas City much like it did back in Week 2 at Arrowhead Stadium.