Like the second coming of John Elway.

Yes, the Denver Broncos' iconic Hall of Famer was in the house. But Elway could not save this day.

The fans were cheering for Kyle Orton, the injured quarterback who was summoned from the bench to inject some life in the place — and Denver's struggling offense.

No matter. Hobbling on a sprained left ankle, Orton couldn't save the day, either.

Denver lost to the surging San Diego Chargers, 32-3, and along with a fourth consecutive defeat surrendered the grip it held on first place in the AFC West since Week 2. That the Chargers (7-3) have climbed into first place despite trailing by 3½ games after Denver's 34-23 victory at San Diego on Oct. 19 is all too reminiscent of a Chargers rally that coincided with the Broncos' collapse at the end of last season — when they became the first team since the 1970 merger to blow a three-game division lead with three games to play, allowing San Diego to win the crown with an 8-8 record.

BOX SCORE: Chargers 32, Broncos 3

Now this.

The Broncos (6-4) haven't won since their mid-October win at San Diego. And the Chargers haven't lost since, vaulting to the division lead with a five-game winning streak.

"Anything's possible," said Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, whose 73 yards on 20 carries led a grinding rushing attack that amassed a season-high 203 yards. "We've been through it before.

"It's a long season. We talked about it five weeks ago, with our (last) loss. We knew Denver still had to play some teams in the NFC East and the AFC North. Things happen."

When Orton relieved his battered backup, Chris Simms, the Broncos hoped something else would happen to reverse the tide of a 13-0 deficit. And Orton did provide a quick spark; he hit three consecutive passes on his first three plays, including connections of 22 yards to Brandon Marshall and 38 yards to Jabar Gaffney.

Then kaput. Rookie running back Knowshon Moreno's fourth fumble of the season came at a terrible place and time — at the goal line. Chargers safety Steve Gregory recovered the football in the end zone, and the momentum as well.

On the next series, Orton's first pass was intercepted by Antonio Cromartie.

That Orton, knocked out a week earlier at Washington, was in the game in the first place reflected just how pressed the Broncos were. Orton didn't practice all week.

"It was a bit of a desperation tactic," said Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman. "He came in and did some pretty good things. But we knew he still had an ankle issue. You don't just get healthy. There's a reason why he didn't start the game. He was still banged up a little bit. You just try to contain as much as possible."

Starting Simms backfired

The Chargers defense smothered Orton — never considered mobile, but even less so with a bad ankle — with the same type of aggressive heat that sent Simms back to the bench. They sacked Orton just once, but hit and hurried him with repeated blitzes that disrupted timing.

"I'm just thankful that I didn't have anything to set me back even more," said Orton.

By the end of the third quarter, first-year Broncos coach Josh McDaniels seemed willing to tap other desperate measures to reverse the tide. He went for it on fourth-and-5, but a harried Orton's incompletion was behind Gaffney. He tried an onside kick, too. But Legedu Naanee's recovery provided the short field that led to the next touchdown, a 1-yard, second-effort Tomlinson plunge set up by Philip Rivers' 24-yard completion to Antonio Gates off a throwback lateral from Tomlinson.

"We've talked all along about playing a complete game," said Chargers coach Norv Turner. "Last week (a 31-23 victory against Philadelphia), I said it was our most complete game. Now this is our most complete game."

It started with the defense. After Denver marched to the Chargers 17 with seven consecutive runs on the game-opening drive, Simms — starting his first game since Sept. 24, 2006 — set up for his first pass. He was hit from the blindside by Shaun Phillips, fumbling to set a disastrous tone. Gregory pounced on the football, the first of his two red-zone recoveries.

Simms' final two series ended with a sack, then back-to-back incompletions. He finished with 10 passing yards and a 56.2 passer rating. In more than a half of relief work at Washington a week earlier, he was 3-of-13 for 13 yards, with a 7.5 rating.

McDaniels said he has no regrets for starting Simms.

"Anytime you get down in the red zone four times and come away with three points," McDaniels said, "those are the plays that if you make them you end up with points. If you don't, obviously you have no momentum."

Rivers: Chargers 'can't relax'

The Chargers know all about momentum. These big winning streaks have become a trademark in turning around seasons. Last season, they entered December at 4-8, then advanced to the AFC divisional playoffs with a five-game streak.

In 2007, the Chargers rode an eight-game streak to the AFC title game. In Marty Schottenheimer's final season in 2006, they closed the regular season with a 10-game winning streak.

"To be honest, we didn't think we'd be in the position we're in right now," said Rivers, who passed for a season-low 145 yards. "But we've just worried about us. Now we're ahead. It's not Week 17 of the season. We can't relax. We're not there yet, but we're headed in the right direction."

Rivers was efficient enough in completing 17 of 22 passes, with a touchdown and zero turnovers on a 109.1-rated outing.

The Chargers have recovered from a poor start again — their way. Last year, they started 0-2. In 2007, they opened 1-3. This season, 2-3.

"I think this year was different," Rivers said. "I know the record showed 2-3 at one point, but I didn't feel like it was as slow a start. I know you are what your record is, but we were doing some good things. You look up, and we're 2-3 because some plays got away from us. But I think we're further ahead than a couple years back."

Rivers believes the team has matured, developing more week-to-week focus in fighting through adversity. He pointed to the calm locker room Sunday night, as the team that has won five in a row barely celebrated.

"I still think momentum is a game-to-game thing in this league," Rivers said. "We've got to stay focused and grounded."

Enlarge By Jack Dempsey, AP Brandon Marshall and the Broncos have lost four straight games after starting 6-0.