SAN DIEGO -- Maybe the rebounding Chargers just needed some seasoning.

"We have to keep playing with that saltiness," Philip Rivers said.


The Chargers' season, and their coach, Mike McCoy, were once left for dead. Instead both have rallied, and they eye the Denver Broncos on Sunday seeking their third straight win.

"We don't need to exhale now that we have won two in a row," Rivers said. "We all know going to Denver is going to be a challenge because that's an awesome team."

San Diego has gone from awful in closing games to recording consecutive wins. It has climbed back into the AFC West race by defeating Denver two weeks ago and denying the Falcons last week on the road.

All this newfound success is resonating, with few teams looking forward to playing the Chargers. But the last two games don't surprise Rivers.

"We played better football, or as good football, in the first five weeks even though we didn't get the wins," he said. "This is what we expected. This is what we should have done and our record (3-4) would be different. But were not.

"But what it has done is gotten us back in the pack. And this one on Sunday is even bigger because of what we have done in the last two."

Sunday's game will have a different look than the Oct. 13 game -- and not just because of the location.

Broncos coach Gary Kubiak, who also calls plays for inexperienced quarterback Trevor Siemian, was absent for the Thursday night matchup in San Diego. Kubiak had migrane issues and was unable to contribute.

"I know that would be a big deal for me," Rivers said.

So Kubiak is back and so are the Chargers.

The Chargers also realized any resurgence could quickly vanish into the thin mountain air.

"The challenge is to keep that edge, that saltiness, we had when we played them the first time," Rivers said.

Those chips on the Chargers' shoulder pads were courtesy of another bungled finish to a game. The Chargers had lost at Oakland, were 1-4 and completely befuddled. They prepared to ambush the Broncos when they visited and they did just that.

Now the Chargers are the tourist Sunday. They have to keep Von Miller off Rivers and keep turnovers to a minimum. Three weeks ago, that would have been laughable.

Now, it isn't after they beat the Super Bowl champion Broncos and allowed three second-half points to Atlanta's top-ranked offense in an overtime victory.

"We knew going into this three-game stretch how difficult it was going to be, and we won the first two," Rivers said. "Now the challenge is to win all three of them."