In a game where even defensive coordinator Wade Phillips had to leave due to injury, the Broncos were able to overcome the Chargers thanks in part to their substitute personnel. (1:15)

DENVER -- Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips knows his team has depth and he has nothing but the utmost confidence in every player.

When folks wonder about injuries, he offers his tilted smile and with his trademark Texas drawl: "We have a lot of good players and we like to play 'em all."

That they do. With starting cornerback Aqib Talib, starting linebacker Brandon Marshall, and even Phillips himself -- after a sideline collision sent the 69-year-old to a local hospital in the first half -- out the Broncos' defense still scored its third touchdown of the season in a 27-19 victory over the San Diego Chargers.

The win set up a prime-time matchup between the Broncos (6-2) and Oakland Raiders (6-2) Sunday night. It also showed how the Broncos' commitment to loading up draft classes with defensive players continues to pay dividends and keep them in the playoff conversation. The Broncos started Bradley Roby in Talib's place at left cornerback and started Corey Nelson in Marshall's place at inside linebacker.

And when cornerback Kayvon Webster -- who had already been moved into duty in the Broncos' specialty packages because of Talib's injury -- left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury, the Broncos pushed Lorenzo Doss into the lineup.

Roby, Nelson and Doss are all Broncos draft picks, part of the wave of defensive picks John Elway has made since the Broncos were blown out by the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl to close out the 2013 season. Those selections were part of the massive makeover by Denver when it transitioned from a record-setting offense in 2013 to the gritty, grind-it-out bunch that continues to do its thing.

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Phillips was taken from the field when Chargers running back Melvin Gordon collided with him during an interception return. Phillips fell hard onto his back and his head struck the ground. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, but was alert and had movement in all of his extremities. That put linebackers coach Reggie Herring on the headset, calling plays for a defense that already had made plenty of changes on the fly.

In the end, the Broncos overcame Phillips' loss and their offense's generosity -- Devontae Booker's fumble led to one Chargers touchdown and wide receiver Jordan Norwood's tipped pass led to a fourth-quarter interception return for a touchdown.

The Broncos' defense, with an eight-point lead, even held at Denver's 2-yard line with just over two minutes to play as the Chargers attempted four passes, all incomplete. The Broncos sacked Philip Rivers four times and put far more pressure on Rivers than they did 17 days before in their Thursday night loss in San Diego. Roby's 49-yard interception for a touchdown in the second quarter was the Broncos' third defensive touchdown of the season and ninth since the start of 2015.

Even as the Denver offense tries to work through C.J. Anderson's injury and continued struggles, the Broncos keep winning. Because, as Phillips says, they have a lot of good players and they do like to play them all.