In fact, not since this wacky season started has optimism seen such light as it did Monday at Chargers Park.

A three-game winning streak during the Broncos' free-fall has the Chargers back in the AFC West race.

For real.

The 7-8 Chargers need only a win Sunday night at home against the 8-7 Broncos to climb all the way off the mat and into the playoffs.

When the fading Chargers were trailing the Broncos by three games with three remaining, few gave them a shot.

But a thumping of Oakland, a heart-stopping, one-point win at Kansas City and then Sunday's 41-24 breakout at Tampa Bay has put a spark in the Bolts.

"After everything that's happened this season, we've got an opportunity to win this division," tight end Antonio Gates said. "We've taken care of business the last three weeks, and it all comes down to next week against Denver."

Coach Norv Turner has seen his stock rise with the team's success. The drumbeat to chase him from town is difficult to hear.

"The season's 16 weeks long, and you commit yourself to playing hard during that entire span," Turner said.

"We've had some unusual and amazing things happen throughout the season. We went through a stretch playing four of five games on the road, three of them on the East Coast or beyond."

That's what made Sunday's conquest so significant. It kept them in the hunt and zapped their road curse of playing someone outside their division.

All those close losses, all that chatter after they dropped five of six games, all that yapping about letting a special season slip away is in the past. The Chargers are one home win shy from entertaining the Colts the first week of the AFC playoffs.

"Our players have been through a lot," Turner said, and he could have speaking about himself as well. "But I give them credit for hanging in there and giving ourselves a chance."