Check that. The Broncos only wished they didn't have to see it, a day after Shanahan refused to allow them to watch the performance by their AFC West rival San Diego.

Whole different scenario.

It was that hard to watch what could have been against the Bills.

"It was tough just watching the opportunity go down the drain right there," linebacker Jamie Winborn said. "We still have an opportunity, but we wasted that one."

Shanahan said he barely could eat in wake of the 30-23 loss.

Running back Tatum Bell noted he virtually was silent in the hours after the game.

Receiver Brandon Stokley admitted to trouble sleeping because of the visions of missed opportunities dancing in his head.

Then again, the Broncos have seen these images before, in home games against struggling teams that have become inexplicable letdowns.

The Broncos knew such losses eventually might come back to bite them. And they're feeling Fido's grip now that they must travel to San Diego on Sunday night (6:15 MST, KUSA- Channel 9) with the AFC West title on the line against the Chargers.

"We're not consistent," tight end Daniel Graham said. "That's the thing you have to figure out. One week you don't know what Denver Broncos team is going to come out. We have to be more consistent."

To get an idea of how the Chargers and Broncos reached this point, all that's needed is one glance at the teams they lost to:

* For San Diego, the defeats were to Atlanta (10-5), Miami (10-5), Indianapolis (11-4), Pittsburgh (11-4), Carolina (11-4), Denver (8-7), Buffalo (7-8) and New Orleans (8-7).

That's one team in the entire bunch with a losing record.

* For Denver, the losses came against Kansas City (2-13), Oakland (4-11), Carolina (11-4), Buffalo (7-8), Miami (10-5), Jacksonville (5-10) and New England (10-5).

That list includes losses to four teams with a combined record of 18-42.

Three of those losses came at Invesco Field at Mile High, capped by Sunday's loss to a Bills club that had dropped seven of eight.

"It's disappointing when you lose games to teams you should beat," Stokley said. "And towards the end of the season, they always come back, and you look at those games. But we are where we are, and we've got one game left and that's the one we've got to get."

The Chargers (7-8) not only are on a minitear - they're on their first three-game winning streak this season, led by the league's top-rated passer, Philip Rivers - they've won 13 straight games in December.

Conversely, the Broncos are 5-8 in the season's final month the past three seasons, including losses in the past two weeks this season that would have averted a win-and-in playoff scenario Sunday.

Asked if the Broncos have the requisite killer instinct needed to reach the postseason, Bell responded, "We have it. We have it. We showed it a few games I've been back. (Sunday) we didn't, and everybody's got a bad taste in their mouth. But we know what we have to do."

At the same time, two moments before halftime Sunday illustrate the directions the teams seem to be heading.

It took a Darren Sproles kickoff return and a quick pass for San Diego to set up Nate Kaeding's

career-long 57-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter of an impressive win in Tampa Bay.

The Broncos moved backward after reaching Buffalo's 27-yard line just before halftime and watched Matt Prater's 54-yard kick fall short. The Bills then went 56 yards in nine plays to score a touchdown and get much-needed momentum.

"I think everyone's disgusted," Shanahan said of the team's mind-set. "Any time you have an opportunity to win the AFC West, it's very disappointing. If you don't feel that way, then you are not made of the right stuff. From coaches to support staff, everybody's disappointed. The only thing you can do is look at the film at your mistakes. And you have to look at the things you can do to get better and move on to San Diego."

The Broncos will have to do so with two more running backs on injured reserve, P.J. Pope (hamstring) and Selvin Young (neck); a growing disparity between takeaways and giveaways (now

minus 15); a defense that has allowed 30 points or more for the eighth time; and a special-teams group that's in retreat.

"I don't think anybody would have thought it would come down to this," Graham said. "We have to deal with it and we have to prepare for it and we'll be ready on Sunday."

The Broncos' best overall performances have come on the road - a 34-17 decision against the Jets on Nov. 30, two weeks after a 24-20 victory against Atlanta.

Winborn suggested the Broncos haven't lost any confidence despite back-to-back losses and San Diego's rebound from a moribund season start to what also amounts to a revenge game after a controversial ending to the first meeting between the teams in September.

"It's easy to build momentum," the linebacker said. "This is the NFL, and you love to play in these types of games. It'll be a great game. I see the energy that Rivers and those guys have over there. And I'm pretty sure they know we'll have the same energy. It's going to be one of those games where you definitely don't want to change the channel."