SAN DIEGO - The bleary-eyed Chargers arrived home Monday after a long night of travel. With Lindbergh Field socked in by fog, the team's flight from Denver landed in Ontario, resulting in an early-morning bus ride back to San Diego.

Quarterback Philip Rivers said he remembers his clock reading 4 a.m.before he finally nodded off.

But the Chargers had no need to rub their eyes when looking at the standings.

Their 35-27 victory Sunday night at Denver has the Chargers alone in first in the AFC West at 8-2 and in control of their own destiny with six games to go.

"I think we're on track," Rivers said. "We've got all the balls rolling in the right direction, we just have to keep it going."

Really, they could not be situated much better.

The Chargers have four home games left down the stretch, including their final three divisional games starting with the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Meanwhile, three remaining games - Oakland, at Buffalo,and Arizona - appear to be more than winnable.

Confidence also seems at an all-time high after becoming the first team in history to come back from deficits of 17 or more in consecutive games. And they did it on the road in hostile environments.

"I hate to speak for 'em, but I would imagine a lot of teams would have thrown it in the tank there down 24-7 on the road," Rivers said.

Said running back LaDainian Tomlinson: "With this team, you're never out of it. We really feel like that."

Then there's Tomlinson, who's in the midst of a streak of unmatched excellence. He has scored an unprecedented 19 touchdowns in his past six games, leaving him just six shy of Shaun Alexander's single-season touchdown mark of 28.

But leave it to coach Marty Schottenheimer to apply a splash of cold water to this euphoric dream state.

"We still have to consider the journey ahead of us," he said. "We haven't done anything yet in terms of what we're trying to do and that's get to the playoffs.

"This thing can change in a heartbeat."

The Chargers learned that last season when they rolled into December with the playoffs in sight, carrying an 8-4 record and a five-game winning streak into a home game against Miami. A crushingupset ensued.

With the 2-8 Raiders on the docket for Sunday, Rivers said he doesn't see another letdown in the offing.

"This is a unique team in my mind in the way we handle situations and the way we handle adversity," Rivers said. "We've got a good group of guys, a lot of veterans who are very key to our success in that aspect.

"It won't happen. People on the bus last night were already talking about Oakland. We were excited (about the win in Denver) and then you'd hear somebody say, 'Get ready for Oakland.' We've got the right mind-set."

After a couple of cups of coffee, that is.

CHARGERS NOTES: The Chargers listed 10 players on their injury update Monday as attrition continues to take its toll on the defense. "We're thinking of holding some tryouts," coach Marty Schottenheimer said with a grin. The prognosis is good for DE Luis Castillo, who did not play Sunday because of an ankle injury. Schottenhiemer said he "has a chance" to play Sunday. WR Keenan McCardell (calf strain) is the only Charger who did not return to the Denver game after being injured, and he is expected to be out of action when practice resumes Wednesday. … LB Shaun Phillips (calf), S Marlon McCree (calf), LB Carlos Polk (stinger), DT Jamal Williams (ankle), DB Antonio Cromartie (shoulder), G Kris Dielman (ankle), DE Jaques Cesaire (ankle) and DE Derreck Robinson (foot) could all miss some practice time. … QB Philip Rivers' said his unsuccessful sneak attempt late in the Denver game came up short by design in order to run more clock, and that the Denver defense was trying to let him score on the play. "I almost accidentally fell in," Rivers said. "That was a weird situation." …. Chargers

Blood Drive XXVIII is scheduled from 9 a.m.to 7 p.m. today at the Town and Country Convention Center in Mission Valley.

- Contact staff writer Michael Klitzing at mklitzing@nctimes.com.