SAN DIEGO ---- Monday night's clash between the Chargers and rival Denver got started a little early. A pregame jawing session turned into a full-scale war of words between the squads during warm-ups.

The Broncos walked on to the field en masse, traveling right by a few stretching Chargers players. It's unclear exactly how the fracas began, but outside linebacker Shaun Phillips and Broncos defense lineman Kenny Peterson were at the center of the scrum.

That attracted players from all over the field, including several Chargers impact players. Shawne Merriman removed Phillips from the middle and took over as chief "negotiator" along with inside linebacker Stephen Cooper.

"They came out and were incredibly disrespectful," Merriman said. "We couldn't just let it go. Not in our own building."

The trash-talking session lasted more than a minute before both sides went about their pregame business. Quarterback Phillip Rivers and Merriman continued the conversation a bit longer, but Denver got the last word with a 34-23 victory at Qualcomm Stadium.

The trash-talking continued on Denver's end once the game was in hand, which left a bad impression on some Chargers.

"They had a lot to say," Phillips said. "I'm glad we'll meet again."

Sproles makes history

Darren Sproles passed Speedy Duncan as the Chargers' all-time leader in kickoff and punt return yardage with his 16-yard return on the opening kickoff.

Later, Sproles electrified the crowd when he ran a punt back 77 yards for a touchdown late in the first half to give the Chargers a 20-17 lead.

He finished the game with 226 return yards on eight returns ---- seven kickoffs and a punt ---- and now has 5,262 yards for his career. The touchdown was his fourth as a return man in five seasons.

Duncan played for the Chargers from 1964-70 and amassed 5,037 combined kick return yards.

Ellison replaces Hart

Rookie Kevin Ellison took most of the snaps at strong safety after Clinton Hart, the former starter, was cut on Wednesday.

Ellison, who played at USC, led the defense with six tackles and an assist, but he also missed a tackle on Denver tight end Tony Scheffler on a 52-yard pass in the fourth quarter that led to the touchdown that put the Broncos ahead 34-23.

Earlier, the 6-foot-5 Scheffler took advantage of his 6-inch height advantage on free safety Eric Weddle to snag a 19-yard scoring pass that gave Denver a 24-23 lead.

Scheffler led the Broncos with six receptions for 101 yards.

Injury update

Inside linebacker Kevin Burnett left the game with a right ankle injury in the third quarter and did not return. Burnett was wearing a protective boot and moving around the locker room on crutches after the game.