Kickoff: 5 p.m. Monday at Qualcomm Stadium

Series: Denver leads 52-42-1. The Chargers won the last meeting, 41-3, on Oct. 7 in Denver and have won three straight games over the Broncos for the first time since 1981-82.

Player to watch: WR Brandon Marshall

Remember all those superlatives you heard about the top receivers from the 2006 draft class? It turns out that the best receiver wasn't drafted until the fourth round. Marshall, the 16th receiver picked that year, has broken out in a big way this season with 86 receptions for 1,136 yards. Both marks rank seventh in the NFL. Marshall, who also played safety at Central Florida, leads all receivers from the 2006 draft with 106 career receptions. The only other members of the class with more than 50 career receptions are Green Bay's Greg Jennings (95) and Pittsburgh's Santonio Holmes (93). Marshall has excelled the past two weeks, becoming the first player in Denver history to catch 10 or more passes in back-to-back games. Marshall caught 10 passes for 115 yards against Kansas City and followed that with 11 receptions for 107 yards against Houston. Marshall needs 14 catches to become the fifth player in Denver history to catch 100 passes in a season.

Offense

QB Jay Cutler has topped the 3,000-yard mark in his first full season as a starter. Cutler has passed for 3,096 yards with 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He's completing 64.6 percent of his passes, a figure that John Elway (63.2 in 1993 was his high) never reached during his Hall of Fame career. Only Brian Griese (66.7 in 2002) completed passes at a better clip in team history. RB Travis Henry has a team-high 680 rushing yards despite missing time with knee and rib injuries. Henry's absence opened for the door for rookie Selvin Young, an undrafted free agent from Texas who has 603 yards and an impressive 5.6 average. Only two first-round picks, Minnesota's Adrian Peterson and Buffalo's Marshawn Lynch, have more yards among this year's rookie class. While Marshall emerged this season, WR Javon Walker has battled knee woes, and his start in Denver's most recent game was his first since mid-September. Walker has just 22 receptions. WR Brandon Stokley has caught 40 passes, with a league-best 85 percent (34) going for first downs. TE Tony Scheffler (40 receptions) had the first 100-year game

of his career against Houston, which was also the first by a Denver tight end since Shannon Sharpe in 2003.

Defense

The fourth round of the 2006 draft also yielded a steal in DE Elvis Dumervil. Downgraded by scouts because of his 5-11 height despite leading the nation with 20 sacks in his final season at Louisville, Dumervil has stood tall with his play. He has 11 sacks this season, which ties him for ninth in the NFL, including four multi-sack games. He also has forced four fumbles and has an interception. Rookie DE Tim Crowder has been a surprise on the other side with four sacks. MLB D.J. Williams has a team-high 149 tackles in his first season inside after three campaigns at outside linebacker. Denver's pass defense is sixth best in the league. That's partly because it's easy to run against the Broncos (29th against the run) and partly because of CBs Champ Bailey (42 career interceptions) and Dre' Bly (38 career picks). Bailey (three interceptions in '07) was named to his eighth Pro Bowl on Tuesday, and Bly has a team-leading five interceptions. FS John Lynch, the 15-year veteran from Torrey Pines High, is an eight-time Pro Bowl selection but has been hampered by neck and groin injuries this season. He

has just 48 tackles, his lowest output since 1995 with Tampa Bay.

Noteworthy

K Jason Elam has scored 103 points, giving him 15 straight 100-point seasons, the best streak in NFL history. Elam's 1,775 career points rank sixth in NFL history. Ö Elam will play in his 235th career game against the Chargers, breaking a tie with Elway for most games in Denver history. Ö This is the third straight season the Broncos have played on Christmas Eve; they beat Oakland in 2005 and Cincinnati last season. Ö Denver is just 2-5 on the road this season. Ö This is just the second time the Chargers and Broncos have met on "Monday Night Football." The Chargers won the only other meeting, 17-7 in 1979 at San Diego to clinch the AFC West title.