How quickly Denver Broncos fans have forgotten about Jay Cutler and Mike Shanahan. 

Winning heals a lot, apparently.

The Broncos are off to a hot 5-0 start, and fans’ memories of the old days when Shanahan called plays for Cutler have been erased. 

Gone are the days of Brandon Marshall demanding trades and holding out.

Gone are the days of Swiss-cheese defense.

Nobody remembers Kyle Orton getting booed in a scrimmage at Invesco Field earlier this year and nobody cares about his three interceptions in the first half of a preseason game against San Francisco.

Like I said, winning heals a lot.

Kyle Orton has helped lead the Broncos to their first 5-0 start in 11 years, and with his performance against the New England Patriots last Sunday, he has joined the conversation for…league MVP?

After low expectations from many heading into the season, Orton and the Broncos have joined the ranks of the NFL’s elite. The defense has allowed fewer points than any other team in the NFL by far and the offense finally appears to be clicking.

But the season is just getting started.

Monday night, the Broncos will likely be the focal point of their Week 6 matchup against the San Diego Chargers, a struggling team.

Taking a quick look at the Chargers, they have one of the NFL’s top passing units led by Philip Rivers and Vincent Jackson.

Rivers has passed for 1,245 yards and six touchdowns in only four games. Jackson has been on the receiving end of 20 passes for 373 yards and two touchdowns.

The Chargers also boast one of the NFL’s best receiving tight ends in Antonio Gates, who leads the NFL among starters at his position with a 79.6 percent first down rate per reception.

As dangerous as the Chargers can be through the air, they are horrid running the football.

They rank dead last in the NFL with a detestable 53.8 rushing yards per game. Neither Darren Sproles nor LaDainian Tomlinson has reached 100 yards this season.

Defensively, the Chargers have really struggled. A lot of it can be attributed to the injury to All-Pro nose tackle Jamal Williams, who was lost for the season.

San Diego ranks 25th in points allowed at over 25 per contest and they rank 26th in yards allowed with 365.8 a game. Their pass defense has been alright, ranking 12th, but their run defense has been their Achilles heel.

The Chargers rank 27th in run defense and have allowed a total of 604 yards in only four games. Surprisingly, San Diego has not allowed but one 100-yard rusher in any given game so far this year. And they have played three of the league’s top running attacks in Miami, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

It is not out of the norm for this team to get off to a slow start. Last season, they pulled off some kind of miracle and erased a three-game deficit with only three games to play to win the AFC West before beating the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs.

The Chargers have absolutely owned the Broncos in recent years. 

Last season, they split the season series, but blew out the Broncos in the last game of the season, 52-21. 

This rivalry has lost quite a bit of luster with the departure of Jay Cutler, but it is still Broncos-Chargers, and it will still be an exciting game.

Denver’s defense has been one of the best comeback stories in the NFL as they lead the league in points allowed and are second in total defense thus far.

Maybe most importantly, the Broncos are fourth in the NFL in takeaways with 11 and they have the fifth-ranked pass defense to neutralize San Diego’s high-powered pass offense.

The Broncos also rank second in the NFL in sacks with 16 on the season. The Chargers have allowed Rivers to be sacked a fairly respectable 10 times.

This game is a must-win for both teams. 

Denver faces a grueling schedule following their bye week, and could take a substantial 3.5-game lead over San Diego if they can come away with the win.

San Diego needs a big win at home if they are going to keep pace in the AFC West.  Unlike last year’s Denver team, this one is winning with a steady offense that rarely makes mistakes, and a dominant defense.

I have actually made the assessment that this year’s San Diego squad reminds me a lot of last year’s Denver team sans a dominant offensive line.

The Charger offense will have to be at its best if they are going to win on Monday night, and so will the Denver defense.

One area where the Broncos have the decided advantage is in the running game. 

As I pointed out, San Diego cannot stop the run. The Broncos currently rank fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game and are hopeful for the return of Correll Buckhalter, who sprained his ankle two weekends ago.

Buckhalter would join Knowshon Moreno, who leads all NFL rookies with 337 rushing yards.

If that is not an intriguing enough matchup for you, think of big-play receiver Vincent Jackson matching up against All-Pro cornerback Champ Bailey.

Bailey could be on his way to a 10th Pro Bowl this season. He is absolutely shutting down any and every opponent that crosses his path. Here’s what he had to say about being challenged more than usual so far this season.

“I have confidence out this roof at what I can do in a pressure situation. I live for those moments.”

The main thing with the Broncos right now is that they have yet to come even close to dipping into their full potential offensively, and the Chargers should provide an excellent test.

Brandon Marshall has four touchdown grabs in the last three games, Eddie Royal tripled his season total in receptions last week with a 10-catch performance, and Kyle Orton played his best game as a Bronco to date, throwing for 330 yards and two touchdowns in their win over New England.

Charger Week is a fun week and, as always, should generate a lot of good conversation back and forth.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

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