Chargers Out to End Chief Hex : AFC: San Diego, winner of seven consecutive games and champion of the West, has lost six in a row to Kansas City.

“The Bolt is Back,” as the fast-selling T-shirts attest, and in the past few weeks the Chargers’ rise to prominence in the NFL has resulted already in the sale of 2,350 new season tickets.

“We’re in the playoffs,” said Alex Spanos, the Charger owner. “It’s the first time I’ve had a smile on my face in nine years.”

The Chargers (11-5), winners of the AFC West Division and their last seven games, will play the Kansas City Chiefs today in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium in the first round of the NFL playoffs.

The Chiefs (10-6), who have advanced to the playoffs for the third consecutive year, have defeated the Chargers six times in a row.

“It’s a very emotional thing to me to be in the playoffs,” Spanos said. “I can’t even begin to tell you what kind of struggle it has been around here the past few years. I hate losing, and I have been just devastated by it.”

It has been a long drought between Dan Fouts and Stan Humphries; Don Coryell and Bobby Ross; Kellen Winslow and Anthony Miller. The last time the Chargers played host to a playoff game was against the Oakland Raiders on Jan. 11, 1981.

Since buying controlling interest of the team in 1984, Spanos has fired and hired four head coaches, two general managers, and of the team’s active players, only cornerback Gill Byrd remains from the Gene Klein era.

One year ago to this day, after a 4-12 finish, Spanos signed Ross to a four-year contract to replace Dan Henning.

“We have basically the same team as last year,” Spanos said, “and we’re winning. I don’t know what else it can be but coaching.

“Now we’ve won 11 of our last 12 and all we have to do is win three more to get to the Super Bowl. I want to take them now one at a time and enjoy each one of them, but I don’t think it’s impossible to go all the way.”

The Chargers overcame an 0-4 start, including a 24-10 regular-season opening loss to the Chiefs in San Diego, and evened their record at 4-4. But then they lost again to the Chiefs, 16-14, before beating their final seven opponents to finish as the hottest team in the AFC.

“They are arguably the best (team) in the National Football League,” said Kansas City Coach Marty Schottenheimer, who has the worst winning percentage (.333) of the 11 active coaches who have coached in at least five playoff games.

“Our football team recognizes that the San Diego Chargers have been an ascending football team throughout the course of this year.”

The Chargers rank fourth in the league in defense, sixth in offense and have a kicker who hasmade his last 16 field-goal attempts.

“I don’t know if there is a team in this conference playing any better than they are right now,” Schottenheimer said. “If their starting quarterback is not available to them, however, that’s going to hurt them.”

Stan Humphries, who stood on the sidelines at Super Bowl XXVI last year as Washington’s No. 3 quarterback, suffered a dislocated non-throwing shoulder during last week’s regular-season finale in Seattle.

The Chargers have experimented with harnesses and additional padding this week for Humphries, who has been able to take his regular turn in practice as the starting quarterback the past three days.

“If he’s ready, we’ll start him,” Ross said. “There has been no swelling this week and I’ve not seen anything bother him in practice.

“But until he gets hit in the game, we really won’t know how he will be. If he gets hit, it will be just pain and how he handles it. We’ll have it taped down pretty good, and there won’t be any damage to it that can’t be corrected. It’s just a matter of pain.

“We’re very prepared to go with Bob Gagliano if necessary.”

Humphries said he has had some difficulty turning to his right and handing the ball off with his left hand. He said the injury has also affected his throwing motion, although he has reported daily improvement.

Humphries has been the Chargers’ key performer, as well as their inspirational leader this season. He replaced Gagliano as the team’s starting quarterback for the second game and has completed 263 of 454 passes for 3,356 yards with 16 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

“It’s a football game, you’re going to get hit, so we’ll have to see what happens,” Humphries said.

“We’ve gotten this far, and I’m willing to free-wheel it and let’s go with it. There’s no use to hold back now.”

Gagliano had better remain ready. The Chiefs’ defense ranks fifth in the league, and features the pass-rushing of Neil Smith and Derrick Thomas. Thomas has five sacks in two games against the Chargers this season.

“We’ve got to be productive in our running game,” Ross said. “We’ve got to keep the defense on the defensive and not let them go after the quarterback.”

Marion Butts has been the Chargers’ starting running back, but Rod Bernstine has been the most effective runner against the Chiefs. Bernstine has averaged five yards in 67 rushes against Kansas City, and has scored four touchdowns.

The Chiefs have been unable to effectively rush in recent weeks. During last week’s playoff-clinching victory over Denver, Christian Okoye ran once for an eight-yard touchdown, Barry Word rushed five times for four yards and Harvey Williams carried 14 times for 46 yards.

“We kind of throw a dart at the board and see which name comes up and throw him out there,” Schottenheimer said. “Right now, the running game is not very efficient and I’m sure that’s not lost on the Chargers.”

Dave Krieg remains the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, however, and he has a 13-3 record against the Chargers.

“There’s no particular reason for it,” said Krieg, who joined the Chiefs this season after 12 years in Seattle. “There were a lot of games the Chargers should have won, but just didn’t.”

The Chargers were 6-21 in games decided by seven or fewer points the past three years, but under Ross they have found a way to win.

“I go into the game feeling good and I go into the game with an awful lot of respect for Kansas City,” Ross said.

“I’ve tried to remind our squad that there is another level--in terms of intensity--that you’ve got to get to. It will be interesting to see how we respond to that.”