Chargers Show Some Defense : Pro football: They shut down Elway and defeat the Broncos, 17-6.

This time the last play of the game for the Denver Broncos was not a miracle pass. It was a quarterback sneak.

John Elway, up the middle, from the back of the end zone to a tunnel underneath the stands.

It seemed to work. With Elway surrounded by players and photographers, it appeared he would escape this 17-6 humiliation by the San Diego Chargers without further damage.

But then, from the stands, he was spotted. The stretched and torn No. 7. The white pants stained with dirt. The right elbow covered in blood.

For one last time on a long afternoon, the miracle man was knocked backward.

“Elway . . . ,” chanted dozens of fans, pointing at him wildly. “Elway . . . “

The deleted verb was not “wins.”

Because this was the sort of a loss an Elway-led team has not experienced in nearly three years.

The Charger defense chased, screamed and swatted at the Broncos for the better part of three hours, after which the victors savored their newfound share of the AFC West lead with the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs.

Then pondered one another with amazement.

“You know, we have a better defense than we thought,” said Bo Orlando, new Charger safety. “This could be scary.”

Already is, if you ask Elway, whose team did not score a touchdown under his leadership for the first time since Oct. 12, 1992.

The Broncos, the AFC’s leading offense after three weeks with an average of 400 yards per game, were held to nearly half of that.

They totaled 246 yards, with 65 yards rushing and more penalties (13) than first downs (12). They converted three of 13 third-down opportunities.

Remember that 43-yard, game-winning touchdown pass thrown by Elway to Rod Smith on the last play of last week’s victory over the Washington Redskins?

Elway didn’t complete a pass longer than 22 yards on Sunday.

And Smith didn’t catch a ball.

“Part of it was me, part of it was us, and part of it was them,” said Elway.

The Chargers were so dominant, they sensed the game was over early in the third period, when they were leading, 7-3.

That was when Elway was thrown to the ground by lineman Chris Mims in front of the Charger bench after throwing a desperation third-down pass that badly missed.

When Elway stood, he heard Charger lineman Don Sasa screaming encouragement at Sims. So Elway screamed and cursed at Sasa.

Who wasn’t even playing at the time.

“I think he was angry because there was dirt all over his face,” Sasa said.

Sasa laughed as the Broncos were forced to try a field goal from 52 yards. Jason Elam was successful, but it was their final points. After that, they never got closer than 30 yards from the Charger end zone.

“We let Elway out of the cage a little bit,” said Rueben Davis, Charger defensive lineman. “But then we just pounded and pounded.”

That was also true on offense, when the Chargers used the beef of Natrone Means to overcome the appearance that quarterback Stan Humphries and his receivers were seeing each other for the first time.

Humphries missed long, and short, and watched his only potential scoring pass bounce off the shoulder pads of Mark Seay and into the hands of Bronco Elijah Alexander.

But Means always knew where he was going. While rushing for 115 yards at more than four yards a carry, he scored on a rumbling three-yard run through several wide bodies in the second period, then clinched the game with a most unusual fourth-quarter touchdown.

When is the last time you’ve seen somebody score on a two-yard off-tackle run untouched?

The Broncos had called the wrong defense, so with everybody shifted to the Chargers’ right, Means ran left.

“That was something,” he said.

So, too, could be these Chargers, who showed they are potentially better than last year’s Super Bowl team.

They were fortunate that the Broncos top receivers were all fighting injuries, particularly tight end Shannon Sharpe, who only played a few snaps because of a bad ankle.

But since when has Elway ever needed anybody to throw to?

One area of big improvement for the Chargers is their defensive backfield, where they have better leadership with new safeties Orlando and Shaun Gayle, and better speed with rookie Terrance Shaw and second-year man Willie Clark.

Mike Pritchard, a Bronco receiver, tried to pick a fight with Shaw early Sunday. Shaw just shoved him back while ignoring his cries of “You can’t play, rookie.”

This doesn’t ensure they will have a chance to erase bad memories in late January. But it’s a start.

“Last year was a graveyard season,” Davis said. “Look around now. Same characters. But new character.”