NFL Broncos: The slide continues

Denver quarterback Chris Simms, left, tries to catch San Diego's Steve Gregory as he picks up a loose ball during the first quarter. Gregory recovered the ball after Simms was sacked. (David Zalubowski / The Associated Press)

Denver » As is their custom whenever they play the Broncos, the San Diego Chargers engaged in pregame smack talk Sunday.

What made it different this time is a few Chargers apparently taunted not only the Broncos players, but also coach Josh McDaniels.

"We own you,'' McDaniels snapped back, according to several Chargers in their victorious postgame locker room.

These are miserable times for the Broncos, as difficult now as it was glorious in the beginning. After getting destroyed by the Chargers, 32-3, in front of their home crowd of 74,70 at Invesco Field, the Broncos must somehow stabilize what has been a profoundly emotional season.

There was the extreme high of a 6-0 start. And that has been followed by the depressing low of an 0-4 rut.

Did McDaniels really say, "We own you?" Several Chargers said McDaniels directed his retort at linebacker Shaun Phillips, a renowned Chargers' trash talker.

See there. Contrary to the scoreboard, there was one guy on the Broncos' side willing to stand up to the perennial AFC West powers.

"I'm not commenting about it because they're the ones that talked to me first,'' McDaniels said as he was walking to his car following a long, difficult day at the office. "So, I'm not making a story about that. Because if I did, I'd be able to tell you some things that they said that aren't fit for papers.''

The Broncos were in trouble

When Orton couldn't practice Friday, it was mostly decided Chris Simms would start. On the first series, Broncos' tailbacks Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter combined for seven consecutive carries that moved the ball to the Chargers' 17.

On second-and-long, Simms dropped back for his first pass. He stood in the pocket for perhaps a second too long and Phillips -- putting his hand where his mouth is -- got his right arm free enough from right tackle Tyler Polumbus to swat the ball away from the unsuspecting Simms.

Early as that turnover was, it seemed to deflate the Broncos.

"One thing we need to do as a team is realize there's going to be ebb and flow and not panic," Simms said. "Continue to work hard and realize there's a lot of game left.''

Simms went 2-for-2 passing on his next drive, but was yanked after his third possession ended in a three-and-out.

With the Broncos down 13-0 and seemingly emotionally flat, McDaniels couldn't worry about fairness. With 4:19 remaining in the second quarter, he yanked Simms and inserted Orton, bum ankle and all.

Orton's presence immediately energized the home crowd. Orton felt the vibe, completing consecutive passes of 22 yards to Brandon Marshall and 38 yards to Jabar Gaffney.

The Broncos had first-and-goal at the Chargers' 4. Moreno burst up the middle, but as he reaching across the goal line for a touchdown, the ball was knocked loose by a knee of Denver blocker. Fumble!

Marshall chastised Moreno a few seconds after his fourth lost fumble of the season.

Chargers great LaDainian Tomlinson also fumbled four times as a rookie -- then lost just three fumbles in his next eight seasons.

"It's tough for rookies because in the NFL you get hit as you're going down,'' Tomlinson said. "In college, that doesn't happen much. That's where you lose a lot of the fumbles. He'll learn that. He's going to be a good player, a heck of a player.''