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Here are some keys to Denver’s Thursday night matchup with the visiting New York Giants as the Broncos try to end a four-game losing streak:

Orton’s health: Unless there is an unexpected change of events, quarterback Kyle Orton will start against the Giants. He needs to stay healthy. Orton missed the second half of a loss at Washington on Nov. 15 and the first quarter last week against San Diego before playing on a gimpy ankle for the final three quarters. Orton played pretty well despite the injury. He seems to have made strides since the game. Still, Denver needs Orton to play the entire game, so his health is paramount.

Run defense: Denver’s run defense has been ravaged during the four-game losing streak. The problem hit a zenith when San Diego, one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL this season, ran for 203 yards. The Giants have the seventh-best run offense in the NFL. So the Broncos are going to be tested in this game even if Ahmad Bradshaw can’t play because of an injury.

Simply play better: After the Broncos lost to San Diego in a game for first place in the AFC West on Sunday, Broncos defensive end Vonnie Holliday said they had to start making the plays they made when they started 6-0. The Broncos are no longer making timely plays on either side of the ball. The only way they are going to snap out of this free-fall is to make plays.

Ball security: Denver would have been in the game against the Chargers if it weren’t for two fumbles inside San Diego’s red zone in the first half. That killed the team’s chances in an eventual 32-3 loss. To beat the Giants, Denver, which has scored a total of three points in the past six quarters, can’t continue to squander opportunities.

Control their emotions: Some Broncos players and coach Josh McDaniels have has had issues controlling their feelings recently. There was a players-only meeting this week to try to eliminate any issues. Surely, the pressure is on Denver after its unexpected tumble. But everyone has to remain composed against the Giants.

Here are some keys for Oakland as it tries to pull off its second upset win in four days Thursday at Dallas:

Timely plays: Oakland stunned Cincinnati because it made big plays at key times. It recovered a fumble deep in its own territory late in the game, it put together its best offensive drive of the game in the final minute and it made the special-teams play of the season in the final seconds. To beat Dallas, Oakland is going to need to come up with similar timely plays.

In Bruce they trust: The Oakland offense has to continue to develop under the leadership of quarterback Bruce Gradkowski in his second start as JaMarcus Russell’s replacement. Oakland played with energy behind Gradkowski and showed a new will to win. Gradkowski is limited, but he is spunky. Oakland’s offense has to continue to show belief in him throughout the game, even if he struggles early as he did against the Bengals.

Make Romo uncomfortable: Dallas quarterback Tony Romo suffered a back injury against Washington on Sunday. He is expected to play. However, on a short week, Romo is sure to be tender during the game. So, Oakland has to put the heat on him and knock him to the ground often. Oakland played well defensively against Cincinnati. It has to continue its improved play and put pressure on Romo.

Air it out more: According to ESPN Stats & Information, Oakland has the fewest pass plays of 30 yards or more in the NFL with three. Gradkowski doesn’t have the arm that Russell has, but he has a better grip on the offense. Oakland tied the score against Cincinnati in the final seconds with a 29-yard touchdown pass from Gradkowski to rookie Louis Murphy. It needs to try more of these plays. The only way Oakland is going to beat Dallas is if it gets gutsy. Throwing deep would be a good start.

Here are the AFC West leaders in some key statistical categories after Week 11:

PASSING YARDS

Player: Philip Rivers, San Diego

Yards: 2,621

What does it mean: Rivers continues to be the class of AFC West quarterbacks.

RUSHING YARDS

Player: Knowshon Moreno, Denver

Yards: 600

What does it mean: Moreno has to keep his hands on the ball.

RECEIVING YARDS

Player: Vincent Jackson, San Diego

Yards: 778

What does it mean: Jackson’s production has slipped some the past two weeks.

TACKLES

Player: Kirk Morrison, Oakland

Tackles: 84

What does it mean: Morrison dropped from third to sixth in the NFL in this category this week.

SACKS

Player: Elvis Dumervil, Denver

Sacks: 12

What does it mean: Dumervil is leading the league in this category.

INTERCEPTIONS

Player: Antonio Cromartie, San Diego; Michael Huff and Chris Johnson, Oakland

Interceptions: 3

What does it mean: Cromartie joined the party Sunday.

Mid-week mail call:

Brandon from Austin wants to know what I think about Brandon Marshall getting in the face of rookie running back Knowshon Moreno after he fumbled at the goal line Sunday against San Diego.

Bill Williamson: I really don’t put too much into sideline squabbles as long as they don’t become a habit or create a major issue. But seeing Moreno shove Marshall on the sideline isn’t exactly what a team wants. But this is another example of Marshall’s passion. If people don’t think he cares, all they have to do is watch the tape of him berating Moreno. But Marshall has to realize that he has made mistakes on the field as well and he needs to support his teammates better. Overall, this isn’t that big of a deal as long as it doesn’t happen again anytime soon.

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Brian from San Diego wants to know what young players in Oakland I like.

BW: There are some interesting young guys in Oakland. I like receivers Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy. I think they can both develop into solid players and be a good receiving pair. I like defensive ends Matt Shaughnessy and Trevor Scott. I really like third-year tight end Zach Miller. I think he can be an elite tight end in a year or so.

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Justin from Kabul, Afghanistan wants to know why the Broncos have stopped blitzing.

BW: Thanks for your service, Justin. I’m not sure that Denver has completely shelved their blitz packages but they are doing it less and they barely blitzed against San Diego on Sunday. Last month, in a win over San Diego, Denver blitzed often and sacked Philip Rivers five times. Sunday, Denver barely even touched Rivers and it had no sacks. The Broncos need to incorporate the blitz more as they try to find its early-season magic on defense.

The candidates are:

San Diego takes control of the division: The Chargers smoked the Broncos, 32-3, at their house to improve to 7-3 and to take a one-game lead in the division over reeling Denver.

Chiefs and Raiders score upsets: The Chiefs beat the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers and the Raiders came back and knocked off the surging Bengals Sunday.

Gradkowski gets the call: Oakland named Bruce Gradkowski the starting quarterback for the rest of the season in favor of JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft.

Choose your story of the week and hit my mailbag with your thoughts. I will post some of your responses later in the week.

The Kansas City Chiefs announced that running back Jamaal Charles has been named the AFC special teams player of the week for his play in Kansas City’s overtime upset victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Steelers on Sunday.

Charles opened the game with a 97-yard kickoff return. He finished the game with a career-high 158 kickoff return yards.

Charles is also Kansas City’s starting running back. He has started the past three games since the Chiefs suspended and then cut Larry Johnson. Charles had 58 yards rushing against the Steelers in addition to his return work.

As expected, the Chargers have announced the signing of right tackle Jon Runyan. He replaces starting right tackle Jeromey Clary. He was put on the injured reserve with an ankle injury he suffered at Denver on Sunday.

Runyan, who turns 36 Friday, is a former standout for Philadelphia. He has not been with a team this season. The Chargers will give Runyan some time to get ready to play. For the time being, Brandyn Dombrowski is slated to play for Clary.

Runyan is expected to give San Diego’s offensive line veteran stability as it marches toward the playoffs. As I stated in an earlier post, this is a smart move by San Diego.

With Denver playing at home against the Giants and the Raiders playing at Dallas on Thursday, here are some injury updates for both teams:

Denver quarterback Kyle Orton appears set to start Thursday despite an ankle injury that kept him out of a total of three quarters Sunday. Denver had a jog through practice and Orton practiced fully.

Denver safety Brian Dawkins was limited Tuesday because of a neck injury that caused him to leave Sunday’s game in the first half. Right tackle Ryan Harris was limited. He has missed the past three-plus games with a toe injury.

The Oakland Tribune reports Richard Seymour is on pace to play at Dallas. He left in the first quarter Sunday with a back injury.

Jon Runyan may be soon joining the San Diego Chargers for their playoff run.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the former longtime Philadelphia standout is on his way to visit the Chargers and he could sign with the team. Starter Jeromey Clary has an ankle injury that could sideline him the rest of the season.

Runyan appears to be a great fit for San Diego. The veteran likely wouldn’t take much time to get ready to play. Runyan visited with several teams this year, but he hasn’t found the right spot.

He would give the Chargers’ offensive line good stability. With center Nick Hardwick expected to return soon from an ankle injury that has kept him out since Week 1, the Chargers’ offensive line looks primed for the stretch run.

San Diego is 7-3 and leads the AFC West by one game after beating Denver on Sunday. The Chargers have won five straight games. Runyan has plenty of playoff experience, so the Chargers could do a lot worse than signing him with Clary out.

We will not know for some time who won or who lost the blockbuster trade between the Broncos and the Bears in April that sent Jay Cutler to the Windy City.

But 10 games into the trade, it seems the Broncos may have the edge. Denver gets the early nod for three reasons:

1. Cutler is struggling in Chicago.

2. Kyle Orton looks like he’s Denver’s leader.

3. The Broncos received several players in the deal and have a top pick still to come.

Cutler was the centerpiece of the deal, of course. Denver decided to deal Cutler, who made the Pro Bowl in his third season at 25, because he couldn’t get on the same page with new coach Josh McDaniels. In Chicago, especially in recent games, the bad Cutler has taken over. Cutler was mostly good in Denver, but he did have occasional mental lapses. The mental lapses have taken over his game recently.

There is plenty of time to salvage his Chicago days, but, at this moment, Cutler doesn’t look to be worth the bounty Chicago surrendered.

The Bears threw Orton into the deal because they didn’t need him anymore. He’s become a key cog in Denver. The Broncos probably will try to re-sign him in the offseason.

Orton has been mostly good for Denver. He led the team to its 6-0 start. Orton was not good in the next two games, two Denver losses. But he was rebounded well. Sunday, he cemented himself as Denver’s leader when he entered the game in the second quarter in a crucial game against San Diego despite a badly sprained ankle. He played the rest of the game and played pretty well. It is clear Orton's teammates believe in him, something that wasn’t always the case with the Cutler, who has a reputation for being somewhat aloof.

While Cutler is more talented than Orton, some Broncos feel they now have better leadership at the position.

In addition to Orton, Denver received first- and third-round picks in 2009 and a first-rounder in 2010. Chicago is 4-6, so the 2010 choice could be fairly decent.

The Broncos chose linebacker Robert Ayers with the No. 18 pick they acquired in the deal. Ayers has shown flashes, although he was not active against San Diego. Still, the Broncos like him as a future player.

Denver packaged the third-rounder from the Bears with their third-round pick in a draft-day trade with Pittsburgh that netted tight end Richard Quinn and guard Seth Olsen. Both players could help down the road. It does need to be noted that Pittsburgh used the third-round pick Denver got from Chicago to select receiver Mike Wallace. He has been a rookie star.

Chicago did get a fifth-rounder from Denver in the Cutler deal and used it on receiver Johnny Knox, who looks promising.

After 10 games, this deal does not heavily favor either side. But Denver received some decent pieces and Cutler has not lived up to early expectations. The edge goes to Denver at this point.