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When the Chargers prepared to travel to Kansas City five weeks ago, Head Coach Norv Turner spoke of the Chiefs physicality and how difficult it is to play at Arrowhead Stadium.

Cynics may have snickered at Turner hyping a team that was 1-5 at the time, but what happened on the field Sunday proved that he wasn’t simply going into coachspeak or giving lip service when he made similar comments Monday about the team his will face this week.

“I’ve been coaching in this league a long time in the same division and you start believing some things that have been true,” Turner said. “Sometimes you say it and you wonder if it still is true. When you go beat a team like that, sometimes people assume, ‘You went to Kansas City and you should beat them because they’re not very good,’ or ‘You beat Oakland because they aren’t (very good).

“Then you turn around and see Kansas City beat Pittsburgh and Oakland beat Cincinnati, two pretty good football teams and it starts to reconfirm some of the things I believe. Maybe I haven’t lost it completely in terms of understanding completely what this league is all about.”

The Chiefs overtime win over the defending Super Bowl Champions, Kansas City’s second win in as many weeks, certainly proved Turner’s point and it grabbed the attention of the Chargers. Kansas City’s victory reiterated to the Chargers the importance of preparing well each week regardless of your opponent’s record.

“For Pittsburgh to go in there and lose to Kansas City, that’s a real eye opener to everybody in the NFL,” offensive tackle Marcus McNeill said. “It doesn’t matter who you play. You’ve got to come to play. We’re on a little streak right now and we want to keep it going.”

The Chargers, riding a five-game win streak and now in sole possession of first place in the AFC West, believe Kansas City’s win can serve as a good reminder for them as they prepare for their final divisional contest of the season.

“It really reiterates that this league, each week and each game stands alone,” quarterback Philip Rivers said. “Any team in this league is capable each and every week. It’s a division opponent at home. We’ve got things going. There’s no reason why we won’t be geared up and ready to go.”

The Chargers and Chiefs enter this week’s game with opposite records, the Chargers at 7-3 and the Chiefs at 3-7, but San Diego sees a Kansas City team that has built some momentum. The Chiefs won the turnover battle 3-1 Sunday and quarterback Matt Cassel had his best performance of the season as he passed for 248 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. They also scored a special teams touchdown on the game’s opening kickoff.

Rivers is impressed with the fight the Chiefs have shown in recent weeks.

“It says a lot about Kansas City’s continued progress,” Rivers said. “Their record probably isn’t where they want it, but they’re still battling like crazy. You see what they’ve done the past few weeks. It’ll be what you expect in a division game.”

Clary out

Chargers offensive tackle Jeromey Clary will miss some time after injuring his left ankle Sunday at Denver. Turner didn’t put an exact time table on the injury but said that it could possibly be season ending. Brandyn Dombrowski will start in Clary’s place against the Chiefs.

Defensive end Luis Castillo strained his calf Sunday and will likely miss some practice time this week. According to Turner, Castillo does have a chance to play against Kansas City but his status won’t be known until later in the week.

Center Nick Hardwick will attempt to practice Wednesday as he revamps his effort to return from ankle surgery.

Most important statistic

For the second consecutive week, the Chargers didn’t commit a turnover Sunday as they pulled out a 32-3 win over the Broncos. During their current win streak, the Chargers have a turnover ratio of 5. Through their first five games, they were even in the category (seven giveaways, seven takeaways)

Special streaks end

Nate Kaeding was a perfect 4-of-4 on field goals Sunday and has hit 54-consecutive tries inside 40 yards, but he saw another streak end. When his final extra point try was blocked Sunday, it broke a string of 248-consecutive successful PAT’s. His streak was a team record.

Punter Mike Scifres also had a streak come to an end Sunday. When his fourth-quarter punt bounced into the end zone, it marked the first time this season he’d recorded a touchback. His first touchback came on his 37^th punt of the year.

A weekend to celebrate

A special weekend for Chargers fans kicks off Friday as the team hosts its 50^th Anniversary Block Party. The Block Party will be the biggest football tailgate party of the year and will take from 5-11 pm. Upon entering the Block Party at 5th and J Streets, guests will be treated to a strong musical lineup, including the pop group Fountains of Wayne, as well as an assortment of food and beverages options.

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased by clicking here. Fans must be at least 21 years old to attend the Block Party.

Tickets available

Fans are reminded that just under 6,000 tickets remain available for Sunday’s game. The game must be declared a sellout by 1 p.m. Thursday in order to lift the local television blackout. Tickets are available now at the Chargers’ ticket office at Gate C at Qualcomm Stadium, at www.Chargers.com and through TicketMaster at 800-745-3000.

Week of Service

Year round, the Chargers are among the most generous San Diegans when it comes to community service. The holiday week will be a busy one for San Diego’s team. Monday night, cornerback Quentin Jammer and his wife Alicia hosted a Thanksgiving dinner event for students from San Pasqual Academy, a residential campus for foster teens.

Tuesday morning, LaDainian Tomlinson will give away approximately 2,100 Thanksgiving dinners to needy San Diegans through his annual “Giving Thanks With LT” program.

Also Tuesday, more than 50 players will take place in the 31^st-annual Chargers Blood Drive. at the Town & Country Convention Center in Mission Valley, from 9am to 7pm. You will also have the potential to save someone’s life by joining the National Marrow Donor Program registry, free of charge.

Participants who do not plan to donate blood at the event will be charged a $5 entry fee ($1 for Children). Blood donors will be refunded the admission price after they donate.