"Headliners are better appreciated when they're not in every scene.

So running backs will occasionally perform at Qualcomm Stadium tonight.

When the Broncos and San Diego Chargers do run the ball, it won't be for the usual reasons of controlling the clock and setting up the pass.

The running plays will serve to give the receivers a breather from running down passes thrown by the NFL's two most prolific quarterbacks this season, San Diego's Philip Rivers and the Broncos' Kyle Orton.

"I almost laugh when I hear announcers say they're running the ball to set up the pass," said former quarterback Ron Jaworski, an NFL announcer. "That couldn't be further from the truth.

"As I'm watching Kyle Orton and Philip Rivers this week, I'm seeing Kyle Orton throw the ball all over the lot. His play-action numbers are just through the roof. And yet they can't run the ball a lick."

As part of ESPN's "Monday Night Football" broadcasting crew that will carry the Broncos-Chargers game tonight, Jaworski has access to statistics that say Orton has completed 52 of his 77 play-action passes this year for 927 yards — 17.8 yards per completion — and a 120.0 passer rating.

Spectacular numbers, especially when considering Orton fakes the run off the NFL's 32nd-ranked rushing offense.

Orton, by the way, is generally considered the second-best of two passers tonight at Qualcomm Stadium."