SAN DIEGO — When injuries arrive, the San Diego Chargers, are fond of saying, “next man up.”

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers simply says it’s time to “stand up as men.”

Either way, the Chargers seek to rebound against the Denver Broncos in Thursday night’s AFC West showdown.

With the Chargers (5-2) losing to the Chiefs before the Broncos (5-1) beat the 49ers on Sunday, Denver leapfrogged San Diego for the AFC West lead.

That has added significance to Thursday’s game in Denver, which should feature a playoff-type atmosphere.

But to get to the real playoffs, Rivers knows the Chargers need to bounce back — quickly.

“It would be nice to have two and half weeks with all we got going on,” Rivers said about the brisk turnaround. “But mentally, it’ll be good for us because you can’t sulk.”

The Chargers can’t afford to do that, not when facing a Broncos team that is humming along like an AFC defending champion should.

Rivers is confident the team’s veteran leadership and big-picture approach will come in handy on Thursday after the players digest their first loss in over a month.

“Shoot, we should stand up as men and realize where we weren’t real good, where we could get better, where are the things we did really well, and get ready,” Rivers said. “We know what this thing is: this is a 16-week deal you sign up for, we’re here through seven of them. We’re in an OK spot; we just got to keep going.”

That works for coach Mike McCoy.

“We’ve got a lot of veteran players that have played in a lot of big games,” he said.

Thursday is one of them.

“These are the type of games,” Rivers said, “that you can’t wait to play in.”

NOTES: CB Brandon Flowers (concussion) didn’t practice on Tuesday and isn’t likely to play on Thursday in Denver. … RB Donald Brown (concussion) has yet to be cleared to return. … CB Jason Verrett (shoulder) and CB Steve Williams (groin) were limited in practice but should be available Thursday. …