DENVER (AP) -- Other than their stumbling start and early exit from playoff contention, the most improbable development in the Denver Broncos' bizarre season has been the play of rookie running back Olandis Gary.

Gary, who was inactive for the first four games of the season with little prospect of seeing any significant playing time because of the presence of Terrell Davis, heads into Sunday's season finale as the NFL leader in average yards rushing per game.

With 1,121 yards in 11 games, Gary is averaging 101.9 yards per outing. That's better than the 100.4 of Washington's Stephen Davis and the 100.0 of Indianapolis' Edgerrin James.

Gary, who has rushed for 183 and 185 yards the last two games, became the first player with back-to-back games of at least 180 yards since the New York Giants' Joe Morris in 1986. He also is the first rookie to accomplish that feat since Eric Dickerson in 1983.

Understandably, the Broncos have begun touting Gary for rookie-of-the-year honors, but coach Mike Shanahan knows that's a longshot.

"Olandis has played really well," Shanahan said as the Broncos (6-9) prepared for Sunday's home game against the San Diego Chargers (7-8). "But normally the rookie of the year will go to a team that has had more success than we've had -- a guy like Edgerrin James or Jevon Kearse (of Tennessee)."

It's been a heady experience for a player who -- like his predecessor from Georgia -- merely hoped to make the team in training camp.

With Davis coming off a 2,008-yard rushing season and the league's MVP award, Gary figured he would sit and learn in 1999. But when Davis blew out his right knee in the fourth game and backup Derek Loville was hobbled by a hamstring injury, Gary became the starter.

He hasn't disappointed, even managing to break the club single-game rookie rushing record of 176 yards set by Davis and then bettering the mark in last week's 17-7 win over Detroit that included 134 yards in the third quarter alone.

Judging from his past two performances, one might expect Gary to be hoping for the season to last longer. Not so.

Gary, who runs with a more physical style than Davis, is weary of the punishment he has absorbed.

"The way I'm feeling now, I can't wait" for the season to end, Gary said. "I've been banged up pretty much the whole time I've been playing.

"But we've still got one more game to try to win and end the season on a positive note."

There is no postseason in the Broncos' future, nor in the Chargers', although both teams have finished strong. Denver has won its last two games, and San Diego three of its last four.

While Shanahan speaks with pride of his team's refusal to quit despite its 0-4 start and 2-6 record at the halfway point of the season, San Diego coach Mike Riley says his team is playing playoff-caliber football at the finish.

"We had that terrible skid where we lost six games in a row," Riley said. "We were leading the division when we went into it. We hit rock bottom when we went to Oakland (and lost 28-9). Then we fought out of it and started playing better football. Right now, we're really playing competitively.

"Considering where we were a month and a half ago, .500 looks pretty good. It's a goal worth trying to achieve."

The Chargers kept their hopes alive for a break-even season with a come-from-behind 23-20 win over Oakland last Sunday. Jim Harbaugh threw a 10-yard TD pass to Jeff Graham, and John Carney kicked a 37-yard field goal -- both in the fourth quarter -- to erase a 20-13 deficit.

Although the Chargers rank 26th in the NFL in total offense and 31st -- dead last -- in rushing, they have had some recent success using the no-huddle offense, which quarterback Jim Harbaugh called "organized chaos."

"It's like driving your car with the cell phone on, you're drinking a cup of coffee and you're shaving at the same time," Harbaugh said.

San Diego is averaging a meager 70.1 yards per game on the ground, but Harbaugh attributed that problem to "so many games where we started slow and got behind. You don't feel like you can get into your running game. That's hurt our rushing statistics as much as anything."

The Charger defense, meanwhile, has held opponents to an NFL-low 3.1 yards per carry.

SAN DIEGO Season schedule and results

DENVER Season schedule and results

September 19 @Cincinnati W 34-7 September 26 Indianapolis L 19-27 October 3 Kansas City W 21-14 October 10 @Detroit W 20-10 October 17 Seattle W 13-10 October 24 Green Bay L 3-31 October 31 @Kansas City L 0-34 November 7 Denver L 17-33 November 14 @Oakland L 9-28 November 21 Chicago L 20-23 November 28 @Minnesota L 27-35 December 5 Cleveland W 23-10 December 12 @Seattle W 19-16 December 19 @Miami L 9-12 December 26 Oakland W 23-20 January 2 @Denver 4:15pm ET

September 13 Miami L 21-38 September 19 @Kansas City L 10-26 September 26 @Tampa Bay L 10-13 October 3 NY Jets L 13-21 October 10 @Oakland W 16-13 October 17 Green Bay W 31-10 October 24 @New England L 23-24 October 31 Minnesota L 20-23 November 7 @San Diego W 33-17 November 14 @Seattle L 17-20 November 22 Oakland W 27-21 December 5 Kansas City L 10-16 December 13 @Jacksonville L 24-27 December 19 Seattle W 36-30 December 25 @Detroit W 17-7 January 2 San Diego 4:15pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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