SAN DIEGO (AP) -- After stinking up the AFC West for two seasons, the San Diego Chargers are suddenly playing some meaningful games.

Last week they beat Seattle to improve to 4-1. They have first place to themselves at this point of the season for the first time since 1994, their Super Bowl year.

Now that Jon Kitna is out of the way, the stakes get considerably bigger.

Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers (3-2), no doubt eager to atone for their misadventure in Denver last weekend, will provide Junior Seau and the Chargers their biggest test yet under rookie coach Mike Riley.

The Chargers still have considerable respect to gain. Despite a three-game winning streak, due in large part to its punishing defense, and despite Favre coming off his worst game as a pro, San Diego will be a three-point underdog in its own stadium.

The game sold out weeks ago, as much on the strength of the Packers' popularity as anything else.

A win against the Packers would be big not only for respect around the league, but also for "having us look at ourselves not as a second-tier team or second-class team, but a legitimate team, irregardless if we're winning ugly or not," said Chargers guard Aaron Taylor, who played with Green Bay from 1994-97.

"I think we're starting to walk with a little bit of that swagger that we need," Taylor said. "Certainly winning a ballgame of the magnitude of this one Sunday would help that."

Taylor won a Super Bowl ring with the Packers following the 1996 season, and his last game for Green Bay was in the Super Bowl loss to Denver in San Diego on Jan. 25, 1998.

"They'll be ready to play," Taylor said. "We'll get one of their better games, I would assume. They have too much talent, I think, to let something slip away. Historically, Brett, after coming off a subpar day, will make sure he's ready to play."

Favre, who has played with a sore right thumb since the season opener, pulled out all three of Green Bay's wins with touchdown drives in the final minutes. But those were all at Lambeau Field. At Denver last Sunday, Favre was just 7-of-23 for 120 yards with three interceptions, the worst game of his career, as the Packers lost 31-10 to the Broncos.

"I'm trying to forget it," Favre said. "We all know what happened. No need to make any excuses or dwell on it. It was awful.

"I'm just as embarrassed about what happened as anyone else. But I can't wait to play this Sunday. The good thing about it is that we get a chance to line up and redeem ourselves against a real good football team."

Clearly, Favre and his sore thumb will be the focal point.

The Packers can't run the ball -- they had 21 yards at Denver -- and the Chargers are the best in the league at stuffing the run.

The Chargers, who are at their weakest on pass defense, will be without All-Pro strong safety Rodney Harrison (bruised shoulder). He'll be replaced by 11-year veteran Greg Jackson, who got a game ball for his play against Seattle after Harrison went out.

Additionally, cornerback Darryll Lewis, who leads the team with three interceptions, is questionable with a hamstring injury.

So it will be up to the front seven to pressure Favre.

"Favre can't throw the ball if he's on his back," Seau said. "That's what you've got to do. You've got to get the ball out of Favre's hands quicker than he wants."

Tackle Norman Hand, one of the unsung heroes of San Diego's defense, said he'll pretend Favre doesn't have a sore thumb.

"When the game's on the line, he always comes through," Hand said. "I'm not going to get sucked up into the sore thumb, you know. I have a sore thumb, too. A lot of people make a big deal about it but Brett Favre, he's a competitor. He's going to want to play."

It would help the Chargers' cause if their offense, which once again will be run by Erik Kramer, can move the ball. They beat Kansas City three weeks ago despite gaining just 132 yards, and overcame four interceptions by Kramer to beat the Seahawks.

"I guess you do it the way Denver did it last week, keep him (Favre) off the field," Taylor said. "That's the best place for Brett Favre, because if that guy's on the field, he's going to make something happen."

Safety LeRoy Butler sees no significance in the Packers losing five of their last six road games, including a playoff loss at San Francisco.

"We know we're capable of going down to San Diego and getting a win," he said. "It's going to be weird going out there, because that's where we got cut down in the Super Bowl, but we'll have to play through that. Winning on the road shouldn't be as hard as we're making it. I think this might be the week we snap out of that."

GREEN BAY Season schedule and results

SAN DIEGO Season schedule and results

September 12 Oakland W 28-24 September 19 @Detroit L 15-23 September 26 Minnesota W 23-20 October 10 Tampa Bay W 26-23 October 17 @Denver L 10-31 October 24 @San Diego 4:05pm ET November 1 Seattle 9:00pm ET November 7 Chicago 1:00pm ET November 14 @Dallas 4:15pm ET November 21 Detroit 1:00pm ET November 29 @San Francisco 9:00pm ET December 5 @Chicago 1:00pm ET December 12 Carolina 1:00pm ET December 20 @Minnesota 9:00pm ET December 26 @Tampa Bay 4:15pm ET January 2 Arizona 1:00pm ET

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 4:05pm ET October 31 @Kansas City 1:00pm ET November 7 Denver 4:15pm ET November 14 @Oakland 4:05pm ET November 21 Chicago 4:15pm ET November 28 @Minnesota 1:00pm ET December 5 Cleveland 4:15pm ET December 12 @Seattle 4:05pm ET December 19 @Miami 1:00pm ET December 26 Oakland 4:05pm ET January 2 @Denver 4:15pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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