Kansas City, Mo. ? Five straight losses have left the Kansas City Chiefs hurting in both body and mind.

Linebacker Donnie Edwards and left tackle Damion McIntosh were injured in Sunday’s 24-10 loss to San Diego, and both are questionable for this week’s game at Denver, along with several other starters and backups.

Edwards has a hamstring injury, and coach Herm Edwards said McIntosh had a knee injury and would be day-to-day. Their value became readily apparent almost as soon as they left the field.

LaDainian Tomlinson, held to 60 yards and no scores in the first half, romped for 117 yards and two touchdowns in the second half while Edwards, the defensive leader, was in the training room nursing his hamstring. He had scoring runs of 31 and 28 yards when the defense appeared to be out of position and let him get into open space and use his breakaway speed.

After McIntosh limped to the bench in the second half, the Chargers had four of their eight sacks.

Herm Edwards also said running back Larry Johnson would be out for the fifth straight game with an injured foot, and that backup guard Rudy Niswanger was scheduled for an MRI on his injured knee and would be out for the season.

Quarterback Damon Huard, who was too banged up in the last minutes to take the field, probably will be OK, Edwards said. Quarterback Brodie Croyle, who had started two games but was held out Sunday with a deep bruise in his back, will try to practice today as the Chiefs (4-8) begin what could be the toughest stretch of an already tough season.

Three of the next four games are on the road, starting with Sunday’s game at Denver, a place where the Chiefs almost always have had trouble winning. Kansas City already lost once this year to the Broncos, 27-11 at home Nov. 11.

“It will be a challenge, no doubt,” Herm Edwards said. “But we’ve played fairly decently on the road. We’ve been in every game on the road. We’ve been in every game.”

If Niswanger has to miss the last four games, it will be another blow to what Herm Edwards had hoped could be an opportunity for young players to gain valuable time. The 6-foot-5, 300-pounder is in his second season and projected as possibly starting at either center or guard next season. So far, he has gotten only sporadic playing time, but the plan had been to increase his minutes on the field.

“That hurts us some,” the coach said. “He’s a young player we’re looking at. The only saving grace is he’s played some. Now he’s got some experience under his belt. You wish he could finish up these next four.”

The loss followed what has become a familiar pattern of running out of gas in the second half. Tied 10-10 at intermission, the Chiefs failed to get any points in the final two periods. Kansas City has not scored in the fourth quarter in four straight games.

“For some reason, we’re not finishing,” said defensive end Jared Allen, who not only had two sacks Sunday but also caught a 2-yard pass on a tackle-eligible play for his first NFL touchdown.

“I have no reason why we’re not finishing. We’re playing great football in the first half. For some reason, we’re coming out in the second half and we let one drive affect our whole game.”