Buried as a backup, Brady Quinn probably wondered if he’d ever get a chance to be a starting quarterback again on more than just on an injury-replacement basis.

Being the top dog for a week? Well, that probably was out of the question.

Yet, it is Quinn who is at the top of the AFC quarterback heap, at least for a week. He was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his play in the Chiefs’ 27-21 win against Carolina on Sunday. Quinn completed 19-of-23 passes and was instrumental in the win.

It was Quinn’s first win as a starting quarterback in three years. He took over last month as Kansas City’s starting quarterback for the rest of the season. The odds are against Quinn being the Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 20103, but if he collects any more of these awards, his case to be in the mix will be made stronger.

In other AFC West news:

Denver’s Peyton Manning is No. 1 and Denver linebacker Von Miller is No. 6 on Mike Sando’s MVP Watch this week.

Kansas City starters center Ryan Lilja (knee), cornerback Brandon Flowers (hamstring) and linebacker Derrick Johnson (hamstring) are not practicing Wednesday. Left tackle Branden Albert is working Wednesday after missing two games with a back injury,

The Chargers brought back tackle Reggie Wells. Linebacker Antwan Barnes was put on injured reserve.