There were actually people in the stands calling his name. He raised his hand to acknowledge them.

SEAN M. HAFFEY / Union-Tribune Philip Rivers (left) executed a winning game plan for coach Norv Turner in chilly Kansas City.

They'd better.

Even if the Chargers were to lose their final four games and not make the playoffs – a likelihood that seems increasingly remote after yesterday's 24-10 victory over the Chiefs increased their AFC West lead to two games – Turner will not be fired.

“He's going to be here no matter what,” a high-ranking club official with knowledge of team President Dean Spanos' thinking said yesterday. “He was always going to be here no matter what.”

Spanos declined comment, saying he will assess all personnel moves at the end of the season.

General Manager A.J. Smith also said, “We do everything at the end of the year.”

Smith did reiterate his stance that the hiring of Turner was part of a long-term plan and expressed surprise the coach's status would even be questioned.

“We're out to win a championship together,” Smith said. “It's not debatable week-to-week. I'm aware of all the speculation. But if they know how we operate, this is not a one-year chase for the Super Bowl.”

Fans have been on Turner all season, many calling for his firing after the season's second week. A 1-3 start brought chants of “Marty, Marty” at Qualcomm Stadium. As the team hovered around .500 through November, it has become great sport in San Diego to pick apart Turner's every replay challenge, play call and locker room speech.

In the Chargers' front office, it was never discussed. Spanos, Smith and Turner enjoy a relationship in which ideas flow freely among their offices. But in this era of quick fixes and itchy trigger fingers by management throughout professional sports, they never discussed Turner's future even as the tempest swirled outside.

“It's a two-way deal,” Turner said. “I appreciate the way they've approached this whole thing, particularly when we started 1-3, and it wasn't easy for anybody. We're not out of it. So this is premature, but the point is they appreciate what I'm trying to do and what we're trying to do.”

Players have acknowledged in recent weeks that they have increasingly bought into what Turner and his staff are putting forth.

“Any time you change a head coach and a staff – and it's never been done at 14-2 – but there is an adjustment period, there is a getting-used-to period,” Philip Rivers said. “One thing we always knew was this ain't his first job. He didn't flinch, so we didn't flinch. We just kept grinding and believing.”

The Chargers have won six of their past eight and two straight. Turner has stated all along that his goal in tinkering with the offense was to have the Chargers peaking at season's end.

“I've been doing this too long,” he said. “I'm going to do what I believe in. And what we're doing is right. Our guys are buying in. Every day we gain more of each other's trust, and it's helping us.”

Kevin Acee: (619) 293-1857; kevin.acee@uniontrib.com