Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh stood behind a lectern this past week and gave away nothing. He didn’t smile when he entered the press conference room. He did greet reporters with a tepid hello, but as far as providing anything resembling insight into Sunday’s night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nada.

Question: How did outside linebacker Joey Bosa look against the Falcons?

Harbaugh: Good.

Question: How did linebacker Junior Colson look this week in practice?

Harbaugh: Questionable to play.

Question: But how did he look after four weeks on injured reserve?

Harbaugh: Skip to the next questions.

(Colson was activated from injured reserve Saturday, by the way.)

So that’s how you know it’s a big week, a big game.

The coach doesn’t give away anything of substance.

Harbaugh isn’t always tight-lipped, but when he doesn’t want to provide depth or breadth to his answers, he doesn’t. So, reporters got what they got, which was a period of uncomfortable silence after one-word answers to questions that generally weren’t regarded as national security secrets.

Harbaugh only opened up when asked about kicker Cameron Dicker’s nomination for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award. Dicker could be a key to defeating the Chiefs and ending a six-game losing streak to Kansas City, but the context wasn’t about success beyond the 50-yard line.

It was about Dicker’s many contributions to the community.

Admirable, of course.

Harbaugh’s reticence wasn’t shared by the players in the locker room, many of whom spoke openly and at length about the challenge the Chargers (8-4) face against the Chiefs (11-1) in a nationally televised game. The known football universe will be watching and the players sounded eager to put on a show.

Safety Derwin James Jr. smiled while talking about matching up against tight end Travis Kelce, a one-on-one battle James missed because of a one-game suspension he served during Week 4. James tuned up for Kelce on Sunday by recently facing off against tight ends Kyle Pitts of the Falcons and Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens.

“I’m so excited,” James said. “I was just thinking about the moment at my house, sitting on the couch (while serving the suspension for amassing too many personal foul penalties). I can’t go to the game. I can’t help my guys. (But) this whole week, I’m ready to practice, I’m just ready to go.”

Asked what it means to face off with Kelce again, James said it “means everything, everything. It’s a battle. It’s man-on-man. (Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter) is using me in multiple ways and making it about me. (The Chiefs) going to have to react off me and react off other guys on our team.

“It’s not just going to be me and Kelce singled out.”

Bosa also didn’t play in the first game between the Chargers and the Chiefs. He was injured on the first play of the Chargers’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. He sat out for four games before returning to play a limited number of snaps in a victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 9.

“It’s just good to be feeling healthy again and feeling better every week,” Bosa said. “It’s one week at a time. Just focused on improving every week. Yeah, it’s a huge test for us. Great team. It’s the kind of team we have to beat to get where we want to go. I think just staying focused and not making it better than it is.

“Staying focused and doing our jobs is the main thing.”

Outside linebacker Khalil Mack said he was “looking forward to the challenge” the Chiefs’ offense, sparked by Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, presents. After all, the Chiefs have won the last two Super Bowls and three of the past five, and they have already clinched a playoff berth.

“You’ve got to get faces, you’ve got to get bodies in front of him and make it hard for him to look and see all the targets he likes,” Mack said of Mahomes. “Not letting him run around as much. I can’t give away as much of the game plan, but make it as tough as possible. Put bodies in front of him, and hitting him.

“I felt we did a good job of that in the first quarter, I believe, (in the Chargers’ loss to the Chiefs in the Week 4 game at SoFi Stadium), but it got a little loose as the game went on. So, just being consistent with that throughout the game. Getting pressure up the middle and collapsing the pocket.”

CHARGERS (8-4) at CHIEFS (11-1)