2004 San Diego Chargers season

2004 San Diego Chargers season
2004 San Diego Chargers season
Owner	Alex Spanos
General manager	A.J. Smith
Head coach	Marty Schottenheimer
Home stadium	Qualcomm Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoffs	Lost Wild Card Playoffs; (vs. Jets) 17–20 (OT)
All-Pros	4 LB Donnie Edwards (2nd team); TE Antonio Gates (1st team); RB LaDainian Tomlinson (1st team); DT Jamal Williams (2nd team);
Pro Bowlers	3 QB Drew Brees; TE Antonio Gates; RB LaDainian Tomlinson;

The 2004 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 35th season in the National Football League (NFL), its 45th overall and the third under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. It was the franchise's first season involving quarterback Philip Rivers. The team improved on their 4–12 record in 2003 and finished the regular season 12–4, made the playoffs for the first time in nine years, and captured their first division title since the 1994 season. In the playoffs they lost in overtime to the New York Jets. At the end of the season Marty Schottenheimer was named NFL Coach of the Year.

Offseason

Additions	Subtractions
WR Keenan McCardell (Buccaneers)	DE Raylee Johnson (Broncos)
T Roman Oben (Buccaneers)	C Cory Raymer (Redskins)
LB Randall Godfrey (Seahawks)	G Kelvin Garmon (Browns)
	WR David Boston (Dolphins)

NFL draft

Entering the draft, the consensus top pick was Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning. However, Manning had said prior to the draft that he did not want to play for the Chargers and would not sign with them if he was drafted. The Chargers struck a deal with the Giants before the draft that would shape the future of both franchises: the Chargers would select Manning first overall, as they had intended to, and the Giants would draft quarterback Philip Rivers of North Carolina State and then swap him and two 2005 draft picks for Manning.

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
2004 San Diego Chargers draft
1	1	Eli Manning *	QB	Ole Miss	traded to NY Giants
2	35	Igor Olshansky	DT	Oregon
3	65	Nate Kaeding *	K	Iowa	From NY Giants
3	66	Nick Hardwick *	C	Purdue
4	98	Shaun Phillips *	DE	Purdue
5	133	Dave Ball	DE	UCLA
5	154	Michael Turner *	RB	NIU	from Miami
6	169	Ryan Krause	TE	Nebraska-Omaha
7	204	Ryon Bingham	DT	Nebraska
7	209	Shane Olivea	OT	Ohio State	from Atlanta
7	254	Carlos Joseph	OT	Miami (FL)
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

**2004 San Diego Chargers staff**
	Front office Owner – Alex Spanos President/chief executive officer – Dean Spanos Executive vice president – Michael Spanos Executive vice president/general manager – A. J. Smith Assistant general manager/director of player personnel – Buddy Nix Vice president of football operations – Ed McGuire Director of college scouting – Jimmy Raye Director of pro scouting – Fran Foley Head coaches Head coach – Marty Schottenheimer Assistant head coach – Tim Brewster Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Cam Cameron Quarterbacks – Brian Schottenheimer Running backs – Clarence Shelmon Wide receivers – James Lofton Tight ends – Tim Brewster Offensive line – Hudson Houck Offensive assistant/quality control – Pete Carmichael, Jr.			Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Wade Phillips Defensive line – Wayne Nunnely Linebackers – Greg Manusky Secondary – Brian Stewart Defensive assistant/quality control – John Pagano Special teams coaches Special teams – Steve Crosby Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Dave Redding Assistant strength and conditioning – Matt Schiotz

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Roster

**2004 San Diego Chargers roster**
Quarterbacks (QB) 9 Drew Brees 7 Doug Flutie 12 Cleo Lemon 17 Philip Rivers Running backs (RB) 24 Jesse Chatman PR 41 Lorenzo Neal FB 34 Andrew Pinnock FB 21 LaDainian Tomlinson 33 Michael Turner Wide receivers (WR) 87 Tim Dwight KR/PR 13 Malcom Floyd 86 Keenan McCardell 88 Eric Parker PR 81 Kassim Osgood 83 Bobby Shaw Tight ends (TE) 85 Antonio Gates 89 Ryan Krause 84 Justin Peelle		Offensive linemen (OL) 65 David Brandt C/G 68 Kris Dielman G 77 Toniu Fonoti G 79 Mike Goff G 62 Bob Hallen C/G 61 Nick Hardwick C 75 Leander Jordan G/T 72 Roman Oben T 70 Shane Olivea T Defensive linemen (DL) 74 Jacques Cesaire DE 90 Adrian Dingle DE 92 Jason Fisk NT 99 Igor Olshansky DE 94 Robert Pollard DE 78 DeQuincy Scott DE 76 Jamal Williams NT		Linebackers (LB) 54 Stephen Cooper ILB 59 Donnie Edwards ILB 53 Steve Foley OLB 58 Randall Godfrey ILB 51 Ben Leber OLB 95 Shaun Phillips OLB 56 Matt Wilhelm ILB Defensive backs (DB) 45 Robb Butler CB 22 Sammy Davis CB 25 Jamar Fletcher CB 29 Drayton Florence CB 42 Clinton Hart SS 23 Quentin Jammer CB 48 Terrence Kiel SS 31 Hanik Milligan FS 20 Jerry Wilson FS Special teams (ST) 50 David Binn LS 10 Nate Kaeding K 5 Mike Scifres P		Reserve {{{Reserve Lists}}} Rookies in italics 53 active, 9 reserve, 7 practice squad

Preseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue
1	August 14	Indianapolis Colts	L 17–21	0–1	Qualcomm Stadium
2	August 21	at Arizona Cardinals	W 38–13	1–1	Cardinals Stadium
3	August 27	Seattle Seahawks	L 20–26	1–2	Qualcomm Stadium
4	September 2	at San Francisco 49ers	W 31–15	2–2	Monster Park

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Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 12	at Houston Texans	W 27–20	1–0	Reliant Stadium	Recap
2	September 19	New York Jets	L 28–34	1–1	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
3	September 26	at Denver Broncos	L 13–23	1–2	Invesco Field at Mile High	Recap
4	October 3	Tennessee Titans	W 38–17	2–2	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
5	October 10	Jacksonville Jaguars	W 34–21	3–2	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
6	October 17	at Atlanta Falcons	L 20–21	3–3	Georgia Dome	Recap
7	October 24	at Carolina Panthers	W 17–6	4–3	Bank of America Stadium	Recap
8	October 31	Oakland Raiders	W 42–14	5–3	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
9	November 7	New Orleans Saints	W 43–17	6–3	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
10	Bye
11	November 21	at Oakland Raiders	W 23–17	7–3	McAfee Coliseum	Recap
12	November 28	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 34–31	8–3	Arrowhead Stadium	Recap
13	December 5	Denver Broncos	W 20–17	9–3	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
14	December 12	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 31–24	10–3	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
15	December 19	at Cleveland Browns	W 21–0	11–3	Cleveland Browns Stadium	Recap
16	December 26	at Indianapolis Colts	L 31–34 (OT)	11–4	RCA Dome	Recap
17	January 2, 2005	Kansas City Chiefs	W 24–17	12–4	Qualcomm Stadium	Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Houston Texans

Week 1: San Diego Chargers at Houston Texans

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	3	7	10	7	27
Texans	3	10	7	0	20

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Date: September 12
Game time: 12:05 p.m. CDT
Game weather: N/A (retractable roof closed)
Game attendance: 70,255
Referee: Bill Leavy
TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
Box score

Game information

First quarter

HOU – Kris Brown 37-yard field goal, 11:49. Texans 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:11.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 48-yard field goal, 6:35. Tied 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 5:14.

Second quarter

HOU – Kris Brown 20-yard field goal, 14:07. Texans 6–3. Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 7:28.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:51. Chargers 10–6. Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 2:22.
HOU – Dominick Davis 2-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 4:43. Texans 13–10. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 5:08.

Third quarter

SDG – Reche Caldwell 36-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:12. Chargers 17–13. Drive: 4 plays, 49 yards, 2:15.
HOU – Dominick Davis 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 4:36. Texans 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 4:36.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 29-yard field goal, 0:00. Tied 20–20. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 4:36.

Fourth quarter

SDG – Eric Parker 19-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 8:34. Chargers 27–20. Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 4:13.

Top passers

SDG – Drew Brees – 17/24, 209 yards, 2 TD
HOU – David Carr – 19/25, 229 yards, 2 INT

Top rushers

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 26 rushes, 121 yards, TD
HOU – Domanick Williams – 21 rushes, 87 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

SDG – Antonio Gates – 8 receptions, 123 yards
HOU – Domanick Williams – 5 receptions, 70 yards

Week 2: vs. New York Jets

Week 2: New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	14	3	10	7	34
Chargers	0	7	7	14	28

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: September 19
Game time: 1:15 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 73 °F (22.8 °C), humidity 67 percent, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 57,310
Referee: Peter Morelli
TV announcers (CBS (Blacked out locally)): Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots and Scott Kaplan
Box score

Game information

First quarter

NYJ – Curtis Martin 1-yard run (Doug Brien kick), 7:50. Jets 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:08.
NYJ – Curtis Martin 2-yard run (Doug Brien kick), 3:42. Jets 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 3:16.

Second quarter

NYJ – Doug Brien 28-yard field goal, 9:40. Jets 17–0. Drive: 6 plays, 22 yards, 2:55.
SDG – Tim Dwight 87-yard kickoff return (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:28. Jets 17–7. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:12.

Third quarter

NYJ – Doug Brien 23-yard field goal, 11:16. Jets 20–7. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:44.
NYJ – Jerald Sowell 4-yard pass from Chad Pennington (Doug Brien kick), 3:31. Jets 27–7. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 5:24.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 4-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:12. Jets 27–14. Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards, 1:19.

Fourth quarter

SDG – Reche Caldwell 33-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:38. Jets 27–21. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:21.
NYJ – Chris Baker 1-yard pass from Chad Pennington (Doug Brien kick), 3:56. Jets 34–21. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 3:42.
SDG – Doug Flutie 6-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:30. Jets 34–28. Drive: 18 plays, 81 yards, 3:26.

Top passers

NYJ – Chad Pennington – 22/29, 258 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Drew Brees – 8/19, 146 yards, TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

NYJ – Curtis Martin – 32 rushes, 119 yards, 2 TD
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 19 rushes, 87 yards, TD

Top receivers

NYJ – Santana Moss – 4 receptions, 97 yards
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 3 receptions, 76 yards

Week 3: at Denver Broncos

Week 3: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	3	0	7	3	13
Broncos	7	6	7	3	23

at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Date: September 26
Game time: 2:05 p.m. MDT
Game weather: 73 °F (22.8 °C), humidity 26 percent, wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
Game attendance: 74,533
Referee: Johnny Grier
TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf and Armen Keteyian
Box score

Game information

First quarter

DEN – Rod Smith 16-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Jason Elam kick), 8:15. Broncos 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 3:27.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 23-yard field goal, 2:18. Broncos 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 5:57.

Second quarter

DEN – Jason Elam 22-yard field goal, 12:24. Broncos 10–3. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 4:54.
DEN – Jason Elam 23-yard field goal, 7:43. Broncos 13–3. Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 3:14.

Third quarter

SDG – Drew Brees 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:37. Broncos 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:40.
DEN – Ashley Lelie 33-yard pass from Jake Plummer (Jason Elam kick), 3:29. Broncos 20–10. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:08.

Fourth quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 51-yard field goal, 14:06. Broncos 20–13. Drive: 10 plays, 41 yards, 4:23.
DEN – Jason Elam 43-yard field goal, 11:12. Broncos 23–13. Drive: 6 plays, 25 yards, 2:54.

Top passers

SDG – Drew Brees – 14/29, 121 yards
DEN – Jake Plummer – 25/36, 294 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 22 rushes, 60 yards
DEN – Garrison Hearst – 3 rushes, 13 yards

Top receivers

SDG – Reche Caldwell – 3 receptions, 39 yards
DEN – Rod Smith – 5 receptions, 75 yards, TD

Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 4: Tennessee Titans at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Titans	0	7	0	10	17
Chargers	7	14	3	14	38

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: October 3
Game time: 1:15 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 74 °F (23.3 °C), humidity 69 percent, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 54,006
Referee: Mike Carey
TV announcers (CBS (Blacked out locally)): Bill Macatee, Steve Beuerlein and Scott Kaplan
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 15-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 5:56. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 89 yards, 2:45.

Second quarter

TEN – Derrick Mason 4-yard pass from Billy Volek (Gary Anderson kick), 14:10. Tied 7–7. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:46.
SDG – Antonio Gates 11-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 5:16. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 3:57.
SDG – Justin Peelle 10-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:38. Chargers 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 3:37.

Third quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 31-yard field goal, 4:18. Chargers 24–7. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:37.

Fourth quarter

TEN – Gary Anderson 24-yard field goal, 12:26. Chargers 24–10. Drive: 16 plays, 66 yards, 6:52.
TEN – Shad Meier 3-yard pass from Billy Volek (Gary Anderson kick), 7:04. Chargers 24–17. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 5:22.
SDG – Reche Caldwell 58-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 6:42. Chargers 31–17. Drive: 2 plays, 58 yards, 0:22.
SDG – Jesse Chatman 21-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 3:18. Chargers 38–17. Drive: 1 play, 21 yards, 0:07.

Top passers

TEN – Billy Volek – 39/58, 279 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Drew Brees – 16/20, 206 yards, 3 TD

Top rushers

TEN – Chris Brown – 15 rushes, 55 yards
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 17 rushes, 147 yards, TD

Top receivers

TEN – Drew Bennett – 9 receptions, 109 yards
SDG – Reche Caldwell – 3 receptions, 110 yards, TD

Week 5: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 5: Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Jaguars	0	7	0	14	21
Chargers	14	7	6	7	34

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: October 10
Game time: 1:05 p.m. PDT
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), humidity 76 percent, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 52,101
Referee: Tony Corrente
TV announcers (CBS (Blacked out locally)): Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots and Scott Kaplan
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – Antonio Gates 1-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 10:14. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 4:46.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 4:03. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 4:13.

Second quarter

SDG – Antonio Gates 11-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:23. Chargers 21–0. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 2:03.
JAC – Chris Fuamatu-Maʻafala 1-yard run (Josh Scobee kick), 1:33. Chargers 21–7. Drive: 15 plays, 77 yards, 7:50.

Third quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 21-yard field goal, 7:15. Chargers 24–7. Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 6:31.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 28-yard field goal, 0:46. Chargers 27–7. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 0:54.

Fourth quarter

JAC – Byron Leftwich 2-yard run (Josh Scobee kick), 10:42. Chargers 27–14. Drive: 14 plays, 77 yards, 5:04.
SDG – Jesse Chatman 41-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:54. Chargers 34–14. Drive: 2 plays, 72 yards, 0:48.
JAC – Cortez Hankton 7-yard pass from Byron Leftwich (Josh Scobee kick), 7:21. Chargers 34–21. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 2:33.

Top passers

JAC – Byron Leftwich – 36/54, 357 yards, TD, 2 INT
SDG – Drew Brees – 17/26, 211 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

JAC – Fred Taylor – 11 rushes, 64 yards
SDG – Jesse Chatman – 11 rushes, 103 yards, TD

Top receivers

JAC – Jimmy Smith – 8 receptions, 113 yards
SDG – Antonio Gates – 8 receptions, 93 yards, 2 TD

Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 6: San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	14	3	3	20
{{{home}}}	0	7	0	14	21

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: October 17
Game time: 1:02 p.m. EDT
Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
Game attendance: 70,187
Referee: Walt Anderson
TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
Box score

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays.

Second quarter

ATL – Alge Crumpler 19-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 10:24. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:49.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 1:18. Tied 7–7. Drive: 15 plays, 67 yards, 9:06.
SDG – Eric Parker 17-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:18. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 39 yards, 0:20.

Third quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 53-yard field goal, 5:10. Chargers 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 8 yards, 3:13.

Fourth quarter

ATL – Michael Vick 14-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 13:09. Chargers 17–14. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:43.
ATL – Dez White 32-yard pass from Michael Vick (Jay Feely kick), 10:12. Falcons 21–17. Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, 1:02.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 28-yard field goal, 6:01. Falcons 21–20. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 4:11.

Top passers

SDG – Drew Brees – 23/31, 227 yards, TD, INT
ATL – Michael Vick – 12/21, 218 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 23 rushes, 64 yards, TD
ATL – T. J. Duckett – 11 rushes, 45 yards

Top receivers

SDG – Antonio Gates – 6 receptions, 80 yards
ATL – Peerless Price – 2 receptions, 67 yards

Week 7: at Carolina Panthers

Week 7: San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	0	10	7	17
Panthers	6	0	0	0	6

Date: October 24
Game time: 1:02 p.m. EDT
Game weather: 58 °F (14.4 °C), humidity 90 percent, wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
Game attendance: 73,096
Referee: Ron Winter
TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
Box score

Game information

First quarter

CAR – John Kasay 28-yard field goal, 8:21. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 6:39.
CAR – John Kasay 21-yard field goal, 3:28. Panthers 6–0. Drive: 8 plays, 30 yards, 4:34.

Second quarter

No scoring plays.

Third quarter

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 8-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 8:13. Chargers 7–6. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 3:33.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 44-yard field goal, 2:36. Chargers 10–6. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 4:32.

Fourth quarter

SDG – Jesse Chatman 5-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 1:42. Chargers 17–6. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 1:37.

Top passers

SDG – Drew Brees – 21/32, 196 yards
CAR – Jake Delhomme – 17/36, 155 yards, INT

Top rushers

SDG – Jesse Chatman – 8 rushes, 69 yards, TD
CAR – Brad Hoover – 24 rushes, 99 yards

Top receivers

SDG – Keenan McCardell – 5 receptions, 65 yards
CAR – Keary Colbert – 7 receptions, 71 yards

Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 8: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	7	7	0	14
Chargers	14	14	14	0	42

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: October 31
Game time: 1:15 p.m. PST
Game weather: 69 °F (20.6 °C), humidity 57 percent, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
Game attendance: 66,210
Referee: Bill Carollo
TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson, Brent Jones and Scott Kaplan
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – Justin Peelle 17-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 11:14. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:06.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:08. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 29 yards, 3:15.

Second quarter

OAK – Tyrone Wheatley 5-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 10:02. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 5:06.
SDG – Keenan McCardell 13-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 4:56. Chargers 21–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:06.
SDG – Tim Dwight 23-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:36. Chargers 28–7. Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 1:57.

Third quarter

SDG – Antonio Gates 5-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 12:05. Chargers 35–7. Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:55.
SDG – Antonio Gates 1-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 3:08. Chargers 42–7. Drive: 12 plays, 90 yards, 6:28.
OAK – Doug Jolley 13-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 0:02. Chargers 42–14. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 3:06.

Fourth quarter

No scoring plays.

Top passers

OAK – Kerry Collins – 24/39, 263 yards, TD, 2 INT
SDG – Drew Brees – 22/25, 281 yards, 5 TD

Top rushers

OAK – Tyrone Wheatley – 4 rushes, 23 yards, TD
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 19 rushes, 71 yards, TD

Top receivers

OAK – Jerry Porter – 4 receptions, 50 yards
OAK – Doug Gabriel – 3 receptions, 50 yards
SDG – Eric Parker – 6 receptions, 91 yards

Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 9: New Orleans Saints at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	0	7	0	10	17
Chargers	14	6	16	7	43

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
Game weather: 63 °F (17.2 °C), humidity 78 percent, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
Game attendance: 59,662
Referee: Peter Morelli
TV announcers (FOX (Blacked out locally)): Thom Brennaman and JC Pearson
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – Antonio Gates 12-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:50. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards, 5:10.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 5:29. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 3:06.

Second quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 40-yard field goal, 13:02. Chargers 17–0. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 1:50.
NO – Deuce McAllister 2-yard run (John Carney kick), 8:12. Chargers 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 4:50.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 27-yard field goal, 3:16. Chargers 20–7. Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 4:56.

Third quarter

SDG – Safety, Wayne Gandy called for offensive holding in end zone, 8:36. Chargers 22–7.
SDG – Antonio Gates 7-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 3:15. Chargers 29–7. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 5:21.
SDG – Antonio Gates 2-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:04. Chargers 36–7. Drive: 2 plays, 40 yards, 0:52.

Fourth quarter

NO – John Carney 37-yard field goal, 13:53. Chargers 36–10. Drive: 9 plays, 29 yards, 3:11.
SDG – Kassim Osgood 12-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:06. Chargers 43–10. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 6:47.
NO – Boo Williams 6-yard pass from Aaron Brooks (John Carney kick), 4:04. Chargers 43–17. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 3:02.

Top passers

NO – Aaron Brooks – 16/29, 173 yards, TD, INT
SDG – Drew Brees – 22/36, 257 yards, 4 TD

Top rushers

NO – Deuce McAllister – 16 rushes, 63 yards, TD
SDG – Jesse Chatman – 7 rushes, 51 yards

Top receivers

NO – Boo Williams – 5 receptions, 71 yards, TD
SDG – Keenan McCardell – 6 receptions, 89 yards

Week 11: at Oakland Raiders

Week 11: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	6	7	3	7	23
Raiders	0	7	7	3	17

at McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, California

Date: November 21
Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
Game weather: 61 °F (16.1 °C), humidity 28 percent, wind 18 miles per hour (29 km/h; 16 kn)
Game attendance: 46,905
Referee: Bernie Kukar
TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – Antonio Gates 11-yard pass from Drew Brees (kick blocked), 9:05. Chargers 6–0. Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 5:55.

Second quarter

SDG – Drew Brees 6-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 10:07. Chargers 13–0. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:39.
OAK – Ronald Curry 22-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 6:40. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 3:27.

Third quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 19-yard field goal, 5:21. Chargers 16–7. Drive: 9 plays, 22 yards, 3:56.
OAK – Teyo Johnson 8-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 1:58. Chargers 16–14. Drive: 7 plays, 54 yards, 3:23.

Fourth quarter

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 6-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 11:06. Chargers 23–14. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 5:52.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 31-yard field goal, 7:11. Chargers 23–17. Drive: 10 plays, 56 yards, 3:55.

Top passers

SDG – Drew Brees – 18/34, 226 yards, TD
OAK – Kerry Collins – 18/30, 227 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 37 rushes, 164 yards, TD
OAK – Tyrone Wheatley – 12 rushes, 42 yards

Top receivers

SDG – Antonio Gates – 8 receptions, 101 yards, TD
OAK – Jerry Porter – 5 receptions, 63 yards

Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 12: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	7	7	3	17	34
Chiefs	7	10	0	14	31

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Date: November 28
Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
Game weather: 35 °F (1.7 °C), humidity 75 percent, wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
Game attendance: 77,447
Referee: Bill Vinovich
TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:01. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 57 yards, 1:00.
KAN – Derrick Blaylock 5-yard run (Lawrence Tynes kick), 4:26. Tied 7–7. Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:35.

Second quarter

KAN – Larry Johnson 6-yard run (Lawrence Tynes kick), 9:05. Chiefs 14–7. Drive: 13 plays, 94 yards, 6:00.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 3-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 3:11. Tied 14–14. Drive: 12 plays, 65 yards, 5:54.
KAN – Lawrence Tynes 28-yard field goal, 0:45. Chiefs 17–14. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 2:26.

Third quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 25-yard field goal, 7:24. Tied 17–17. Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 2:15.

Fourth quarter

KAN – Derrick Blaylock 22-yard run (kick failed), 14:17. Chiefs 23–17. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 4:29.
SDG – Antonio Gates 18-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 10:13. Chargers 24–23. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 4:04.
KAN – Dante Hall 96-yard kickoff return (Eddie Kennison pass from Trent Green), 10:00. Chiefs 31–24. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:13.
SDG – Antonio Gates 11-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 6:22. Tied 31–31. Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 3:38.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 43-yard field goal, 2:24. Chargers 34–31. Drive: 7 plays, 8 yards, 2:26.

Top passers

SDG – Drew Brees – 28/37, 378 yards, 2 TD
KAN – Trent Green – 21/34, 208 yards, INT

Top rushers

SDG – Eric Parker – 2 rushes, 58 yards
KAN – Derrick Blaylock – 8 rushes, 57 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

SDG – Antonio Gates – 7 receptions, 92 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Kassim Osgood – 2 receptions, 92 yards
KAN – Tony Gonzalez – 8 receptions, 105 yards

Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 13: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	7	0	10	17
Chargers	7	10	3	0	20

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: December 5
Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
Game weather: 58 °F (14.4 °C), humidity 77 percent, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 65,395
Referee: Ron Winter
TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Bonnie Bernstein
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 5-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 12:01. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 43 yards, 1:26.

Second quarter

DEN – Tatum Bell 16-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 13:27. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 2:33.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:05. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 21 yards, 2:49.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 23-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 17–7. Drive: 5 plays, 13 yards, 1:30.

Third quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 23-yard field goal, 5:12. Chargers 20–7. Drive: 10 plays, 43 yards, 4:12.

Fourth quarter

DEN – Reuben Droughns 4-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 14:18. Chargers 20–14. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:26.
DEN – Jason Elam 31-yard field goal, 9:26. Chargers 20–17. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 3:47.

Top passers

DEN – Jake Plummer – 16/40, 278 yards, 4 INT
SDG – Drew Brees – 14/27, 106 yards, INT

Top rushers

DEN – Reuben Droughns – 14 rushes, 38 yards, TD
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 30 rushes, 113 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

DEN – Ashley Lelie – 4 receptions, 105 yards
SDG – Eric Parker – 3 receptions, 37 yards

Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 14: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	0	7	7	10	24
Chargers	0	14	7	10	31

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: December 12
Game time: 1:15 p.m. PST
Game weather: 69 °F (20.6 °C), humidity 63 percent, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
Game attendance: 65,858
Referee: Mike Carey
TV announcers (FOX): Thom Brennaman, JC Pearson and C. S. Keys
Box score

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays.

Second quarter

SDG – Eric Parker 79-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 11:49. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 79 yards, 0:12.
TB – Joey Galloway 36-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jay Taylor kick), 9:02. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 81 yards, 2:47.
SDG – Kassim Osgood 19-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:49. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 2:50.

Third quarter

TB – Joey Galloway 4-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jay Taylor kick), 4:56. Tied 14–14. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 6:08.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 7-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:30. Chargers 21–14. Drive: 7 plays, 81 yards, 4:26.

Fourth quarter

TB – Michael Clayton 20-yard pass from Brian Griese (Jay Taylor kick), 6:53. Tied 21–21. Drive: 2 plays, 37 yards, 0:49.
SDG – Donnie Edwards 30-yard interception return (Nate Kaeding kick), 4:09. Chargers 28–21.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 40-yard field goal, 2:06. Chargers 31–21. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:04.
TB – Jay Taylor 31-yard field goal, 0:16. Chargers 31–24. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 1:50.

Top passers

TB – Brian Griese – 36/50, 392 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
SDG – Drew Brees – 17/23, 220 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

TB – Michael Pittman – 12 rushes, 42 yards
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 25 rushes, 131 yards, TD

Top receivers

TB – Michael Clayton – 9 receptions, 145 yards, TD
SDG – Eric Parker – 6 receptions, 118 yards, TD

Week 15: at Cleveland Browns

Week 15: San Diego Chargers at Cleveland Browns

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	7	7	7	0	21
Browns	0	0	0	0	0

at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Date: December 19
Game time: 1:03 p.m. EST
Game weather: 18 °F (−7.8 °C), humidity 68 percent, wind 30 miles per hour (48 km/h; 26 kn), wind chill −10 °F or −23.3 °C
Game attendance: 72,489
Referee: Tom White
TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Brent Jones
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:09. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 1:00.

Second quarter

SDG – Antonio Gates 72-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:11. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 1 play, 72 yards, 0:13.

Third quarter

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 8:32. Chargers 21–0. Drive: 11 plays, 42 yards, 6:28.

Fourth quarter

No scoring plays.

Top passers

SDG – Drew Brees – 4/6, 85 yards, TD
CLE – Luke McCown – 11/27, 108 yards, INT

Top rushers

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 26 rushes, 111 yards, 2 TD
CLE – Lee Suggs – 21 rushes, 105 yards

Top receivers

SDG – Antonio Gates – 1 reception, 72 yards, TD
CLE – Dennis Northcutt – 4 receptions, 61 yards

San Diego clinches its first division title since 1994.

Week 16: at Indianapolis Colts

Week 16: San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Chargers	7	10	7	7	0	31
Colts	0	9	7	15	3	34

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

Date: December 26
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
Game attendance: 57,330
Referee: Walt Anderson
TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 74-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 4:48. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 92 yards, 2:52.

Second quarter

IND – Mike Vanderjagt 36-yard field goal, 14:18. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 56 yards, 5:30.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 50-yard field goal, 12:46. Chargers 10–3. Drive: 5 plays, 37 yards, 1:32.
SDG – Eric Parker 19-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:09. Chargers 17–3. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 4:03.
IND – Mike Vanderjagt 26-yard field goal, 4:30. Chargers 17–6. Drive: 6 plays, 28 yards, 2:39.
IND – Mike Vanderjagt 23-yard field goal, 0:18. Chargers 17–9. Drive: 10 plays, 85 yards, 2:32.

Third quarter

SDG – Antonio Gates 4-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:24. Chargers 24–9. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:40.
IND – James Mungro 3-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Mike Vanderjagt kick), 6:11. Chargers 24–16. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards, 3:13.

Fourth quarter

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 16-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 14:55. Chargers 31–16. Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 6:16.
IND – Dominic Rhodes 88-yard kickoff return (Mike Vanderjagt kick), 14:42. Chargers 31–23. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:13.
IND – Brandon Stokley 14-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Edgerrin James run), 0:56. Tied 31–31. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 2:46.

Overtime

IND – Mike Vanderjagt 30-yard field goal, 12:13. Colts 34–31. Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:47.

Top passers

SDG – Drew Brees – 21/31, 290 yards, 3 TD, INT
IND – Peyton Manning – 27/44, 383 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 21 rushes, 81 yards, TD
IND – Edgerrin James – 22 rushes, 86 yards

Top receivers

SDG – Eric Parker – 7 receptions, 103 yards, TD
IND – Brandon Stokley – 7 receptions, 123 yards, TD

Week 17: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 17: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	0	3	0	14	17
Chargers	3	14	0	7	24

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Date: January 2
Game time: 1:15 p.m. PST
Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), humidity 87 percent, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
Game attendance: 64,920
Referee: Bill Leavy
TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Solomon Wilcots and Scott Kaplan
Box score

Game information

First quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 34-yard field goal, 10:56. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 4:04.

Second quarter

KAN – Lawrence Tynes 50-yard field goal, 7:08. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 39 yards, 5:26.
SDG – Doug Flutie 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:24. Chargers 10–3. Drive: 8 plays, 87 yards, 4:44.
SDG – Ryan Krause 10-yard pass from Doug Flutie (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:12. Chargers 17–3. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 0:40.

Third quarter

No scoring plays.

Fourth quarter

SDG – Malcom Floyd 13-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:11. Chargers 24–3. Drive: 4 plays, 39 yards, 2:11.
KAN – Larry Johnson 2-yard run (Lawrence Tynes kick), 4:10. Chargers 24–10. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 3:01.
KAN – Larry Johnson 14-yard pass from Trent Green (Lawrence Tynes kick), 2:10. Chargers 24–17. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 2:00.

Top passers

KAN – Doug Flutie – 13/22, 199 yards, TD
SDG – Drew Brees – 28/37, 378 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

KAN – Larry Johnson – 17 rushes, 46 yards, TD
SDG – Michael Turner – 15 rushes, 87 yards

Top receivers

KAN – Tony Gonzalez – 14 receptions, 144 yards
SDG – Ryan Krause – 5 receptions, 81 yards, TD

Standings

Division

AFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽⁴⁾	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	446	313	W1
⁽⁶⁾ Denver Broncos	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	381	304	W2
Kansas City Chiefs	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	483	435	L1
Oakland Raiders	5	11	0	.313	1–5	3–9	320	442	L2

Conference

AFC^[3]
#	Team	Division	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	SOS	SOV	STK
Division leaders
1	Pittsburgh Steelers	North	15	1	0	.938	5–1	11–1	.484	.479	W14
2	New England Patriots	East	14	2	0	.875	5–1	10–2	.492	.478	W2
3^[a]	Indianapolis Colts	South	12	4	0	.750	5–1	8–4	.500	.458	L1
4^[a]		West	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	.477	.411	W1
Wild cards
5^[b]	New York Jets	East	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	.523	.406	L2
6^[b]	Denver Broncos	West	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	.484	.450	W2
Did not qualify for the postseason
7^[c]^[d]	Jacksonville Jaguars	South	9	7	0	.563	2–4	6–6	.527	.479	W1
8^[c]^[d]	Baltimore Ravens	North	9	7	0	.563	3–3	6–6	.551	.472	W1
9^[c]	Buffalo Bills	East	9	7	0	.563	3–3	5–7	.512	.382	L1
10	Cincinnati Bengals	North	8	8	0	.500	2–4	4–8	.543	.453	W2
11^[e]	Houston Texans	South	7	9	0	.438	4–2	6–6	.504	.402	L1
12^[e]	Kansas City Chiefs	West	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	.551	.509	L1
13^[f]	Oakland Raiders	West	5	11	0	.313	1–5	3–9	.570	.450	L2
14^[f]	Tennessee Titans	South	5	11	0	.313	1–5	3–9	.512	.463	W1
15^[g]	Miami Dolphins	East	4	12	0	.250	1–5	2–10	.555	.438	L1
16^[g]	Cleveland Browns	North	4	12	0	.250	1–5	3–9	.590	.469	W1
Tiebreakers^[h]
^ ^a ^b Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based upon head-to-head victory. ^ ^a ^b New York Jets clinched the AFC #5 seed instead of Denver based upon better record against common opponents (New York Jets were 5–0 to Denver’s 3–2 against San Diego, Cincinnati, Houston, and Miami). ^ ^a ^b ^c Jacksonville and Baltimore finished ahead of Buffalo because they each defeated Buffalo head-to-head. ^ ^a ^b Jacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based upon better record against common opponents (Jacksonville were 3–2 against Baltimore’s 2–3 versus Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Kansas City). ^ ^a ^b Houston finished ahead of Kansas City based upon head-to-head victory. ^ ^a ^b Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based upon head-to-head victory. ^ ^a ^b Miami finished ahead of Cleveland based upon head-to-head victory. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

Round	Date	Opponent (seed)	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
Wild Card	January 8, 2005	New York Jets (5)	L 17–20	0–1	Qualcomm Stadium	67,536

Game summary

AFC Wild Card playoffs: vs. New York Jets

AFC Wild Card playoffs: New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Jets	0	7	10	0	3	20
Chargers	0	7	0	10	0	17

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game time: 5:14 p.m. PST
Game weather: 55 °F (12.8 °C), humidity 86 percent, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
Game attendance: 67,536
Referee: Ed Hochuli
TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, John Madden and Michele Tafoya
Box score

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays.

Second quarter

SDG – Keenan McCardell 26-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:26. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 88 yards, 8:25.
NYJ – Anthony Becht 13-yard pass from Chad Pennington (Doug Brien kick), 2:54. Tied 7–7. Drive: 5 plays, 37 yards, 2:19.

Third quarter

NYJ – Santana Moss 45-yard pass from Chad Pennington (Doug Brien kick), 10:29. Jets 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:31.
NYJ – Doug Brien 42-yard field goal, 1:23. Jets 17–7. Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 5:31.

Fourth quarter

SDG – Nate Kaeding 35-yard field goal, 10:43. Jets 17–10. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 5:40.
SDG – Antonio Gates 1-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:11. Tied 17–17. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:35.

Overtime

NYJ – Doug Brien 28-yard field goal, 0:05. Jets 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 4:14.

Top passers

NYJ – Chad Pennington – 23/33, 279 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Drew Brees – 31/42, 319 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

NYJ – Curtis Martin – 18 rushes, 66 yards
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 26 rushes, 80 yards

Top receivers

NYJ – Santana Moss – 4 receptions, 100 yards, TD
SDG – Eric Parker – 9 receptions, 93 yards

Chargers lost but in 2005 missed the playoffs at 9-7.

Awards

Three Chargers were named to the 2005 Pro Bowl,^[4] and four were named first or second team Associated Press (AP) All-Pros.^[5] Brees won the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year with 18+1⁄2 of the 48 available votes, and Schottenheimer took the Coach of the Year award with 27+1⁄2 out of 48. Also, Brees and Tomlinson gained a vote each for Offensive Player of the Year, and Edwards gained a vote for Defensive Player of the Year.^[6]

Player	Position	Pro Bowl starter	Pro Bowl reserve	AP 1st team All-Pro	AP 2nd team All-Pro
Drew Brees	Quarterback
Donnie Edwards	Linebacker
Antonio Gates	Tight end
LaDainian Tomlinson	Running back
Jamal Williams	Defensive tackle

References

^ 2012 San Diego Chargers Media Guide. pp. 263–264. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.
^ "2021 Los Angeles Chargers Media Guide". chargers.com.
^ "2004 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
^ "2004 NFL Pro Bowlers". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
^ "2004 NFL All-Pros". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
^ "2004 awards voting". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2025.

[12–4-4] Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based upon head-to-head victory.

[10–6-5] New York Jets clinched the AFC #5 seed instead of Denver based upon better record against common opponents (New York Jets were 5–0 to Denver’s 3–2 against San Diego, Cincinnati, Houston, and Miami).

[9–7a-6] Jacksonville and Baltimore finished ahead of Buffalo because they each defeated Buffalo head-to-head.

[9–7b-7] Jacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based upon better record against common opponents (Jacksonville were 3–2 against Baltimore’s 2–3 versus Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Kansas City).

[7–9-8] Houston finished ahead of Kansas City based upon head-to-head victory.

[5–11-9] Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based upon head-to-head victory.

[4–12-10] Miami finished ahead of Cleveland based upon head-to-head victory.

[11] When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

[1] 2012 San Diego Chargers Media Guide. pp. 263–264. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 28, 2014.

[2] "2021 Los Angeles Chargers Media Guide". chargers.com.

[standings-conf-NFL-3] "2004 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.

[12] "2004 NFL Pro Bowlers". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2025.

[13] "2004 NFL All-Pros". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2025.

[14] "2004 awards voting". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 23, 2025.

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Los Angeles Chargers
Founded in 1960 Played in San Diego (1961–2016) Based in Inglewood, California Headquartered in El Segundo, California
Franchise	Franchise History in San Diego NFL in Los Angeles Coaches Seasons All-time roster Retired numbers Hall of Fame Anniversary teams 40th 50th Starting quarterbacks First-round draft picks
Stadiums	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Balboa Stadium San Diego Stadium San Diego stadium proposals Dignity Health Sports Park SoFi Stadium
Culture	Fearsome Foursome Air Coryell Alex Spanos "San Diego Super Chargers" Los Angeles Charger Girls Bruise Brothers
Lore	Holy Roller Epic in Miami Freezer Bowl Snowball Game 2006 playoff game vs. New England Patriots
Rivalries	Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders
Wild card berths (5)	1995 2013 2018 2022 2024
Division championships (15)	1960 1961 1963 1964 1965 1979 1980 1981 1992 1994 2006 2007 2008 2009
Conference championships (1)	1994
League championships (1)	1963
Media	Broadcasters KYSR Matt "Money" Smith
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)
Category

Los Angeles Chargers seasons
Played in San Diego (1961–2016)
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory Italics indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) appearance

Offseason

NFL draft

Personnel

Staff

Roster

Preseason

Regular season

Schedule

Game summaries

Week 1: at Houston Texans

Week 2: vs. New York Jets

Week 3: at Denver Broncos

Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 5: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 6: at Atlanta Falcons

Week 7: at Carolina Panthers

Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 11: at Oakland Raiders

Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 15: at Cleveland Browns

Week 16: at Indianapolis Colts

Week 17: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Standings

Division

Conference

Postseason

Game summary

AFC Wild Card playoffs: vs. New York Jets

Awards

See also

References