# 2009 San Diego Chargers season

The 2009 season was the San Diego Chargers' 40th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 50th since becoming founding members of the American Football League. The Chargers improved upon their regular season record of 8–8 in 2008 and won their division for the fourth straight year and fifth time in six seasons. They finished the regular season with a 13–3 record, the second best winning percentage in franchise history but were upset in the Divisional Playoffs by the New York Jets. It was also Norv Turner's best regular season record as head coach. Also, this was the end of an era as future Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson joined the New York Jets following the season, ending his 9-year tenure as a Charger. As of 2024, this represents the most recent AFC West title for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers.

## 2009 NFL draft

Many have speculated as to who the Chargers are likely to target early in the 2009 NFL draft. Commonly noted areas of need include the safety positions, the right side of the offensive line, and inside linebacker. The Chargers are also expected to be in the hunt for a running back to eventually replace Tomlinson, who despite past excellence has faced more frequent injuries and declining production as he ages.
2009 San Diego Chargers draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 16 | Larry English | OLB | NIU |
| 3 | 78 | Louis Vasquez * | G | Texas Tech |
| 4 | 113 | Vaughn Martin | NT | Western Ontario |
| 4 | 133 | Tyronne Green | G | Auburn |
| 4 | 134 | Gartrell Johnson | RB | Colorado State |
| 5 | 148 | Brandon Hughes | CB | Oregon State |
| 6 | 189 | Kevin Ellison | S | USC |
| 7 | 224 | Demetrius Byrd | WR | LSU |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | August 15 | Seattle Seahawks | L 20–14 | 0–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 22 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 17–6 | 1–1 | University of Phoenix Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 29 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 27–24 | 1–2 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 4 | September 4 | San Francisco 49ers | W 26–7 | 2–2 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 14 | at Oakland Raiders | W 24–20 | 1–0 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Recap |
| 2 | September 20 | Baltimore Ravens | L 26–31 | 1–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 27 | Miami Dolphins | W 23–13 | 2–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 4 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 28–38 | 2–2 | Heinz Field | Recap |
| 5 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 6 | October 19 | Denver Broncos | L 23–34 | 2–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 25 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 37–7 | 3–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | November 1 | Oakland Raiders | W 24–16 | 4–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 8 | at New York Giants | W 21–20 | 5–3 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 31–23 | 6–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | November 22 | at Denver Broncos | W 32–3 | 7–3 | Invesco Field at Mile High | Recap |
| 12 | November 29 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 43–14 | 8–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 6 | at Cleveland Browns | W 30–23 | 9–3 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 13 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 20–17 | 10–3 | Cowboys Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 20 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–24 | 11–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 25 | at Tennessee Titans | W 42–17 | 12–3 | LP Field | Recap |
| 17 | January 3 | Washington Redskins | W 23–20 | 13–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: at Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Raiders | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 7:16 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C) (Clear)
* Game attendance: 61,940
* Referee: Carl Cheffers
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Greenberg (play-by-play), Mike Golic, Steve Young (color commentators) and Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter)
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
OAK – Michael Bush 4-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 3:13. Raiders 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 84 yards, 6:10.
Second quarter
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 4:45. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 4:22.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 37-yard field goal, 0:40. Raiders 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 45 yards, 1:43.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 47-yard field goal, 0:00. Tied 10–10. Drive: 5 plays, 12 yards, 0:40.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 35-yard field goal, 13:01. Raiders 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:43.
SDG – Vincent Jackson 15-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:22. Chargers 17–13. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 5:39.
OAK – Louis Murphy 57-yard pass from JaMarcus Russell (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 2:34. Raiders 20–17. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 4:48.
SDG – Darren Sproles 5-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:18. Chargers 24–20. Drive: 9 plays, 89 yards, 2:16.
Top passers
SDG – Philip Rivers – 24/36, 252 yards, TD, INT
OAK – JaMarcus Russell – 12/30, 208 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 13 rushes, 55 yards, TD
OAK – Darren McFadden – 17 rushes, 68 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Antonio Gates – 5 receptions, 83 yards
OAK – Zach Miller – 6 receptions, 96 yards :
The Chargers began their season at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum for a Week 1 AFL Legacy duel with their AFC West rival, the Oakland Raiders, in the second game of an MNF doubleheader. In the first quarter, San Diego trailed early as Raiders running back Michael Bush got a 4-yard touchdown run. The Chargers would strike back in the second quarter as running back LaDainian Tomlinson got a 1-yard touchdown run. Oakland would respond with kicker Sebastian Janikowski getting a 37-yard field goal. San Diego would close out the half with kicker Nate Kaeding making a 47-yard field goal.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Raiders would retake the lead in the fourth quarter as Janikowski nailed a 35-yard field goal. The Chargers would take the lead as quarterback Philip Rivers completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Oakland would respond with quarterback JaMarcus Russell completing a 57-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Louis Murphy, but San Diego came right back with a 5-yard touchdown run by running back Darren Sproles.
With the win, the Chargers began their season at 1–0.

#### Week 2: vs. Baltimore Ravens

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ravens | 7 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
| Chargers | 10 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: September 20
* Game time: 1:15 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 66,882
* Referee: Tony Corrente
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg & Dan Fouts
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Darren Sproles 81-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:18. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 99 yards, 2:22.
BAL – Willis McGahee 5-yard run (Stephen Hauschka kick), 4:49. Tied 7–7. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 4:29.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 29-yard field goal, 0:44. Chargers 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 4:05.
Second quarter
BAL – Willis McGahee 3-yard run (Stephen Hauschka kick), 10:50. Ravens 14–10. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 4:54.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 22-yard field goal, 3:00. Ravens 14–13. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:34.
BAL – Kelley Washington 27-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Stephen Hauschka kick), 1:38. Ravens 21–13. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:22.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 23-yard field goal, 0:08. Ravens 21–16. Drive: 9 plays, 37 yards, 1:30.
Third quarter
BAL – Todd Heap 9-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Stephen Hauschka kick), 8:24. Ravens 28–16. Drive: 4 plays, 22 yards, 1:42.
SDG – Vincent Jackson 35-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:26. Ravens 28–23. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 5:58.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 25-yard field goal, 7:11. Ravens 28–23. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 4:04.
BAL – Stephen Hauschka 33-yard field goal, 2:54. Ravens 31–23. Drive: 4 plays, -2 yards, 1:34.
Top passers
BAL – Joe Flacco – 17/26, 190 yards, 2 TD, INT
SDG – Philip Rivers – 25/45, 436 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
BAL – Willis McGahee – 15 rushes, 79 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Darren Sproles – 10 rushes, 26 yards
Top receivers
BAL – Kelley Washington – 4 receptions, 58 yards, TD
SDG – Vincent Jackson – 6 receptions, 141 yards, TD :
Coming off their road win over the Raiders, the Chargers would play their Week 2 home opener against the Baltimore Ravens. San Diego would deliver the opening strike in the first quarter as quarterback Philip Rivers completed an 81-yard touchdown pass to running back Darren Sproles. The Ravens would respond with running back Willis McGahee getting a 5-yard touchdown run, yet the Chargers would regain the lead as kicker Nate Kaeding got a 29-yard field goal. Baltimore would take the lead in the second quarter as McGahee got a 3-yard touchdown run. San Diego would pull within one as Kaeding made a 22-yard field goal, but the Ravens answered with quarterback Joe Flacco completing a 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kelley Washington. The Chargers would end the half as Kaeding would make a 23-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, Baltimore would add onto their lead as Flacco completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Todd Heap. San Diego would stay close as Rivers completed a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. In the fourth quarter, the Chargers got closer as Kaeding kicked a 25-yard field goal, but the Ravens would answer with kicker Steve Hauschka nailing a 33-yard field goal. San Diego would manage to get a late drive all the way to the Ravens' 15-yard line, but on 4th-&-2, Sproles was tackled behind the line of scrimmage by an unblocked Ray Lewis, ending any hope of a comeback.
With the loss, the Chargers fell to 1–1.

#### Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dolphins | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| Chargers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 23 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: September 27
* Game time: 1:15 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 67,230
* Referee: Bill Leavy
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg & Dan Fouts
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 25-yard field goal, 9:21. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 14 plays, 72 yards, 6:58.
MIA – Dan Carpenter 24-yard field goal, 3:26. Tied 3–3. Drive: 6 plays, 11 yards, 3:29.
Third quarter
MIA – Dan Carpenter 23-yard field goal, 4:09. Dolphins 6–3. Drive: 12 plays, 44 yards, 7:03.
SDG – Philip Rivers 5-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:02. Chargers 10–6. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:07.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 23-yard field goal, 12:30. Chargers 13–6. Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:16.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 26-yard field goal, 6:53. Chargers 16–6. Drive: 11 plays, 41 yards, 4:58.
SDG – Eric Weddle 31-yard interception return (Nate Kaeding kick), 5:45. Chargers 23–6.
MIA – Ricky Williams 14-yard run (Dan Carpenter kick), 2:51. Chargers 23–13. Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 2:54.
Top passers
MIA – Chad Henne – 10/19, 92 yards, INT
SDG – Philip Rivers – 18/33, 303 yards
Top rushers
MIA – Ronnie Brown – 18 rushes, 75 yards
SDG – Darren Sproles – 18 rushes, 41 yards
Top receivers
MIA – Davone Bess – 7 receptions, 54 yards
SDG – Vincent Jackson – 5 receptions, 120 yards :
Hoping to rebound from their tough loss to the Ravens, the Chargers stayed at home for a Week 3 duel with the Miami Dolphins. After a 1-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown by the Dolphins, San Diego would strike in the second quarter with a 25-yard field goal from kicker Nate Kaeding. The Dolphins would answer with a 24-yard field goal from kicker Dan Carpenter. In the third quarter, Miami extended the lead with Carpenter's 23-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Chargers struck back with quarterback Philip Rivers' 5-yard touchdown run. San Diego would then pull away in the fourth quarter with Kaeding nailing a 23-yard and a 26-yard field goal, followed by safety Eric Weddle returning an interception 31 yards for a touchdown. The Dolphins tried to rally with running back Ricky Williams' 14-yard touchdown run, yet the 'Bolts would hold on for the victory.
With the win, the Chargers improved to 2–1.

#### Week 4: at Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | 28 |
| Steelers | 14 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 4
* Game time: 8:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C) (Cloudy)
* Game attendance: 64,045
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, & Andrea Kremer
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
PIT – Rashard Mendenhall 1-yard run (Jeff Reed kick), 11:49. Steelers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 3:11.
PIT – Mewelde Moore 19-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick), 4:08. Steelers 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:27.
Second quarter
PIT – Rashard Mendenhall 2-yard run (Jeff Reed kick), 1:28. Steelers 21–0. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 6:07.
Third quarter
PIT – Heath Miller 6-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick), 7:48. Steelers 28–0. Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 5:01.
SDG – Antonio Gates 3-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 1:33. Steelers 28–7. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 6:15.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Jacob Hester 41-yard fumble return (Nate Kaeding kick), 12:37. Steelers 28–14.
PIT – Heath Miller 6-yard pass from Mewelde Moore (Jeff Reed kick), 7:18. Steelers 35–14. Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards, 5:19.
SDG – Antonio Gates 30-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 5:48. Steelers 35–21. Drive: 4 plays, 67 yards, 1:30.
SDG – Chris Chambers 13-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 4:31. Steelers 35–28. Drive: 3 plays, 54 yards, 1:17.
PIT – Jeff Reed 46-yard field goal, 0:43. Steelers 38–28. Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 3:48.
Top passers
SDG – Philip Rivers – 21/36, 254 yards, 3 TD
PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 26/33, 333 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 7 rushes, 15 yards
PIT – Rashard Mendenhall – 29 rushes, 165 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
SDG – Antonio Gates – 9 receptions, 124 yards, 2 TD
PIT – Hines Ward – 8 receptions, 113 yards :
Coming off their home win over the Dolphins, the Chargers flew to Heinz Field for a Week 4 Sunday night duel with the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. San Diego found themselves in a huge deficit in the first half. In the first quarter, the Steelers opened the game with running back Rashard Mendenhall getting a 1-yard touchdown run and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger completing a 19-yard touchdown pass to running back Mewelde Moore. Pittsburgh would increase their lead in the second quarter with Mendenhall's 2-yard touchdown run.
In the third quarter, the Steelers continued to roll as Roethlisberger found tight end Heath Miller on a 6-yard touchdown pass. San Diego would strike back as quarterback Philip Rivers threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Antonio Gates. In the fourth quarter, the Chargers began to catch up with a key play on special teams as fullback Jacob Hester stripped Stefan Logan of the ball and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown. Pittsburgh would answer with Roethlisberger's 6-yard touchdown pass to Miller. Afterwards, San Diego continued its comeback run as Rivers completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gates and a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Chambers. However, the Steelers came right back with a 46-yard field goal from kicker Jeff Reed. The Bolts tried to cap off their rally, but a sack and fumble by linebacker James Harrison led to a Pittsburgh recovery, effectively ending any hope of a comeback.
With the loss, the Chargers fell to 2–2.

#### Week 6: vs. Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
| Chargers | 10 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: October 19
* Game time: 5:40 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) (Clear Skies)
* Game attendance: 68,615
* Referee: Scott Green
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden & Michele Tafoya
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 20-yard field goal, 4:51. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 92 yards, 5:58.
DEN – Eddie Royal 93-yard kickoff return (Matt Prater kick), 4:39. Broncos 7–3. Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:12.
SDG – Vincent Jackson 3-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:06. Chargers 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 4:33.
Second quarter
DEN – Matt Prater 34-yard field goal, 7:55. Tied 10–10. Drive: 13 plays, 62 yards, 7:11.
DEN – Eddie Royal 71-yard punt return (Matt Prater kick), 5:53. Broncos 17–10.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 44-yard field goal, 2:19. Broncos 17–13. Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 3:34.
SDG – Darren Sproles 77-yard punt return (Nate Kaeding kick), 1:03. Chargers 20–17.
Third quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 50-yard field goal, 7:57. Chargers 23–17. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 4:37.
DEN – Tony Scheffler 19-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Matt Prater kick), 3:43. Broncos 24–23. Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 4:14.
Fourth quarter
DEN – Matt Prater 29-yard field goal, 13:05. Broncos 27–23. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 3:38.
DEN – Brandon Stokley 5-yard pass from Kyle Orton (Matt Prater kick), 2:55. Broncos 34–23. Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 2:45.
Top passers
DEN – Kyle Orton – 20/29, 229 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Philip Rivers – 20/33, 274 yards, TD
Top rushers
DEN – Correll Buckhalter – 10 rushes, 46 yards
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 18 rushes, 70 yards
Top receivers
DEN – Tony Scheffler – 6 receptions, 101 yards, TD
SDG – Antonio Gates – 5 receptions, 70 yards :
Coming off their bye week, the Chargers went home, donned their throwback uniforms, and played a Week 6 AFL Legacy duel with the Denver Broncos on Monday night. In the first quarter, San Diego struck first with kicker Nate Kaeding getting a 20-yard field goal. The Broncos would immediately respond as wide receiver Eddie Royal returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown, yet the Chargers came back with quarterback Philip Rivers completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. Denver would take the lead in the second quarter with a 34-yard field goal from kicker Matt Prater and Royal returning a punt 71 yards for a touchdown. Afterwards, San Diego closed out the half with a Kaeding 44-yard field goal and running back Darren Sproles' 77-yard punt return for a touchdown.
In the third quarter, the Chargers would add onto their lead with Kaeding nailing a 50-yard field goal. However, the Broncos would take the lead with quarterback Kyle Orton's 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Scheffler. In the fourth quarter, Denver would increase their lead with Prater's 29-yard field goal and Orton finding wide receiver Brandon Stokley on a 5-yard touchdown pass. San Diego tried to rally, but the Broncos' defense stood strong and held for the win.
With the loss, the Chargers fell to 2–3. This is also their third straight season where the team has started 2–3 after five games.

#### Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 14 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 37 |
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
* Date: October 25
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C) (Overcast)
* Game attendance: 69,337
* Referee: Pete Morelli
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg & Dan Fouts
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Malcom Floyd 3-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:32. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:00.
SDG – Vincent Jackson 10-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 1:23. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 41 yards, 3:32.
Second quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 20-yard field goal, 9:49. Chargers 17–0. Drive: 10 plays, 82 yards, 5:27.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 39-yard field goal, 0:01. Chargers 20–0. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 1:06.
Third quarter
KAN – Dwayne Bowe 7-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Ryan Succop kick), 9:48. Chargers 20–7. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:12.
SDG – Darren Sproles 58-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 5:45. Chargers 27–7. Drive: 3 plays, 64 yards, 1:26.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 19-yard field goal, 11:37. Chargers 30–7. Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 2:36.
SDG – Jacob Hester blocked punt recovery in end zone (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:13. Chargers 37–7.
Top passers
SDG – Philip Rivers – 18/30, 268 yards, 3 TD
KAN – Matt Cassel – 10/25, 97 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 23 rushes, 71 yards
KAN – Larry Johnson – 16 rushes, 49 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Vincent Jackson – 5 receptions, 142 yards, TD
KAN – Bobby Wade – 4 receptions, 66 yards :
Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Broncos, the Chargers flew to Arrowhead Stadium, donned their throwbacks, and played a Week 7 AFL Legacy game with the Kansas City Chiefs. In the first quarter, San Diego struck first with quarterback Philip Rivers competing a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Malcom Floyd and a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. The Chargers would continue their dominance in the second quarter as kicker Nate Kaeding nailed a 20-yard and a 39-yard field goal.
The Chiefs would get on the board in the third quarter with quarterback Matt Cassel completing a 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, yet San Diego came right back with Rivers hooking up with running back Darren Sproles on a 58-yard touchdown pass. Afterwards, the Chargers would wrap up the game in the fourth quarter with Kaeding booting a 19-yard field goal and fullback Jacob Hester recovering a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown.
With the win, San Diego improved to 3–3.

#### Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Chargers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: November 1
* Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 67,016
* Referee: Terry McAulay
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg & Dan Fouts
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 6-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 11:13. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 59 yards, 0:55.
Second quarter
OAK – Justin Fargas 3-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 13:40. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 3:35.
SDG – Vincent Jackson 8-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 6:09. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 12 plays, 78 yards, 7:31.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 10-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:54. Chargers 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:34.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 48-yard field goal, 0:11. Chargers 21–10. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 0:43.
Third quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 41-yard field goal, 9:09. Chargers 21–13. Drive: 8 plays, 29 yards, 4:24.
Fourth quarter
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 28-yard field goal, 12:39. Chargers 21–16. Drive: 11 plays, 43 yards, 6:25.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 28-yard field goal, 4:43. Chargers 24–16. Drive: 15 plays, 83 yards, 7:56.
Top passers
OAK – JaMarcus Russell – 14/22, 109 yards, INT
SDG – Philip Rivers – 16/25, 249 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
OAK – Justin Fargas – 18 rushes, 59 yards, TD
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 18 rushes, 56 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
OAK – Zach Miller – 5 receptions, 52 yards
SDG – Vincent Jackson – 8 receptions, 103 yards, TD :
Coming off their road win over the Chiefs, the Chargers went home, donned their alternate uniforms, and played a Week 8 divisional rematch with the Oakland Raiders. In the first quarter, San Diego struck first as running back LaDainian Tomlinson got a 6-yard touchdown run. The Raiders would answer in the second quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Justin Fargas, yet the Chargers stormed on as quarterback Philip Rivers hooked up wide receiver Vincent Jackson on an 8-yard touchdown pass, followed by Tomlinson getting a 10-yard touchdown run. Oakland would close out the half with a 48-yard field goal by kicker Sebastian Janikowski.
In the second half, the Raiders would slowly try to rally as Janikowski nailed a 41-yard field goal in the third quarter and a 41-yard field goal in the fourth. Afterwards, San Diego pulled away as kicker Nate Kaeding booted a 28-yard field goal.
With their 13th-straight win over Oakland, the Chargers improved to 4–3.

#### Week 9: at New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Giants | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 20 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: November 8
* Game time: 4:15 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 78,774
* Referee: Walt Anderson
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz & Phil Simms
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
SDG – Vincent Jackson 10-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 14:55. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 3:04.
NYG – Steve Smith 6-yard pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), 4:20. Tied 7–7. Drive: 16 plays, 76 yards, 10:35.
Third quarter
SDG – Kris Wilson 2-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 3:51. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 3:03.
Fourth quarter
NYG – Lawrence Tynes 38-yard field goal, 14:09. Chargers 14–10. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 4:42.
NYG – Kevin Boss 8-yard pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), 8:58. Giants 17–14. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 3:25.
NYG – Lawrence Tynes 22-yard field goal, 2:07. Giants 20–14. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 1:07.
SDG – Vincent Jackson 18-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:21. Chargers 21–20. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 1:46.
Top passers
SDG – Philip Rivers – 24/36, 209 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
NYG – Eli Manning – 25/33, 215 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 12 rushes, 22 yards
NYG – Brandon Jacobs – 11 rushes, 67 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Antonio Gates – 5 receptions, 67 yards
NYG – Steve Smith – 8 receptions, 57 yards, TD :
Coming off their divisional home win over the Raiders, the Chargers flew to Giants Stadium for a Week 9 interconference duel with the New York Giants in the much-hyped first-ever meeting between quarterbacks Philip Rivers & Eli Manning (Drew Brees started for the Chargers when the teams met in 2005).
After a scoreless first quarter, San Diego would deliver the opening strike of the second quarter as Rivers completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. The Giants would answer with Manning completing a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Smith. In the third quarter, the Chargers regained the lead as Rivers found tight end Kris Wilson on a 1-yard touchdown pass. New York would take the lead in the fourth quarter as kicker Lawrence Tynes nailed a 38-yard field goal, Manning hooked up with tight end Kevin Boss on an 8-yard touchdown pass, and Tynes booted a 22-yard field goal. San Diego came right back as Rivers threw the game-winning 18-yard touchdown pass to Jackson.
With the win, the Chargers improved to 5–3 and kept their winning streak going by 3 games.

#### Week 10: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 23 |
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 31 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: November 15
* Game time: 1:15 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 68,879
* Referee: Jerome Boger
* TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick & Charissa Thompson
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Mike Tolbert 20-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 7:52. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 40 yards, 2:09.
Second quarter
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 3-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 11:01. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 82 yards, 5:44.
PHI – David Akers 18-yard field goal, 6:38. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 4:23.
PHI – David Akers 25-yard field goal, 0:08. Chargers 14–6. Drive: 14 plays, 87 yards, 4:16.
Third quarter
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 20-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 8:01. Chargers 21–6. Drive: 5 plays, 76 yards, 2:23.
PHI – David Akers 25-yard field goal, 5:51. Chargers 21–9. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 2:10.
SDG – Legedu Naanee 20-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 1:13. Chargers 28–9. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 4:38.
Fourth quarter
PHI – Jeremy Maclin 5-yard pass from Donovan McNabb (David Akers kick), 14:12. Chargers 28–16. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 2:01.
PHI – Brent Celek 6-yard pass from Donovan McNabb (David Akers kick), 7:12. Chargers 28–23. Drive: 12 plays, 77 yards, 5:07.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 29-yard field goal, 0:30. Chargers 31–23. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 6:42.
Top passers
PHI – Donovan McNabb – 35/55, 450 yards, 2 TD, INT
SDG – Philip Rivers – 20/25, 231 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
PHI – Brian Westbrook – 6 rushes, 28 yards
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 24 rushes, 96 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
PHI – Jason Avant – 8 receptions, 156 yards
SDG – Antonio Gates – 7 receptions, 78 yards :
Coming off their road win against the Giants, the Chargers went home for an interconference Duel with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the first quarter, the Chargers took the early lead as quarterback Philip Rivers got a 20-yard touchdown pass to fullback Mike Tolbert. In the second quarter, San Diego increased their lead as running back LaDainian Tomlinson got a 3-yard touchdown run. The Eagles would close out the half as David Akers kicked an 18-yard field goal and a 25-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, San Diego increased their lead as Tomlinson made a 20-yard touchdown run. Philadelphia tried to come back as Akers nailed another 25-yard field goal, but the Chargers increased their lead even further as Rivers hooked up with wide receiver Legedu Naanee on a 20-yard touchdown pass. For the fourth quarter, the Eagles tried to close the margin as quarterback Donovan McNabb passed to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on a 5-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek, yet the Chargers hung on for the victory when kicker Nate Kaeding got a 29-yard field goal.
With the win, the Chargers improved to 6–3 and their winning streak to 4 games.
LaDainian Tomlinson (24 carries, 96 yards, 2 TDs) would surpass Marcus Allen for third place in the NFL's All-Time career touchdown leaders with 146.

#### Week 11: at Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 7 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 32 |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
* Date: November 22
* Game time: 2:15 p.m. MST
* Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 74,707
* Referee: Ron Winter
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg & Dan Fouts
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Legedu Naanee 2-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 5:58. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:37.
Second quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 28-yard field goal, 10:54. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 11 plays, 46 yards, 7:14.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 47-yard field goal, 4:19. Chargers 13–0. Drive: 9 plays, 44 yards, 5:33.
Third quarter
DEN – Matt Prater 23-yard field goal, 9:56. Chargers 13–3. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 3:58.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 6:47. Chargers 20–3. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 3:09.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 28-yard field goal, 14:06. Chargers 23–3. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 4:45.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 19-yard field goal, 10:28. Chargers 26–3. Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 2:54.
SDG – Mike Tolbert 8-yard run (kick failed), 0:34. Chargers 32–3. Drive: 6 plays, 28 yards, 2:55.
Top passers
SDG – Philip Rivers – 17/22, 145 yards, TD
DEN – Kyle Orton – 15/29, 171 yards, INT
Top rushers
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 20 rushes, 73 yards, TD
DEN – Knowshon Moreno – 10 rushes, 80 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Vincent Jackson – 4 receptions, 56 yards
DEN – Jabar Gaffney – 3 receptions, 55 yards :
Coming off their win against the Eagles, the Chargers flew to Invesco Field at Mile High for an AFC West rivalry rematch against the Denver Broncos.
In the first half, the Chargers got off to a great start when QB Philip Rivers got a 2-yard touchdown pass to WR Legedu Naanee. Then kicker Nate Kaeding hit a 28 and a 47-yard field goal. In the third quarter the Broncos scored their only points of the game when kicker Matt Prater got a 23-yard field goal, yet the Chargers replied and started to rally with RB LaDainian Tomlinson getting a 1-yard touchdown run, and in the fourth quarter Kaeding making a 28 then a 19-yard field goal, and finally FB Mike Tolbert ran 8 yards to the end zone for a touchdown (With PAT kick blocked).
With the impressive win, the Chargers improve to 7–3

#### Week 12: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Chargers | 7 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 43 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: November 22
* Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 65,280
* Referee: Don Carey
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg & Dan Fouts
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Antonio Gates 19-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 4:13. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 3:35.
Second quarter
KAN – Chris Chambers 7-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Ryan Succop kick), 10:46. Tied 7–7. Drive: 8 plays, 91 yards, 3:20.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 10:05. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 0:41.
SDG – Antonio Gates 15-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:52. Chargers 21–7. Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 4:12.
SDG – Paul Oliver 40-yard defensive fumble return (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:32. Chargers 28–7.
Third quarter
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 3-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 12:58. Chargers 35–7. Drive: 2 plays, 10 yards, 0:47.
KAN – Jamaal Charles 4-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 9:45. Chargers 35–14. Drive: 8 plays, 79 yards, 3:13.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 55-yard field goal, 4:27. Chargers 38–14. Drive: 8 plays, 27 yards, 5:18.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Safety, Matt Cassel called for intentional grounding in end zone, 12:45. Chargers 40–14.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 23-yard field goal, 5:08. Chargers 43–14. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 7:37.
Top passers
KAN – Matt Cassel – 19/31, 178 yards, TD, INT
SDG – Philip Rivers – 21/28, 317 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
KAN – Jamaal Charles – 14 rushes, 93 yards, TD
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 13 rushes, 39 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
KAN – Chris Chambers – 7 receptions, 70 yards, TD
SDG – Antonio Gates – 7 receptions, 118 yards, 2 TD :
Looking to increase their win streak, the Chargers went home for an AFC West rivalry rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs. In the first quarter the Chargers took control as QB Philip Rivers got a 19-yard touchdown pass to TE Antonio Gates. The Chiefs would reply to tie the game with QB Matt Cassel making a 7-yard touchdown pass to WR Chris Chambers, until San Diego rallied with RB LaDainian Tomlinson getting a 1-yard touchdown run, then Rivers hooking up with Gates again on a 15-yard touchdown pass, then DB Paul Oliver returned a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown.
In the third quarter the Chargers dominance continued as RB LaDainian Tomlinson got a 3-yard touchdown run. The Chiefs tried to come back with RB Jamaal Charles getting a 2-yard touchdown run, but the Chargers would pull away with kicker Nate Kaeding making a 55-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter a penalty on Matt Cassel was enforced in the end zone for a safety, giving the Chargers 2 points. The final score was made when Kaeding booted a 23-yard field goal.
With the win, the Chargers improve to 8–3.

#### Week 13: at Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 10 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 30 |
| Browns | 7 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 23 |
at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
* Date: December 6
* Game time: 4:05 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 67,978
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan & Solomon Wilcots
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
CLE – Mohamed Massaquoi 11-yard pass from Brady Quinn (Phil Dawson kick), 8:37. Browns 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 6:23.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 32-yard field goal, 2:59. Browns 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 55 yards, 5:38.
SDG – Mike Tolbert 66-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:45. Chargers 10–7. Drive: 1 play, 66 yards, 0:13.
Second quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 42-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 0:34.
Third quarter
SDG – Darren Sproles 31-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 10:30. Chargers 20–7. Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 4:30.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 4-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 5:58. Chargers 27–7. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 3:22.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Jerome Harrison 8-yard pass from Brady Quinn (Phil Dawson kick), 9:15. Chargers 27–14. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 4:30.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 22-yard field goal, 4:12. Chargers 30–14. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 5:03.
CLE – Jerome Harrison 8-yard pass from Brady Quinn (run failed), 1:55. Chargers 30–20. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:17.
CLE – Phil Dawson 49-yard field goal, 0:39. Chargers 30–23. Drive: 11 plays, 28 yards, 1:16.
Top passers
SDG – Philip Rivers – 18/25, 373 yards, 2 TD
CLE – Brady Quinn – 25/45, 271 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 20 rushes, 64 yards, TD
CLE – Josh Cribbs – 4 rushes, 38 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Antonio Gates – 8 receptions, 167 yards
CLE – Evan Moore – 6 receptions, 80 yards :
LaDainian Tomlinson had a game he would not soon forget. He passed Jim Brown, who happened to be sitting up in a suite. When Tomlinson passed him in the all-time rushing list, which made him number eight of all time rushers, he saluted the retired running back.
With the win, the Chargers improved to 9–3, and expanded their winning streak to seven games.

#### Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
* Date: December 13
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 90,552
* Referee: Gene Steratore
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
DAL – Nick Folk 31-yard field goal, 8:36. Cowboys 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 41 yards, 6:24.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 4:30. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 84 yards, 4:06.
Second quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 29-yard field goal, 10:18. Chargers 10–3. Drive: 14 plays, 64 yards, 6:58.
Third quarter
DAL – Miles Austin 6-yard pass from Tony Romo (Nick Folk kick), 0:00. Tied 10–10. Drive: 11 plays, 99 yards, 7:19.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Antonio Gates 14-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 10:56. Chargers 17–10. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:04.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 34-yard field goal, 1:56. Chargers 20–10. Drive: 15 plays, 73 yards, 7:17.
DAL – Patrick Crayton 9-yard pass from Tony Romo (Nick Folk kick), 0:02. Chargers 20–17. Drive: 9 plays, 86 yards, 1:54.
Top passers
SDG – Philip Rivers – 21/32, 272 yards, TD, INT
DAL – Tony Romo – 19/30, 249 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 21 rushes, 50 yards, TD
DAL – Felix Jones – 10 rushes, 51 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Vincent Jackson – 7 receptions, 120 yards
DAL – Roy Williams – 4 receptions, 74 yards :
San Diego came in with a 15–0 December record dated to 2005. San Diego gave up a field goal, then went on a 10-point streak. At the end of the third quarter, Dallas tied the game 10–10. Then the chargers piled up 10 more points, eating up the clock. By the time Dallas struck back, it was too late.
With the win, the Chargers increased their win streak to 8, and had a 10–3 record.

#### Week 15: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 3 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 24 |
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 27 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: December 20
* Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) (Cloudy)
* Game attendance: 68,889
* Referee: Carl Cheffers
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Antonio Gates 3-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 10:06. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 4:54.
CIN – Shayne Graham 26-yard field goal, 4:11. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 53 yards, 5:55.
Second quarter
CIN – Chad Johnson 49-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Shayne Graham kick), 13:00. Bengals 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 4:06.
SDG – Vincent Jackson 21-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 3:12. Chargers 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 5:09.
CIN – Shayne Graham 25-yard field goal, 0:07. Chargers 14–13. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 3:05.
Third quarter
SDG – Vincent Jackson 34-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 6:26. Chargers 21–13. Drive: 2 plays, 40 yards, 0:41.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 33-yard field goal, 1:02. Chargers 24–13. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 3:25.
Fourth quarter
CIN – Laveranues Coles 2-yard pass from Carson Palmer (Carson Palmer run), 12:37. Chargers 24–21. Drive: 3 plays, 33 yards, 1:25.
CIN – Shayne Graham 34-yard field goal, 0:54. Tied 24–24. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 6:26.
SDG – Nate Kaeding 52-yard field goal, 0:03. Chargers 27–24. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 0:51.
Top passers
CIN – Carson Palmer – 27/40, 314 yards, 2 TD, INT
SDG – Philip Rivers – 24/38, 308 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
CIN – Cedric Benson – 15 rushes, 53 yards
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson – 16 rushes, 59 yards
Top receivers
CIN – J. P. Foschi – 7 receptions, 82 yards
SDG – Vincent Jackson – 5 receptions, 108 yards, 2 TD :
The Chargers took a 14–13 lead in the first half. During halftime, a piece was shown about the life of the Bengals' wide receiver Chris Henry. The Chargers were up in the fourth quarter 24–13 before the Bengals scored a TD with a 2-point conversion and a field goal tying the game. The Chargers won in the end with a 52-yard field goal by Nate Kaeding.
The close win put the Chargers at 11–3. It marked their 9th straight win and 17th straight win in December. With this win and a 20–19 loss by Denver to Oakland, the Chargers clinched the AFC West.

#### Week 16: at Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
| Titans | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee
* Date: December 25
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 32 °F (0 °C) (Clear)
* Game attendance: 69,143
* Referee: Tony Corrente
* TV announcers (NFLN): Bob Papa & Matt Millen
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Rob Bironas 46-yard field goal, 8:12. Titans 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:29.
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 1:16. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 76 yards, 6:56.
Second quarter
SDG – Antonio Gates 36-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 8:46. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 4:03.
SDG – Darren Sproles 3-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 3:13. Chargers 21–3. Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 3:20.
TEN – Vince Young 3-yard run (Rob Bironas kick), 0:17. Chargers 21–10. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 2:56.
Third quarter
SDG – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:49. Chargers 28–10. Drive: 7 plays, 85 yards, 3:42.
SDG – Darren Sproles 9-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 4:52. Chargers 35–10. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:30.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Darren Sproles 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 14:56. Chargers 42–10. Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 3:00.
TEN – Chris Johnson 30-yard run (Rob Bironas kick), 8:02. Chargers 42–17. Drive: 2 plays, 33 yards, 0:46.
Top passers
SDG – Philip Rivers – 21/27, 264 yards, 2 TD
TEN – Vince Young – 8/21, 89 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
SDG – Mike Tolbert – 11 rushes, 60 yards
TEN – Chris Johnson – 21 rushes, 142 yards, TD
Top receivers
SDG – Antonio Gates – 3 receptions, 74 yards, TD
TEN – Nate Washington – 4 receptions, 39 yards :
The Chargers came into the game looking to clinch the AFC's No. 2 seed and a first round bye on Christmas Day in Tennessee.
The Titans struck first with a Rob Bironas 46-yard field goal. Then 2 touchdown passes and a LT TD run put them up 21–10 at halftime. After the break the Chargers continued their demolition of the Titans with three straight TD runs. The game's final score was 42–17.
With the win, the Chargers improved to 12–3, clinching a first round bye and the No. 2 seed along with their 10th straight win.

#### Week 17: vs. Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Redskins | 0 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
| Chargers | 10 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 23 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: January 3
* Game time: 1:15 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 67,554
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, John Lynch, & Nischelle Turner
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 47-yard field goal, 11:22. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 3:38.
SDG – Antonio Gates 12-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 6:36. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 3:43.
Second quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 24-yard field goal, 11:34. Chargers 13–0. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 5:06.
WAS – Todd Yoder 2-yard pass from Jason Campbell (Graham Gano kick), 5:16. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:18.
WAS – Mike Sellers 3-yard pass from Jason Campbell (Graham Gano kick), 0:39. Redskins 14–13. Drive: 4 plays, 88 yards, 2:12.
Third quarter
WAS – Graham Gano 22-yard field goal, 9:06. Redskins 17–13. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 3:50.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Nate Kaeding 45-yard field goal, 12:06. Redskins 17–16. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 3:01.
WAS – Graham Gano 25-yard field goal, 4:33. Redskins 20–16. Drive: 14 plays, 69 yards, 7:33.
SDG – Mike Tolbert 2-yard pass from Billy Volek (Nate Kaeding kick), 0:35. Chargers 23–20. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 3:58.
Top passers
WAS – Jason Campbell – 28/42, 281 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Billy Volek – 19/30, 216 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
WAS – Quinton Ganther – 12 rushes, 29 yards
SDG – Michael Bennett – 11 rushes, 28 yards
Top receivers
WAS – Malcolm Kelly – 5 receptions, 109 yards
SDG – Malcom Floyd – 9 receptions, 140 yards :
With the win, the Chargers finished the season with an 11-game winning streak and with a record of 13–3 and also were the only team in the AFC West to sweep the whole NFC East.

### Standings

AFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ San Diego Chargers | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 454 | 320 | W11 |
| Denver Broncos | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 326 | 324 | L4 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 4–8 | 197 | 379 | L2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 294 | 424 | W1 |

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| Divisional | January 17, 2010 | New York Jets (5) | L 14–17 | 0–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |

### Game summaries
#### AFC divisional playoffs: vs. New York Jets

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jets | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: January 17
* Game time: 1:40 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), relative humidity 42%, wind 8 mph
* Game attendance: 69,498
* Referee: Jerome Boger
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz & Phil Simms
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
SDG – Kris Wilson 13-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Nate Kaeding kick), 12:17. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 1:56.
Third quarter
NYJ – Jay Feely 46-yard field goal, 10:45. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 32 yards, 4:15.
Fourth quarter
NYJ – Dustin Keller 2-yard pass from Mark Sanchez (Jay Feely kick), 13:35. Jets 10–7. Drive: 4 plays, 16 yards, 1:27.
NYJ – Shonn Greene 53-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 7:17. Jets 17–7. Drive: 4 plays, 66 yards, 2:10.
SDG – Philip Rivers 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 2:14. Jets 17–14. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 1:22.
Top passers
NYJ – Mark Sanchez – 12/23, 100 yards, TD, INT
SDG – Philip Rivers – 27/40, 298 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
NYJ – Shonn Greene – 23 rushes, 128 yards, TD
SDG – Darren Sproles – 3 rushes, 33 yards
Top receivers
NYJ – Braylon Edwards – 2 receptions, 41 yards
SDG – Vincent Jackson – 7 receptions, 111 yards :
Entering the playoffs as the AFC's No. 2 seed, the Chargers began their playoff run at home in the AFC Divisional Round against the No. 5 New York Jets. After a scoreless first quarter, San Diego delivered the game's first strike in the second quarter as quarterback Philip Rivers found tight end Kris Wilson on a 13-yard touchdown pass. The Jets would respond in the third quarter with a 46-yard field goal from kicker Jay Feely. Philip Rivers threw two interceptions and the San Diego Chargers offense failed to get one first down as the Jets defense controlled the third quarter. Then, New York would take the lead in the fourth quarter as quarterback Mark Sanchez completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Keller, followed by a 53-yard touchdown run from running back Shonn Greene. The Chargers unsuccessfully tried to rally as struggling quarterback Philip Rivers got a 1-yard touchdown run. However, the Chargers failed to recover the onside kick giving the Jets the ball at the Chargers 28-yard line. The Chargers held the Jets to a 4th and 1 yard to go situation, but the Jets ran the ball converting the first down and kneeled the ball to end the game, finishing the Chargers' season. During the game, Chargers All Pro kicker Nate Kaeding missed field goals from 36, 57 and 40 yards.