# 1996 San Diego Chargers season

The 1996 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 37th, its 27th in the National Football League (NFL), and its 34th in San Diego.
The season began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record in 1995. The Chargers fell back by one game and missed the playoffs by that margin. It was Bobby Ross's final season as the team's head coach, as he left due to "philosophical differences" with general manager Bobby Beathard. He had posted a 47–33 record over five seasons, going 3–3 in the playoffs.
Natrone Means had been let go following his injury the previous season. In his place, San Diego tried a running-back-by-committee approach featuring Leonard Russell, Aaron Hayden and Terrell Fletcher. This yielded 186 rushing yards in week one, but only four further 100-yard games throughout the season. Hayden was seldom used as the year went on — Russell managed 713 yards and 7 touchdowns, but the Chargers' average of 3.2 yards per rush was the league's worst. Changes on the offensive line may have contributed: veteran tackle Stan Brock retired during the offseason, and center Courtney Hall suffered a career-ending injury mid-season.
Tony Martin continued to be the star receiver, catching 85 passes for 1171 yards. He managed 14 touchdowns, joint-most in the NFL, and tying Lance Alworth's club record. Ronnie Harmon was replaced as a pass-catching back by Terrell Fletcher, who caught only two fewer passes (61), but for 197 fewer yards (476). Stan Humphries was again the starting quarterback, but continued to sustain frequent injuries and missed three games.
With six time Pro Bowl defensive end Leslie O'Neal having left after a decade with the club, Junior Seau stepped up to be the club leader in both sacks and tackles (7.0 and 138 respectively). He also contributed two interceptions, forced one fumble and recovered three. Rodney Harrison continued to improve, leading the team with five interceptions and coming second to Seau with 125 tackles. Darren Bennett averaged 45.6 yards per punt, third best in the league.
For the second consecutive year, the Chargers suffered an offseason tragedy. Running back Rodney Culver was among the 110 victims of ValuJet Flight 592.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1996 San Diego Chargers draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 2 | 41 | Bryan Still | Wide receiver | Virginia Tech |
| 2 | 50 | Patrick Sapp | Linebacker | Clemson |
| 3 | 81 | Brian Roche | Tight end | San Jose State |
| 4 | 114 | Charlie Jones | Wide receiver | Fresno State |
| 5 | 155 | Junior Soli | Defensive tackle | Arkansas |
| 6 | 190 | Jim Mills | Guard | Idaho |
| 6 | 192 | Bryan Stoltenberg | Center | Colorado |
| 7 | 231 | Freddie Bradley | Running back | Sonoma State |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 1 | Seattle Seahawks | W 29–7 | 1–0 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 58,780 |
| 2 | September 8 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 27–14 | 2–0 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 55,880 |
| 3 | September 15 | at Green Bay Packers | L 10–42 | 2–1 | Lambeau Field | 60,584 |
| 4 | September 22 | at Oakland Raiders | W 40–34 | 3–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 49,097 |
| 5 | September 29 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 22–19 | 4–1 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 59,384 |
| 6 | October 6 | at Denver Broncos | L 17–28 | 4–2 | Mile High Stadium | 75,058 |
| 7 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 8 | October 21 | Oakland Raiders | L 14–23 | 4–3 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 62,530 |
| 9 | October 27 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 13–32 | 4–4 | Kingdome | 38,143 |
| 10 | November 4 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 26–19 | 5–4 | RCA Dome | 58,484 |
| 11 | November 11 | Detroit Lions | W 27–21 | 6–4 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 60,425 |
| 12 | November 17 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17–25 | 6–5 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 57,526 |
| 13 | November 24 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 28–14 | 7–5 | Arrowhead Stadium | 69,472 |
| 14 | December 1 | New England Patriots | L 7–45 | 7–6 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 59,209 |
| 15 | December 8 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 3–16 | 7–7 | Three Rivers Stadium | 56,368 |
| 16 | December 14 | at Chicago Bears | L 14–27 | 7–8 | Soldier Field | 49,763 |
| 17 | December 22 | Denver Broncos | W 16–10 | 8–8 | Mile High Stadium | 46,801 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. Seattle Seahawks

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Seahawks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Chargers | 7 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 29 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 74 °F (23.3 °C), relative humidity 80%, wind 7 mph
* Game attendance: 58,780
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Lampley and Bob Golic
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Tony Martin 2-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 2:15. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 6:28.
Second quarter
SEA – Rick Mirer 6-yard run (Todd Peterson kick), 12:01. Tied 7–7. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5:14.
SDG – John Carney 35-yard field goal, 1:26. Chargers 10–7. Drive: 13 plays, 53 yards, 4:55.
SDG – John Carney 53-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 5 plays, 25 yards, 0:22.
Third quarter
SDG – John Carney 22-yard field goal, 2:34. Chargers 16–7. Drive: 10 plays, 56 yards, 5:47.
Fourth quarter
SDG – John Carney 50-yard field goal, 13:34. Chargers 19–7. Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 1:48.
SDG – Leonard Russell 6-yard run (John Carney kick), 11:39. Chargers 26–7. Drive: 5 plays, 16 yards, 1:46.
SDG – John Carney 31-yard field goal, 10:28. Chargers 29–7. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 0:54.
Top passers
SEA – Rick Mirer – 24/41, 251 yards, 2 INT
SDG – Stan Humphries – 20/38, 195 yards, TD
Top rushers
SEA – Chris Warren – 13 rushes, 50 yards
SDG – Aaron Hayden – 11 rushes, 59 yards
Top receivers
SEA – Joey Galloway – 4 receptions, 89 yards
SDG – Tony Martin – 7 receptions, 66 yards, TD :
Touchdowns by Tony Martin and Leonard Russell, plus five field goals by John Carney saw the Chargers to an easy win on opening day. The running attack gave what was to prove its strongest showing, with Leonard Russell, Aaron Hayden and Terrell Fletcher splitting the carries, and each contributing to a team total of 186 yards (the Chargers would gain 100+ yards on the ground only four more times all year). When the Seahawks tried to play catch-up in the second half, San Diego's defense capitalised with four turnovers.

#### Week 2: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: September 8
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 74 °F (23.3 °C), relative humidity 76%, wind 9 mph
* Game attendance: 55,880
* Referee: Dick Hantak
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Lampley and Bob Golic
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Leonard Russell 1-yard run (John Carney kick), 2:11. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 76 yards, 6:01.
Second quarter
SDG – Tony Martin 21-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 10:52. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 71 yards, 5:07.
CIN – Carl Pickens 27-yard pass from Jeff Blake (Doug Pelfrey kick), 1:53. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 93 yards, 3:31.
Third quarter
SDG – John Carney 47-yard field goal, 10:39. Chargers 17–7. Drive: 11 plays, 51 yards, 4:21.
Fourth quarter
SDG – John Carney 23-yard field goal, 13:13. Chargers 20–7. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:17.
SDG – Leonard Russell 1-yard run (John Carney kick), 11:51. Chargers 27–7. Drive: 3 plays, 3 yards, 1:04.
CIN – Tony McGee 12-yard pass from Erik Wilhelm (Doug Pelfrey kick), 2:01. Chargers 27–14. Drive: 6 plays, 49 yards, 3:56.
Top passers
CIN – Jeff Blake – 14/33, 163 yards, TD, INT
SDG – Stan Humphries – 27/41, 275 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
CIN – Erik Wilhelm – 2 rushes, 22 yards
SDG – Leonard Russell – 16 rushes, 62 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
CIN – Carl Pickens – 4 receptions, 63 yards, TD
SDG – Tony Martin – 9 receptions, 96 yards, TD :
The Chargers started strongly, going 76 and 71 yards on consecutive drives capped by touchdowns for Russell and Martin. However, the Bengals came back into it before halftime when Carl Pickens scored; Humphries then threw an interception with San Diego poised to respond. Up 17-7 through three-quarters, the Chargers then got two big plays to put the game away. Firstly, Darrien Gordon's 64-yard punt return set up a short field goal; on the Bengals' next play from scrimmage Kurt Gouveia intercepted Jeff Blake, and Russell soon punched it in from the one.

#### Week 3: at Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
| Packers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 42 |
at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
* Date: September 15
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 55 °F (12.8 °C), relative humidity 80%, wind 9 mph
* Game attendance: 60,584
* Referee: Howard Roe
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Randy Cross
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
GB – Edgar Bennett 10-yard run (Chris Jacke kick), 9:51. Packers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 3:31.
SDG – John Carney 43-yard field goal, 1:05. Packers 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 5:06.
Second quarter
GB – Antonio Freeman 19-yard pass from Brett Favre (Chris Jacke kick), 12:52. Packers 14–3. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:13.
GB – William Henderson 8-yard pass from Brett Favre (Chris Jacke kick), 1:13. Packers 21–3. Drive: 17 plays, 88 yards, 9:24.
Third quarter
GB – Keith Jackson 7-yard pass from Brett Favre (Chris Jacke kick), 1:52. Packers 28–3. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 5:27.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Tony Martin 9-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 8:16. Packers 28–10. Drive: 4 plays, 26 yards, 1:18.
GB – LeRoy Butler 90-yard interception return (Chris Jacke kick), 6:31. Packers 35–10.
GB – Desmond Howard 65-yard punt return (Chris Jacke kick), 4:59. Packers 42–10.
Top passers
SDG – Stan Humphries – 16/31, 130 yards, TD, 2 INT
GB – Brett Favre – 22/33, 231 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
SDG – Leonard Russell – 9 rushes, 27 yards
GB – Edgar Bennett – 13 rushes, 65 yards, TD
Top receivers
SDG – Tony Martin – 3 receptions, 38 yards, TD
GB – Robert Brooks – 8 receptions, 108 yards :
The Chargers were brought back down to Earth, as the eventual Super Bowl champions dominated in all phases of the game. Edgar Bennett scored on the Packers' opening drive, and Brett Favre followed up with 3 touchdown passes as Green Bay built a 28–3 lead through three-quarters. San Diego then had a brief revival, with Willie Clark recovering a Favre fumble to set up a Humphries-to-Martin TD pass, and Lewis Bush recovering a Bennett fumble in Packers' territory on the next play. However, LeRoy Butler ended the threat with an interception and 90-yard touchdown return, and there was still time for Desmond Howard to add a special teams touchdown on a 65-yard punt return.
This was San Diego's heaviest loss since a 48-10 reverse against San Francisco eight seasons earlier.

#### Week 4: at Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 21 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 40 |
| Raiders | 0 | 14 | 7 | 13 | 34 |
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
* Date: September 22
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 62 °F (16.7 °C), relative humidity 74%, wind 11 mph
* Game attendance: 49,097
* Referee: Bernie Kukar
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Randy Cross
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Terrell Fletcher 6-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 4:03. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 2:04.
SDG – Tony Martin 7-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 3:05. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 2 plays, 11 yards, 0:40.
SDG – Tony Martin 41-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 0:58. Chargers 21–0. Drive: 1 play, 41 yards, 0:06.
Second quarter
OAK – Derrick Fenner 4-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Cole Ford kick), 14:11. Chargers 21–7. Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:47.
SDG – John Carney 28-yard field goal, 9:21. Chargers 24–7. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 4:50.
OAK – Rickey Dudley 6-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Cole Ford kick), 7:11. Chargers 24–14. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 2:10.
SDG – John Carney 39-yard field goal, 1:04. Chargers 27–14. Drive: 5 plays, 34 yards, 1:17.
Third quarter
OAK – Tim Brown 6-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Cole Ford kick), 5:41. Chargers 27–21. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 5:39.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Tony Martin 19-yard pass from Stan Humphries (run failed), 8:04. Chargers 33–21. Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 6:56.
SDG – Willie Clark 83-yard interception return (John Carney kick), 3:40. Chargers 40–21.
OAK – Tim Brown 11-yard pass from Billy Joe Hobert (passed failed), 1:29. Chargers 40–27. Drive: 8 plays, 79 yards, 2:11.
OAK – Kenny Shedd 28-yard pass from Billy Joe Hobert (Cole Ford kick), 0:12. Chargers 40–34. Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 1:17.
Top passers
SDG – Stan Humphries – 18/25, 226 yards, 4 TD
OAK – Jeff Hostetler – 26/44, 293 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
SDG – Leonard Russell – 19 rushes, 63 yards
OAK – Napoleon Kaufman – 7 rushes, 116 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Tony Martin – 10 receptions, 138 yards, 3 TD
OAK – Tim Brown – 11 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TD :
San Diego bounced back with victory in a back-and-forth shootout. The Chargers broke the game open late in the 1st quarter when Stan Humphries threw touchdown on three consecutive pass attempts. Firstly, a 35-yard punt return by Darrien Gordon set up a 27-yard scoring drive, with Humphries finding Terrell Fletcher to open the scoring. Kurt Gouveia intercepted Jeff Hostetler's next pass, leading to an even shorter drive, with Martin scoring the Chargers' second touchdown. Shortly afterwards, Rodney Harrison's fumble recovery was followed immediately by another Humphries-to-Martin score, from 41 yards out. The three touchdowns came within a span of only 3:05.
Hostetler then led a Raider comeback, throwing three touchdowns during the 2nd and 3rd quarters, while the Chargers could only manage a pair of Carney kicks. Down only 27–21, Oakland drive inside the San Diego 10, but the drive stalled and Cole Ford missed a 25-yard field goal as the 3rd quarter ended.
The Chargers then drove 80 yards the other way, Humphries finding Martin for another touchdown. Hostetler quickly drove back into scoring position, but Willie Clark intercepted his 4th down pass and ran it back 83 yards for a 40–21 lead with 3:40 to play. Oakland managed two quick touchdowns either side of an onside kick recovery, before Alfred Pupunu recovered a further onside attempt to clinch the win.
Humphries completed 18 of 25 passes for 226 yards, with a career-high four touchdowns and no interceptions. Martin had 10 receptions for 138 yards and three scores. San Diego set a club record for most yardage conceded in a win with 553; they managed only 321 themselves but won the turnover battle 3–0.

#### Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 0 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 19 |
| Chargers | 6 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 22 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: September 29
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 86%, wind 8 mph
* Game attendance: 59,384
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Sam Wyche
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – John Carney 33-yard field goal, 7:44. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards, 6:03.
SDG – John Carney 38-yard field goal, 0:46. Chargers 6–0. Drive: 7 plays, 32 yards, 2:23.
Second quarter
KAN – Pete Stoyanovich 44-yard field goal, 12:17. Chargers 6–3. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:46.
KAN – Pete Stoyanovich 26-yard field goal, 2:48. Tied 6–6. Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 2:53.
KAN – Pete Stoyanovich 26-yard field goal, 0:23. Chiefs 9–6. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 1:01.
Third quarter
SDG – John Carney 44-yard field goal, 10:13. Tied 9–9. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 4:47.
SDG – Darrien Gordon 81-yard punt return (John Carney kick), 7:14. Chargers 16–9.
KAN – Reggie Johnson 3-yard pass from Steve Bono (Pete Stoyanovich kick), 6:07. Tied 16–16. Drive: 2 plays, 62 yards, 1:07.
Fourth quarter
SDG – John Carney 39-yard field goal, 12:06. Chargers 19–16. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 3:17.
KAN – Pete Stoyanovich 32-yard field goal, 9:50. Tied 19–19. Drive: 6 plays, 14 yards, 2:16.
SDG – John Carney 33-yard field goal, 3:17. Chargers 22–19. Drive: 7 plays, 21 yards, 2:33.
Top passers
KAN – Steve Bono – 25/53, 280 yards, TD, 2 INT
SDG – Stan Humphries – 19/41, 238 yards
Top rushers
KAN – Marcus Allen – 9 rushes, 35 yards
SDG – Leonard Russell – 14 rushes, 50 yards
Top receivers
KAN – Marcus Allen – 6 receptions, 88 yards
SDG – Alfred Pupunu – 5 receptions, 83 yards :
A pair of Junior Seau interceptions helped the Chargers past the previously undefeated Chiefs. In a battle of field goals, Seau's first pick led to Carney's second, and a 6–0 lead. However, a fumbled punt return by Darrien Gordon set up the first of three successes by Pete Stoyanovich in the 2nd quarter.
After Carney tied the game at 9–9 in the 3rd quarter, Gordon atoned for his earlier error with an 81-yard punt return touchdown. However, Marcus Allen's 59-yard reception on the next play from scrimmage set an immediate Chiefs' response. Following a further exchange of field goals, Seau intercepted Steve Bono for the second time, and Carney kicked the winner from 33 yards out with 3:17 to play. A Seau sack was then instrumental in forcing Kansas City to turn the ball over on downs, but Russell fumbled on the next play. Given a bonus chance, Bono led his team into field goal range, but Chris Mims blocked the game-tying attempt.
The nine successful field goals were a record (since surpassed). Following this result, Denver, San Diego and Kansas City were tied atop the AFC West with 4-1 records.

#### Week 6: at Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Broncos | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
* Date: October 6
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: 60 °F (15.6 °C), relative humidity 44%, wind 9 mph
* Game attendance: 75,058
* Referee: Bob McElwee
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire and Phil Simms
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – John Carney 27-yard field goal, 6:40. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:27.
Second quarter
SDG – Terrell Fletcher 5-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 6:54. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 2:58.
SDG – Tony Martin 6-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 2:51. Chargers 17–0. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:16.
DEN – Shannon Sharpe 20-yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick), 1:19. Chargers 17–7. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 1:32.
Third quarter
DEN – Shannon Sharpe 20-yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick), 8:35. Chargers 17–14. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 2:51.
DEN – Shannon Sharpe 3-yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick), 3:03. Broncos 21–17. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 3:07.
Fourth quarter
DEN – Ed McCaffrey 9-yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick), 8:22. Broncos 28–17. Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 6:29.
Top passers
SDG – Stan Humphries – 23/35, 237 yards, 2 TD
DEN – John Elway – 32/41, 323 yards, 4 TD, INT
Top rushers
SDG – Leonard Russell – 11 rushes, 24 yards
DEN – Terrell Davis – 7 rushes, 50 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Alfred Pupunu – 5 receptions, 81 yards
DEN – Shannon Sharpe – 13 receptions, 153 yards, 3 TD :
A collapse from 17-0 ahead cost San Diego victory in a pivotal game. Up 3–0 in the second quarter, Rodney Harrison's first interception of the season set up a short touchdown pass from Humphries to Terrell Fletcher; Humphries found Martin for another score shortly afterwards. John Elway responded immediately, leading his team 80 yards in just five plays, the last 20 coming on a 20-yard strike to Shannon Sharpe shortly before halftime.
In the 3rd quarter, the same pairing hooked up twice more, putting Denver four points ahead. San Diego tried to respond, but Humphries threw incomplete on 4th and 7 at the Broncos' 38, and Elway soon put the game away with his fourth touchdown pass, this time to Ed McCaffrey. This result put Denver alone atop the AFC West, and they wouldn't lose again until after they'd clinched home field advantage through the playoffs.

#### Week 8: vs. Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: October 21
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 54%, wind 7 mph
* Game attendance: 62,350
* Referee: Ron Blum
* TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
OAK – Napoleon Kaufman 12 yard-run (Cole Ford kick), 11:59. Raiders 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:26.
SDG – Tony Martin 11-yard pass from Sean Salisbury (John Carney kick), 0:03. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 5:30.
Second quarter
OAK – Cole Ford 36-yard field goal, 11:27. Raiders 10–7. Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 3:36.
Third quarter
OAK – Derrick Fenner 17-yard pass from Jeff Hostetler (Cole Ford kick), 8:02. Raiders 17–7. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 5:01.
OAK – Cole Ford 32-yard field goal, 3:12. Raiders 20–7. Drive: 6 plays, 3 yards, 3:52.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Tony Martin 12-yard pass from Sean Salisbury (John Carney kick), 13:05. Raiders 20–14. Drive: 13 plays, 79 yards, 5:07.
OAK – Cole Ford 34-yard field goal, 2:11. Raiders 23–14. Drive: 5 plays, 3 yards, 1:42.
Top passers
OAK – Jeff Hostetler – 20/33, 191 yards, TD, INT
SDG – Sean Salisbury – 22/35, 252 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
OAK – Napoleon Kaufman – 3 rushes, 56 yards, TD
SDG – Leonard Russell – 13 rushes, 19 yards
Top receivers
OAK – Tim Brown – 5 receptions, 68 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Tony Martin – 5 receptions, 81 yards, 2 TD :
San Diego lost both the game and their starting QB on Monday Night Football. With his side down 7–0 in the 1st quarter, Humphries was hit by Chester McGlockton at the end of a 5-yard scramble and dislocated his left shoulder; backup Sean Salisbury came in and finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Martin. Salisbury later fumbled while being sacked by McGlockton in Raider territory, and Oakland kicked a field goal for a 20–7 lead; San Diego bounced back quickly, with Salisbury and Martin hooking up from 12 yards out to pull it back to 20–14. However, Darrien Gordon muffed a punt in the final four minutes, and Oakland hit the clinching field goal.
Salisbury finished 22 of 35, for 235 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

#### Week 9: at Seattle Seahawks

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 17 | 3 | 9 | 32 |
at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
* Date: October 27
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Dome
* Game attendance: 38,143
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Lampley and Bob Golic
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SEA – Todd Peterson 33-yard field goal, 11:15. Seahawks 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:45.
SDG – John Carney 41-yard field goal, 7:00. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 35 yards, 4:15.
Second quarter
SDG – John Carney 43-yard field goal, 13:30. Chargers 6–3. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 5:05.
SEA – Todd Peterson 44-yard field goal, 11:00. Tied 6–6. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 2:30.
SEA – Lamar Smith 10-yard run (Todd Peterson kick), 6:42. Seahawks 13–6. Drive: 4 plays, 74 yards, 2:08.
SEA – Darryl Williams 79-yard interception return (Todd Peterson kick), 2:39. Seahawks 20–6.
Third quarter
SEA – Todd Peterson 47-yard field goal, 4:17. Seahawks 23–6. Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 2:50.
Fourth quarter
SEA – Todd Peterson 27-yard field goal, 13:45. Seahawks 26–6. Drive: 5 plays, 5 yards, 2:07.
SDG – Charlie Jones 27-yard pass from Sean Salisbury (John Carney kick), 12:36. Seahawks 26–13. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:09.
SEA – Chris Warren 37-yard run (run failed), 4:48. Seahawks 32–13. Drive: 2 plays, 41 yards, 0:50.
Top passers
SDG – Sean Salisbury – 21/43, 291 yards, TD, 4 INT
SEA – John Friesz – 16/33, 206 yards
Top rushers
SDG – Terrell Fletcher – 8 rushes, 36 yards
SEA – Chris Warren – 19 rushes, 146 yards, TD
Top receivers
SDG – Charlie Jones – 7 receptions, 79 yards, TD
SEA – Brian Blades – 4 receptions, 66 yards :
San Diego's five-game winning streak against the Seahawks came to an end in a one-sided encounter. The Chargers were missing their leaders on both sides of the ball, with Seau and Humphries out injured. Seattle running back Chris Warren took advantage of the former's absence with 146 yards and a touchdown, while Salisbury struggled in his first start, throwing four interceptions (one of those a pick six), against a single touchdown.

#### Week 10: at Indianapolis Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 7 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 26 |
| Colts | 0 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 19 |
at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: November 3
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Dome
* Game attendance: 58,484
* Referee: Howard Roe
* TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond, Bob Trumpy and Sam Wyche
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Charlie Jones 41-yard pass from Sean Salisbury (John Carney kick), 1:12. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards, 1:09.
Second quarter
SDG – John Carney 28-yard field goal, 14:55. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, -7 yards, 1:15.
SDG – John Carney 30-yard field goal, 10:43. Chargers 13–0. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 1:05.
IND – Cary Blanchard 47-yard field goal, 5:08. Chargers 13–3. Drive: 9 plays, 47 yards, 5:35.
IND – Cary Blanchard 39-yard field goal, 1:03. Chargers 13–6. Drive: 9 plays, 30 yards, 2:23.
SDG – John Carney 47-yard field goal, 0:12. Chargers 16–6. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 0:51.
Third quarter
SDG – John Carney 22-yard field goal, 9:27. Chargers 19–6. Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 5:33.
IND – Cary Blanchard 33-yard field goal, 5:37. Chargers 19–9. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 3:50.
IND – Cary Blanchard 20-yard field goal, 2:46. Chargers 19–12. Drive: 6 plays, 4 yards, 0:58.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Tony Martin 22-yard pass from Sean Salisbury (John Carney kick), 12:43. Chargers 26–12. Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 2:09.
IND – Marvin Harrison 9-yard pass from Jim Harbaugh (Cary Blanchard kick), 3:20. Chargers 26–19. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:02.
Top passers
SDG – Sean Salisbury – 19/31, 237 yards, 2 TD
IND – Jim Harbaugh – 18/44, 203 yards, TD, 4 INT
Top rushers
SDG – Leonard Russell – 17 rushes, 53 yards
IND – Jim Harbaugh – 6 rushes, 42 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Tony Martin – 6 receptions, 128 yards, TD
IND – Sean Dawkins – 5 receptions, 63 yards :
Five turnovers helped San Diego to a much-needed win. Colts' QB Jim Harbaugh was intercepted by four different players in the first half — he had thrown only two all season coming in — and the Chargers converted the errors into a Charlie Jones touchdown reception and a pair of field goals. These were the first in a sequence of eight fields, four by each team, culminating in a Colts 20-yarder that made it 19–12; Indianapolis almost had a touchdown before that last kick, but punter Darren Bennett brought down Ray Buchanan at the nine after an 82-yard return.
Indianapolis were driving at the start of the 4th quarter, but Junior Seau sacked Harbaugh, causing a fumble which Chris Mims recovered. Tony Martin doubled the lead six plays later. The Colts then embarked on a 17 play drive, but turned the ball over on downs after having 1st and goal at the one. They did score on their next drive, but San Diego then picked up a pair of 1st downs to kill all but five seconds of the clock.
Sean Salisbury was much improved, going 19 of 31 for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Martin had 128 yards on just 6 receptions. San Diego committed 15 penalties (a club record at the time) for 135 yards.

#### Week 11: vs. Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Chargers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: November 11
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 67 °F (19.4 °C), relative humidity 48%, wind 4 mph
* Game attendance: 60,425
* Referee: Dale Hamer
* TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Tony Martin 32-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 5:00. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 5:49.
DET – Barry Sanders 2-yard run (Jason Hanson kick), 1:47. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:13.
Second quarter
DET – Barry Sanders 11-yard run (Jason Hanson kick), 13:40. Lions 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:03.
SDG – John Carney 29-yard field goal, 6:27. Lions 14–10. Drive: 14 plays, 65 yards, 7:13.
SDG – Andre Coleman 46-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 0:00. Chargers 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 1:21.
Third quarter
SDG – Alfred Pupunu 9-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 8:44. Chargers 24–14. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 4:30.
Fourth quarter
SDG – John Carney 20-yard field goal, 12:24. Chargers 27–14. Drive: 15 plays, 65 yards, 8:08.
DET – Brett Perriman 1-yard pass from Don Majkowski (Jason Hanson kick), 1:52. Chargers 27–21. Drive: 13 plays, 61 yards, 2:44.
Top passers
DET – Don Majkowski – 10/18, 110 yards, TD
SDG – Stan Humphries – 24/32, 311 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
DET – Barry Sanders – 16 rushes, 51 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Leonard Russell – 20 rushes, 80 yards
Top receivers
DET – Brett Perriman – 7 receptions, 70 yards, TD
SDG – Tony Martin – 8 receptions, 113 yards, TD :
Stan Humphries had a successful return to the starting lineup, and San Diego overcame another slew of penalties to win their second straight. After Humphries found Martin for a 32-yard touchdown on 2nd and 24, Barry Sanders scored touchdowns on consecutive drives to put Detroit ahead. The Lions led 14–10 on the stroke of halftime, but Humphries lofted a high pass into the end zone as the clock ran out, which eluded several Detroit defenders and nestled in the arms of Andre Coleman for a 46-yard touchdown. It was the second time Humphries had completed a Hail Mary pass on Monday Night Football, having done the same against Miami three seasons earlier.
San Diego carried their momentum on into the second half, where Alfred Pupunu caught a touchdown on their first drive, and Carney kick a field goal on their second. Carney had the chance to make the game almost safe with 5 minutes to play, but missed a 49 yarder, and Don Majkowski led Detroit the other way for a touchdown. An onside kick recovery by Junior Seau allowed San Diego to run out all but 9 seconds of the clock.
Humphries went 24 of 32 for 311 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Martin had 8 grabs for 113 yards and a score. Leonard Russell had his most productive day as a Charger, with 80 yards on the ground and a further 33 through the air. San Diego outgained Detroit 406–222, but were flagged for 129 yards on 11 penalties; on the three Lions touchdown drives, penalties outcounted for 35, 30 and 24 yards respectively.

#### Week 12: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 3 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 25 |
| Chargers | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: November 17
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 58 °F (14.4 °C), relative humidity 78%, wind 7 mph
* Game attendance: 57,526
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (FOX): Thom Brennaman and Ron Pitts
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Charlie Jones 63-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 13:35. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 1:25.
SDG – Leonard Russell 14-yard run (John Carney kick), 4:12. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 1 plays, 14 yards, 0:02.
TB – Michael Husted 33-yard field goal, 0:44. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:28.
Second quarter
TB – Mike Alstott 4-yard run (Michael Husted kick), 7:15. Chargers 14–10. Drive: 12 plays, 72 yards, 6:20.
TB – Michael Husted 29-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 14–13. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 1:27.
Third quarter
SDG – John Carney 42-yard field goal, 7:17. Chargers 17–13. Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 3:22.
Fourth quarter
TB – Michael Husted 27-yard field goal, 8:32. Chargers 17–16. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:36.
TB – Errict Rhett 1-yard run (pass failed), 6:02. Buccaneers 22–17. Drive: 4 plays, 18 yards, 2:05.
TB – Michael Husted 19-yard field goal, 1:11. Buccaneers 25–17. Drive: 10 plays, 33 yards, 3:47.
Top passers
TB – Trent Dilfer – 30/40, 327 yards, INT
SDG – Stan Humphries – 15/33, 203 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
TB – Mike Alstott – 9 rushes, 39 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Leonard Russell – 14 rushes, 76 yards, TD
Top receivers
TB – Courtney Hawkins – 7 receptions, 94 yards
SDG – Charlie Jones – 1 reception, 63 yards, TD :
San Diego suffered a shock defeat against the Buccaneers, who were 2-8 coming in, had lost ten consecutive road games, and had zero wins against the Chargers from six previous attempts.
The game started well for San Diego, with Charlie Jones turning a short crossing pattern into a 63-yard touchdown only three plays in. After Tampa Bay missed a short field goal, the Chargers recovered a muffed punt and scored via Russell a play later. The Buccaneers pulled it back to 14–10 over their next two drives, then began to miss numerous chances: Trent Dilfer was stuffed attempting a QB sneak on 4th and 1 from the San Diego 30; Alvin Harper dropped a pass in the end zone, forcing his team to settle for a field goal as the first half ended; following a Humphries interception, Dilfer was sacked by Chris Mims on 1st and 10 from the Charger 17, and Reuben Davis recovered; following a San Diego field goal, the Buccaneers executed a fake punt and reached 1st and 5 from the Charger 20, but Dilfer threw it straight to Rodney Harrison in the end zone.
In the 4th quarter, Tampa Bay finally turned their superiority into points, with two more Humphries interceptions leading to 9 points. A further field goal made it 25–17 with 2:11 to play. San Diego made it as far as the Tampa 30 in response, but Humphries threw three incompletions as time expired.

#### Week 13: at Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: November 24
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 27 °F (−2.8 °C), relative humidity 91%, wind 16 mph, wind chill 15
* Game attendance: 69,472
* Referee: Johnny Grier
* TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Beasley Reece
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Tony Martin 20-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 6:24. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 28 yards, 1:23.
Second quarter
SDG – Leonard Russell 4-yard run (John Carney kick), 11:07. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 10 plays, 97 yards, 5:20.
SDG – Tony Martin 10-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 3:37. Chargers 21–0. Drive: 9 plays, 79 yards, 4:42.
Third quarter
SDG – Leonard Russell 1-yard run (John Carney kick), 7:34. Chargers 28–0. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 5:15.
Fourth quarter
KAN – Chris Penn 17-yard pass from Rich Gannon (Pete Stoyanovich kick), 8:54. Chargers 28–7. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 2:58.
KAN – Todd McNair 10-yard pass from Rich Gannon (Pete Stoyanovich kick), 2:54. Chargers 28–14. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 2:50.
Top passers
SDG – Stan Humphries – 13/26, 252 yards, 2 TD
KAN – Rich Gannon – 22/31, 226 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
SDG – Leonard Russell – 32 rushes, 88 yards, 2 TD
KAN – Greg Hill – 6 rushes, 45 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Tony Martin – 5 receptions, 148 yards, 2 TD
KAN – Chris Penn – 6 receptions, 90 yards, TD :
A surprising road win balanced out the home upset from a week earlier. Kansas City were 8-3 coming in, but San Diego completed the sweep with more ease than the final scoreline suggested. After Martin had opened the scoring, Kansas City reached a 3rd and 5 at the Charger 20, but Harrison intercepted Steve Bono, and San Diego drove 97 yards the other way to a Russell touchdown. Another TD reception by Martin made it 21–0 at halftime.
There was a repeat performance in the 3rd quarter; Harrison again intercepted Bono, and the Chargers again converted the turnover into a Russell score. Rich Gannon replaced Bono late in the 3rd quarter and led his team on a pair of touchdown drives, but they came too late to seriously threaten a comeback.
Martin caught five passes in the game: they covered 29, 20, 34, 10 and 55 yards respectively, the two shortest receptions being touchdowns. With a 7–5 record, San Diego were positioned as the 3rd wild card in the playoff race.

#### Week 14: vs. New England Patriots

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Patriots | 14 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 45 |
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: December 1
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 55 °F (12.8 °C), relative humidity 66%, wind 5 mph
* Game attendance: 59,209
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
NE – Terry Glenn 8-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick), 11:13. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 3:47.
NE – Keith Byars 19-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick), 5:28. Patriots 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 3:29.
SDG – Tony Martin 46-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 2:58. Patriots 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 2:30.
Second quarter
NE – Sam Gash 7-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick), 13:20. Patriots 21–7. Drive: 2 plays, 7 yards, 0:40.
NE – Willie McGinest defensive fumble recovery in end zone (Adam Vinatieri kick), 2:32. Patriots 28–7.
NE – Adam Vinatieri 47-yard field goal, 7:17. Patriots 31–7. Drive: 7 plays, 24 yards, 1:07.
Third quarter
NE – Shawn Jefferson 11-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe (Adam Vinatieri kick), 12:46. Patriots 38–7. Drive: 3 plays, 27 yards, 1:26.
NE – Corwin Brown 42-yard fumble return (Adam Vinatieri kick), 1:23. Patriots 45–7.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays.
Top passers
NE – Drew Bledsoe – 19/29, 232 yards, 4 TD
SDG – Stan Humphries – 16/35, 204 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
NE – Curtis Martin – 19 rushes, 63 yards
SDG – Leonard Russell – 10 rushes, 35 yards
Top receivers
NE – Ben Coates – 6 receptions, 71 yards
SDG – Tony Martin – 5 receptions, 84 yards, TD :
A home thrashing derailed the Chargers' playoff push. The Patriots scored touchdowns on their first two drives, before Stan Humphries found Tony Martin from 46 yards out to halve the deficit. Little went right for the Chargers thereafter, with six turnovers, including a pair of fumbles that were returned for touchdowns. Patriots' QB Drew Bledsoe threw four touchdowns, the last of these to former Charger Shawn Jefferson, and Humphries was knocked out of the game in the 3rd quarter with a concussion.
Tony Martin's score was the lone bright spot for San Diego. It was his 14th of the season, tying Lance Alworth's club record. However, Martin failed to score in the remaining three games, so the record remained unbroken. Taken together with their Week 3 loss in Green Bay, San Diego were outscored 87–17 by the eventual participants of Super Bowl XXXI.

#### Week 15: at Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Steelers | 6 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 8
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 34 °F (1.1 °C), relative humidity 73%, wind 12 mph, wind chill 25
* Game attendance: 56,368
* Referee: Gerald Austin
* TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Bob Trumpy
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
PIT – Norm Johnson 49-yard field goal, 10:09. Steelers 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:09.
PIT – Norm Johnson 39-yard field goal, 3:29. Steelers 6–0. Drive: 6 plays, 12 yards, 3:23.
Second quarter
PIT – Andre Hastings 11-yard pass from Mike Tomczak (Norm Johnson kick), 1:03. Steelers 13–0. Drive: 10 plays, 88 yards, 4:12.
Third quarter
SDG – John Carney 25-yard field goal, 3:56. Steelers 13–3. Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 2:25.
Fourth quarter
PIT – Norm Johnson 21-yard field goal, 14:12. Steelers 16–3. Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 3:16.
Top passers
SDG – Sean Salisbury – 10/29, 125 yards, INT
PIT – Mike Tomczak – 15/31, 153 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
SDG – Leonard Russell – 16 rushes, 35 yards
PIT – Erric Pegram – 17 rushes, 83 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Andre Coleman – 1 reception, 50 yards
PIT – Charles Johnson – 4 receptions, 67 yards :
An anemic offensive performance saw the Chargers lose a scrappy game, in which both teams committed four turnovers. Two of these occurred on the same play: Darrien Gordon intercepted a tipped ball, but was hit by teammate Terrence Shaw and fumbled. The Steelers converted that error into a field goal, and led 13–0 at the break.
The Chargers offense, which once again had Salisbury in as starting QB, had mustered few threats to that point, but managed to get inside the Pittsburgh 10 before settling for a field goal. However, Salisbury fumbled while being sacked on the next possession, and the Steelers responded in kind. A 50-yard catch by Andre Coleman helped San Diego reach 3rd and 2 at the five yard line on their next possession, but Russell fumbled the chance away. A 55-yard interception return by Gordon set up one more chance, but Salisbury was sacked twice and the Chargers turned it over on downs.

#### Week 16: at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Bears | 14 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
* Date: December 14
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 37 °F (2.8 °C), relative humidity 85%, wind 8 mph
* Game attendance: 49,763
* Referee: Dick Hantak
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Randy Cross
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Andre Coleman 20-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 12:38. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:22.
CHI – Bobby Engram 7-yard pass from Dave Krieg (Jeff Jaeger kick), 8:27. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 32 yards, 4:11.
CHI – Curtis Conway 7-yard pass from Dave Krieg (Jeff Jaeger kick), 1:37. Bears 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 5:02.
Second quarter
SDG – Leonard Russell 1-yard run (John Carney kick), 12:27. Tied 14–14. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:10.
Third quarter
CHI – Jeff Jaeger 45-yard field goal, 6:05. Bears 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 3:36.
Fourth quarter
CHI – Ryan Wetnight 8-yard pass from Dave Krieg (Jeff Jaeger kick), 14:53. Bears 24–14. Drive: 13 plays, 51 yards, 5:06.
CHI – Jeff Jaeger 40-yard field goal, 1:04. Bears 27–14. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 5:03.
Top passers
SDG – Stan Humphries – 23/38, 217 yards, TD, INT
CHI – Dave Krieg – 24/38, 217 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
SDG – Terrell Fletcher – 17 rushes, 37 yards
CHI – Raymont Harris – 21 rushes, 64 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Tony Martin – 9 receptions, 74 yards
CHI – Bobby Engram – 5 receptions, 61 yards, TD :
The Chargers suffered a third straight loss, and were soon eliminated from the playoff race. They started brightly, Humphries finding Russell for 35 yards on the game's opening play, and Coleman for a touchdown four plays later. After a pair of Bears touchdowns, Russell tied the scores from a yard out. On the next San Diego drive, Carney missed a 48-yard field goal, and the teams were still level at halftime. Carney also hit the upright from only 26 yards out in the second half, as the Bears pulled away.
Seau twice sacked Dave Kreig, bring his season tally to 7.0, which matched his career high. San Diego were officially eliminated from playoff contention the next day, when Indianapolis won at Kansas City.

#### Week 17: vs. Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Chargers | 7 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: December 22
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 59 °F (15.0 °C), relative humidity 81%, wind 13 mph
* Game attendance: 46,801
* Referee: Tom White
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
DEN – Jason Elam 51-yard field goal, 13:49. Broncos 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, -2 yards, 1:03.
DEN – Terrell Davis 1-yard run (Jason Elam kick), 8:20. Broncos 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 3:00.
SDG – Charlie Jones 9-yard pass from Stan Humphries (John Carney kick), 1:46. Broncos 10–7. Drive: 3 plays, 15 yards, 1:21.
Second quarter
SDG – John Carney 50-yard field goal, 8:31. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:22.
Third quarter
SDG – John Carney 21-yard field goal, 9:24. Chargers 13–10. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:12.
SDG – John Carney 22-yard field goal, 0:33. Chargers 16–10. Drive: 14 plays, 78 yards, 6:13.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays.
Top passers
DEN – Bill Musgrave – 11/18, 69 yards, INT
SDG – Stan Humphries – 17/36, 170 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
DEN – Jeff Lewis – 3 rushes, 35 yards
SDG – Freddie Bradley – 19 rushes, 60 yards
Top receivers
DEN – Aaron Craver – 6 receptions, 32 yards
SDG – Tony Martin – 4 receptions, 50 yards :
San Diego won a low-key final game to finish at 8-8. With Denver assured of the #1 seed, neither side had much to play for. John Elway started the game, and had his side up 10–0 before losing a fumble which Seau recovered, setting up a Humphries-to-Jones touchdown pass. After Elway was pulled, Seau recovered another fumble to set up the first of thee Carney field goals. With Terrell Davis soon joining his quarterback on the sidelines, the Denver offense was led by backups, and could generate no further points; Rodney Harrison foiled their best chance with an end zone interception.
The result meant that Bobby Ross left San Diego as the first Charger head coach to post no losing records during his tenure.

## Standings

AFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(1)}$ Denver Broncos | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 391 | 275 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 297 | 300 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 310 | 376 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 340 | 293 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 317 | 376 | W1 |