# 1977 San Diego Chargers season

The 1977 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's eighth season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 18th overall. It was Tommy Prothro's final full season as the team's head coach.
The 7–7 record allowed the Chargers to break a string of seven consecutive losing seasons. It was their best mark since the AFL–NFL merger.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1977 San Diego Chargers draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 24 | Bob Rush | Center | Memphis |
| 3 | 77 | Linden King | Linebacker | Colorado State |
| 5 | 124 | Clarence Williams | Running back | South Carolina |
| 5 | 128 | Cliff Olander | Quarterback | New Mexico State |
| 6 | 146 | Dave Lindstrom | Defensive end | Boston University |
| 6 | 151 | Larry Barnes | Running back | Tennessee State |
| 6 | 152 | Pete Shaw | Safety | Northwestern |
| 7 | 181 | Ron Bush | Defensive back | Southern California |
| 9 | 234 | Gene Washington | Wide receiver | Georgia |
| 10 | 265 | Curtis Townsend | Linebacker | Arkansas |
| 12 | 319 | Jim Stansik | Tight end | Eastern Michigan |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 18 | at Oakland Raiders | L 0–24 | 0–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 51,022 | Recap |
| 2 | September 25 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 23–7 | 1–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 56,146 | Recap |
| 3 | October 2 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 24–3 | 2–1 | San Diego Stadium | 40,352 | Recap |
| 4 | October 9 | at New Orleans Saints | W 14–0 | 3–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 53,942 | Recap |
| 5 | October 16 | New England Patriots | L 20–24 | 3–2 | San Diego Stadium | 50,327 | Recap |
| 6 | October 23 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 16–21 | 3–3 | San Diego Stadium | 33,010 | Recap |
| 7 | October 30 | at Miami Dolphins | W 14–13 | 4–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | 40,670 | Recap |
| 8 | November 6 | at Detroit Lions | L 0–20 | 4–4 | Pontiac Silverdome | 72,559 | Recap |
| 9 | November 13 | Denver Broncos | L 14–17 | 4–5 | San Diego Stadium | 45,211 | Recap |
| 10 | November 20 | Oakland Raiders | W 12–7 | 5–5 | San Diego Stadium | 50,887 | Recap |
| 11 | November 27 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 30–28 | 6–5 | Kingdome | 58,994 | Recap |
| 12 | December 4 | Cleveland Browns | W 37–14 | 7–5 | San Diego Stadium | 37,312 | Recap |
| 13 | December 11 | at Denver Broncos | L 9–17 | 7–6 | Mile High Stadium | 74,905 | Recap |
| 14 | December 18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 9–10 | 7–7 | San Diego Stadium | 50,727 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||

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

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Raiders | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
* Date: September 18
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
* Game attendance: 51,022
* Referee: Cal Lepore
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and Merlin Olsen
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
OAK – Cliff Branch 7-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick), 4:54. Raiders 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 13 yards, 0:28.
Second quarter
OAK – Errol Mann 20-yard field goal, 9:29. Raiders 10–0. Drive: 17 plays, 72 yards, 8:37.
OAK – Dave Casper 1-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick), 0:28. Raiders 17–0. Drive: 3 plays, 10 yards, 0:14.
Third quarter
OAK – Pete Banaszak 2-yard run (Errol Mann kick), 0:33. Raiders 24–0. Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 1:51.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays.
Top passers
SDG – James Harris – 11/22, 77 yards, INT
OAK – Ken Stabler – 13/20, 139 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
SDG – Don Woods – 7 rushes, 30 yards
OAK – Mark van Eeghen – 19 rushes, 62 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Charlie Joiner – 4 receptions, 33 yards
OAK – Cliff Branch – 4 receptions, 56 yards, TD :

#### Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 7 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 23 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
* Date: September 25
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
* Game attendance: 56,146
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Floyd Little
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Don Woods 12-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:59. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 3:21.
KAN – Henry Marshall 19-yard pass from Mike Livingston (Jan Stenerud kick), 3:20. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 3:33.
Second quarter
SDG – Leroy Jones 17-yard interception return (kick failed), 13:33. Chargers 13–7.
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 31-yard field goal, 0:24. Chargers 16–7. Drive: 10 plays, 37 yards, 2:10.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Mike Fuller 7-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 2:01. Chargers 23–7. Drive: 14 plays, 54 yards, 7:58.
Top passers
SDG – James Harris – 11/25, 85 yards, TD, 3 INT
KAN – Mike Livingston – 7/21, 101 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
SDG – Clarence Williams – 9 rushes, 88 yards
KAN – Tony Reed – 13 rushes, 26 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Joe Washington – 2 receptions, 18 yards
KAN – Walter White – 5 receptions, 70 yards :

#### Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bengals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: October 2
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21.1 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
* Game attendance: 40,352
* Referee: Don Wedge
* TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and John Brodie
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Charlie Joiner 30-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:59. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:01.
Second quarter
CIN – Chris Bahr 35-yard field goal, 1:58. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 14 yards, 1:12.
SDG – Charlie Joiner 15-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 0:29. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 1:29.
Third quarter
SDG – James Harris 1-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 1:13. Chargers 21–3. Drive: 17 plays, 83 yards, 9:08.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 42-yard field goal, 8:54. Chargers 24–3. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 5:59.
Top passers
CIN – Ken Anderson – 14/31, 161 yards, 3 INT
SDG – James Harris – 14/20, 200 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
CIN – Archie Griffin – 9 rushes, 38 yards
SDG – Rickey Young – 14 rushes, 62 yards
Top receivers
CIN – Archie Griffin – 5 receptions, 59 yards
SDG – Charlie Joiner – 4 receptions, 70 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 4: at New Orleans Saints

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Saints | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: October 9
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
* Game attendance: 53,942
* Referee: Pat Haggerty
* TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Len Dawson
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Mike Fuller 88-yard punt return (Rolf Benirschke kick), 11:19. Chargers 7–0.
Second quarter
No scoring plays.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Rickey Young 5-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 1:16. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 4:28.
Top passers
SDG – James Harris – 11/21, 137 yards
NO – Archie Manning – 16/26, 124 yards, INT
Top rushers
SDG – Rickey Young – 11 rushes, 40 yards, TD
NO – Chuck Muncie – 18 rushes, 78 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Larry Dorsey – 3 receptions, 43 yards
NO – Tony Galbreath – 9 receptions, 55 yards :

#### Week 5: vs. New England Patriots

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Patriots | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Chargers | 6 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: October 16
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 86%, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
* Game attendance: 50,327
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Len Dawson
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
NE – Don Hasselbeck 1-yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick), 7:14. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 5:22.
SDG – Clarence Williams 1-yard run (kick failed), 5:59. Patriots 7–6. Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 1:08.
Second quarter
No scoring plays.
Third quarter
SDG – Rickey Young 1-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:58. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 5 plays, 48 yards, 0:54.
NE – Ike Forte 7-yard run (John Smith kick), 3:30. Patriots 14–13. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 6:28.
Fourth quarter
NE – John Smith 28-yard field goal, 9:23. Patriots 17–13. Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 5:38.
NE – Don Hasselbeck 4-yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick), 3:09. Patriots 24–13. Drive: 2 plays, 6 yards, 0:49.
SDG – Charlie Joiner 16-yard pass from Bill Munson (Rolf Benirschke kick), 1:45. Patriots 24–20. Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards, 1:24.
Top passers
NE – Steve Grogan – 12/22, 83 yards, 2 TD, INT
SDG – James Harris – 10/15, 152 yards, INT
Top rushers
NE – Sam Cunningham – 12 rushes, 141 yards
SDG – Don Woods – 7 rushes, 30 yards
Top receivers
NE – Sam Cunningham – 5 receptions, 71 yards
SDG – Don Woods – 8 receptions, 111 yards :

#### Week 6: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 21 |
| Chargers | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: October 23
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 69 °F (20.6 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
* Game attendance: 33,010
* Referee: Chuck Heberling
* TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Floyd Little
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 40-yard field goal, 10:25. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 4:35.
Second quarter
SDG – Larry Dorsey 26-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 5:22. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 41 yards, 1:58.
Third quarter
KAN – Walter White 5-yard pass from Tony Adams (Jan Stenerud kick), 9:09. Chargers 10–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:05.
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 47-yard field goal, 4:11. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 10 plays, 44 yards, 4:58.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 24-yard field goal, 9:14. Chargers 16–7. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 5:28.
KAN – Tony Reed 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 2:30. Chargers 16–14. Drive: 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:27.
KAN – Tim Gray 15-yard fumble return (Jan Stenerud kick), 2:08. Chiefs 21–16.
Top passers
KAN – Tony Adams – 15/26, 215 yards, TD
SDG – James Harris – 18/35, 233 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
KAN – Tony Reed – 22 rushes, 68 yards, TD
SDG – Rickey Young – 13 rushes, 51 yards
Top receivers
KAN – Walter White – 6 receptions, 96 yards, TD
SDG – Rickey Young – 9 receptions, 97 yards :

#### Week 7: at Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Dolphins | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
* Date: October 30
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 75 °F (23.9 °C), relative humidity 74%, wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
* Game attendance: 40,670
* Referee: Bob Frederic
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
MIA – Garo Yepremian 52-yard field goal, 9:08. Dolphins 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 3:42.
MIA – Garo Yepremian 45-yard field goal, 3:00. Dolphins 6–0. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 3:28.
Second quarter
SDG – Bob Klein 2-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 7:25. Chargers 7–6. Drive: 12 plays, 43 yards, 6:47.
Third quarter
No scoring play.
Fourth quarter
MIA – Norm Bulaich 3-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick), 9:43. Dolphins 13–7. Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 6:02.
SDG – James Harris 5-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 0:00. Chargers 14–13. Drive: 10 plays, 28 yards, 1:48.
Top passers
SDG – James Harris – 15/31, 131 yards, TD, 3 INT
MIA – Bob Griese – 9/16, 82 yards, 3 INT
Top rushers
SDG – Rickey Young – 14 rushes, 32 yards
MIA – Norm Bulaich – 12 rushes, 89 yards, TD
Top receivers
SDG – Joe Washington – 4 receptions, 30 yards
MIA – Nat Moore – 3 receptions, 36 yards :

#### Week 8: at Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 | 20 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan
* Date: November 6
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
* Game attendance: 72,559
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
No scoring plays.
Third quarter
DET – Rick Kane 2-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick), 5:08. Lions 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 7:10.
Fourth quarter
DET – Rick Kane 1-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick), 9:56. Lions 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:09.
DET – Marv Hubbard 1-yard run (kick failed), 4:57. Lions 20–0. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 2:55.
Top passers
SDG – Bill Munson – 9/16, 90 yards
DET – Greg Landry – 5/7, 67 yards
Top rushers
SDG – Joe Washington – 9 rushes, 54 yards
DET – Rick Kane – 24 rushes, 105 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
SDG – Rickey Young – 4 receptions, 48 yards
DET – Horace King – 3 receptions, 49 yards :

#### Week 9: vs. Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: November 13
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 64 °F (17.8 °C), relative humidity 73%, wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
* Game attendance: 45,211
* Referee: Chuck Heberling
* TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Len Dawson
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Fred Dean 11-yard fumble return (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:27. Chargers 7–0.
DEN – Jim Turner 35-yard field goal, 4:54. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards, 4:33.
Second quarter
SDG – Charlie Joiner 32-yard pass from Joe Washington (Rolf Benirschke kick), 10:12. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 51 yards, 2:04.
Third quarter
DEN – Haven Moses 33-yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick), 8:10. Chargers 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:11.
Fourth quarter
DEN – Haven Moses 8-yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick), 1:36. Broncos 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 1:01.
Top passers
DEN – Craig Morton – 12/32, 149 yards, 2 TD, INT
SDG – James Harris – 13/31, 166 yards
Top rushers
DEN – Lonnie Perrin – 9 rushes, 33 yards DEN – Otis Armstrong – 6 rushes, 33 yards
SDG – Johnny Rodgers – 1 rush, 33 yards
Top receivers
DEN – Haven Moses – 3 receptions, 66 yards, 2 TD
SDG – Charlie Joiner – 4 receptions, 79 yards, TD :

#### Week 10: vs. Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Chargers | 0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: November 20
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 59 °F (15.0 °C), relative humidity 56%, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
* Game attendance: 50,887
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
SDG – Rickey Young 4-yard run (kick blocked), 8:46. Chargers 6–0. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 4:31.
OAK – Mike Rae 7-yard run (Errol Mann kick), 3:04. Raiders 7–6. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 5:42.
Third quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 22-yard field goal, 3:57. Chargers 9–7. Drive: 13 plays, 83 yards, 5:58.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 46-yard field goal, 3:15. Chargers 12–7. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 5:33.
Top passers
OAK – Ken Stabler – 4/10, 40 yards
SDG – Cliff Olander – 5/13, 51 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
OAK – Clarence Davis – 12 rushes, 49 yards
SDG – Rickey Young – 17 rushes, 83 yards, TD
Top receivers
OAK – Fred Biletnikoff – 2 receptions, 29 yards
SDG – Joe Washington – 2 receptions, 22 yards :

#### Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 10 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 30 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
* Date: November 27
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
* Game attendance: 58,994
* Referee: Gene Barth
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Len Dawson
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Rickey Young 1-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 7:55. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards, 2:38.
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 40-yard field goal, 2:21. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 3:27.
Second quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 26-yard field goal, 12:19. Chargers 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 2:30.
SEA – Don Testerman 5-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick), 6:41. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 5:28.
SEA – Steve Largent 27-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick), 0:50. Seahawks 14–13. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 4:27.
Third quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 39-yard field goal, 13:19. Chargers 16–14. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:35.
SEA – Steve Largent 10-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick), 7:48. Seahawks 21–16. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 5:23.
Fourth quarter
SDG – Charlie Joiner 17-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 13:50. Chargers 23–21. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 2:56.
SDG – Fred Dean 22-yard interception return (Rolf Benirschke kick), 12:15. Chargers 30–21.
SEA – David Sims 16-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick), 7:00. Chargers 30–28. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:26.
Top passers
SDG – Dan Fouts – 19/26, 199 yards, TD, INT
SEA – Jim Zorn – 16/26, 291 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
SDG – Rickey Young – 19 rushes, 80 yards, TD
SEA – Sherman Smith – 14 rushes, 56 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Charlie Joiner – 5 receptions, 72 yards, TD
SEA – Steve Largent – 4 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Chargers | 14 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 37 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: December 4
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 59 °F (15.0 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
* Game attendance: 37,312
* Referee: Fred Wyant
* TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Mike Adamle
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Don Woods 29-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:57. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 5:03.
SDG – Hank Bauer 15-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 4:34. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 2:51.
Second quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 35-yard field goal, 11:55. Chargers 17–0. Drive: 9 plays, 31 yards, 4:22.
SDG – Charlie Joiner 30-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 1:17. Chargers 24–0. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 4:57.
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 36-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 27–0. Drive: 2 plays, 43 yards, 0:15.
Third quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 24-yard field goal, 2:09. Chargers 30–0. Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 7:15.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Reggie Rucker 16-yard pass from Dave Mays (Don Cockroft kick), 13:28. Chargers 30–7. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 3:33.
SDG – Larry Dorsey 67-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 12:33. Chargers 37–7. Drive: 2 plays, 67 yards, 0:55.
CLE – Cleo Miller 6-yard run (Don Cockroft kick), 1:24. Chargers 37–14. Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 1:18.
Top passers
CLE – Dave Mays – 19/30, 228 yards, TD, INT
SDG – Dan Fouts – 14/20, 237 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
CLE – Greg Pruitt – 16 rushes, 67 yards
SDG – Don Woods – 11 rushes, 62 yards, TD
Top receivers
CLE – Greg Pruitt – 6 receptions, 98 yards
SDG – Larry Dorsey – 4 receptions, 108 yards, TD :

#### Week 13: at Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| Broncos | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
* Date: December 11
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: 44 °F (6.7 °C), relative humidity 27%, wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
* Game attendance: 74,905
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (NBC): Jack Buck and Mike Haffner
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
DEN – Lonnie Perrin 41-yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick), 11:31. Broncos 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:29.
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 46-yard field goal, 6:50. Broncos 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 49 yards, 4:41.
Second quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 46-yard field goal, 0:18. Broncos 7–6. Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 0:42.
Third quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 46-yard field goal, 4:23. Chargers 9–7. Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 4:58.
Fourth quarter
DEN – Jim Turner 36-yard field goal, 6:39. Broncos 10–9. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 5:18.
DEN – Rick Upchurch 19-yard run (Jim Turner kick), 1:54. Broncos 17–9. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 2:55.
Top passers
SDG – Dan Fouts – 24/41, 276 yards, 2 INT
DEN – Craig Morton – 9/17, 133 yards, TD
Top rushers
SDG – Rickey Young – 8 rushes, 30 yards
DEN – Jon Keyworth – 12 rushes, 41 yards
Top receivers
SDG – Charlie Joiner – 4 receptions, 67 yards
DEN – Riley Odoms – 6 receptions, 69 yards :

#### Week 14: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Chargers | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
* Date: December 18
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 63 °F (17.2 °C), relative humidity 81%, wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
* Game attendance: 50,727
* Referee: Ben Dreith
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Andy Russell
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
SDG – Clarence Williams 2-yard run (kick blocked), 7:42. Chargers 6–0. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 5:32.
Second quarter
SDG – Rolf Benirschke 38-yard field goal, 8:26. Chargers 9–0. Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards.
Third quarter
PIT – Sidney Thornton 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick), 6:07. Chargers 9–7. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 2:07.
PIT – Roy Gerela 27-yard field goal, 1:14. Steelers 10–9. Drive: 7 plays, 25 yards, 3:27.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays.
Top passers
PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 8/17, 139 yards, INT
SDG – Dan Fouts – 12/22, 157 yards, 3 INT
Top rushers
PIT – Alvin Maxson – 16 rushes, 51 yards
SDG – Don Woods – 13 rushes, 28 yards
Top receivers
PIT – John Stallworth – 3 receptions, 72 yards
SDG – Charlie Joiner – 3 receptions, 53 yards :

### Standings

AFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Denver Broncos$^{(1)}$ | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 6–1 | 11–1 | 274 | 148 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders$^{(4)}$ | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 5–2 | 10–2 | 351 | 230 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–4 | 6–6 | 222 | 205 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 1–3 | 4–9 | 282 | 373 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–6 | 1–11 | 225 | 349 | L6 |