2009 San Diego Chargers season The 2009 San Diego Chargers season was the 50th season for the original American Football League team , and its 40th in the NFL . 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 eliminated in the Divisional Playoffs by the New York Jets . It was also Norv Turner ' s best regular season record as head coach . 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 . Regular season results . Week 1 : at Oakland Raiders . 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 . 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 . 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 striked 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 . 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 . 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 Kaeding ' s 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 3rd straight season where after 5 games , the team has started 2 – 3 . Week 7 : at Kansas City Chiefs . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 . LaDanian 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 . San Diego came in with an 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 3rd Dallas managed to tie 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 gave them a 10 – 3 record . Week 15 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . The Chargers took a 14 – 13 lead in the first half . During halftime , a piece was shown about the life of the Bengal ' s wide receiver Chris Henry . The Chargers were up in the 4th quarter 24 – 13 before the Bengals score 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 . The Chargers came in to the game looking to clinch the AFC ' s No . 2 seed and a first round bye . 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 . The Chargers grabbed a first round bye and the No . 2 seed along with their 10th straight win . Post - season results . AFC Divisional Game : vs . New York Jets . 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 fullback 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