2016 San Diego Chargers season

57th season in franchise history, final one in San Diego

2016 San Diego Chargers season
OwnerAlex Spanos
General managerTom Telesco
Head coachMike McCoy
Home fieldQualcomm Stadium
Results
Record5–11
Division place4th AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
3
  • RB Melvin Gordon
  • CB Casey Hayward
  • QB Philip Rivers
AP All-Pros
1
  • CB Casey Hayward (2nd team)

The 2016 season was the San Diego Chargers' 47th in the National Football League (NFL), their 57th overall, their 56th and final season in San Diego, California and their fourth and final season under head coach Mike McCoy.

Due to the age of Qualcomm Stadium, there was speculation that the team would be relocating back to Los Angeles, where the franchise played its first season in 1960. This followed a decision by the NFL to allow the St. Louis Rams to return to the Greater Los Angeles Area with a provision that the Chargers may relocate to Los Angeles as well. On January 4, 2016, the team filed a relocation application to the NFL along with the Rams and the Oakland Raiders releasing a statement and a video on the team's website. The league made its decision in a special meeting on January 12; it approved the Chargers' relocation if they chose to share SoFi Stadium with the Rams (the Raiders-Chargers proposal did not receive enough support from the league as a whole to proceed, prompting the Raiders to back out). On January 29, 2016, the Chargers announced they would remain in San Diego for the 2016 season as negotiations with the city continued; the team also reached an agreement in principle to use the Rams' Los Angeles stadium should negotiations with the city of San Diego fail.[1] On November 8, 2016, Measure C was voted down by voters 57% to 43%; and on January 12, 2017, the Chargers officially announced a move to Los Angeles, making 2016 their final season in San Diego.

This would also be the first time in nine seasons that Pro Bowler free safety Eric Weddle was not on the team, having departed via free agency to the Baltimore Ravens. Weddle had spent his entire career with the Chargers, starting with the 2007 NFL season.

This was also the first time the Chargers suffered from consecutive losing seasons since 2000—2001.

On January 1, 2017, the Chargers fired McCoy after four seasons.[2]

Offseason

Roster changes

Signed

Position Player 2015 Team Contract
WR Travis Benjamin Cleveland Browns 4 years, $26 million
CB Casey Hayward Green Bay Packers 3 years, $15.3 million
DT Brandon Mebane Seattle Seahawks 3 years, $13.5 million
FS Dwight Lowery Indianapolis Colts 3 years, $7.2 million
G Matt Slauson Chicago Bears 2 years, $4 million
TE Jeff Cumberland New York Jets 1 year, $840,000

Departures

Position Player 2016 Team
FS Eric Weddle Baltimore Ravens
WR Malcom Floyd Retired
TE Ladarius Green Pittsburgh Steelers
CB Patrick Robinson Indianapolis Colts
P Mike Scifres Carolina Panthers
RB Donald Brown New England Patriots
ILB Donald Butler Miami Dolphins

NFL draft

2016 San Diego Chargers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 3 Joey Bosa *  DE Ohio St
2 35 Hunter Henry  TE Arkansas
3 66 Max Tuerk  C USC
4 102 Joshua Perry  LB Ohio St
5 175 Jatavis Brown  LB Akron Compensatory
6 179 Drew Kaser  P Texas A&M
6 198 Derek Watt  FB Wisconsin
7 224 Donavon Clark  G Michigan St
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Notes

  • The Chargers traded their 2016 fifth-round selection, along with their 2015 first- and fourth-round selections to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the 49ers' 2015 first-round selection.
  • The Chargers acquired an additional sixth-round selection in a trade that sent guard Jeremiah Sirles to the Minnesota Vikings.
  • As the result of a negative differential of free agent signings and departures that the Chargers experienced during the 2015 free agency period, the team received one compensatory selection for the 2016 draft in the fifth round.[3] Free agent transactions that occurred after May 12, 2015, did not impact the team's formula for determining compensatory selections for the 2016 draft.[4]

Staff

2016 San Diego Chargers staff

Front office

  • Owner – Alex Spanos
  • Minority owner – George Pernicano
  • Chairman/president – Dean Spanos
  • Executive vice president – Michael Spanos
  • CEO/president – Business Operations – A. G. Spanos
  • General manager – Tom Telesco
  • President – Football Operations – John Spanos
  • Executive vice president of football administration/player finance – Ed McGuire
  • Senior executive – Randy Mueller
  • Director of pro scouting – Dennis Abraham
  • Senior director of pro personnel – Louis Clark
  • Director of player personnel – JoJo Wooden
  • Director of college scouting – Kevin Kelly

Head coaches

  • Head coach – Mike McCoy

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – John Pagano
  • Defensive line – Giff Smith
  • Linebackers – Bob Babich
  • Assistant linebackers – Bobby King
  • Defensive backs – Ron Milus
  • Assistant defensive backs – Chris Harris
  • Defensive quality control – Chris Shula

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Final roster

2016 San Diego Chargers final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 22 inactive, 9 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 13 at Tennessee Titans L 10–27 0–1 Nissan Stadium Recap
2 August 19 Arizona Cardinals W 19–3 1–1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
3 August 28 at Minnesota Vikings L 10–23 1–2 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap
4 September 1 San Francisco 49ers L 21–31 1–3 Qualcomm Stadium Recap

Regular season

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 11 at Kansas City Chiefs L 27–33 (OT) 0–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
2 September 18 Jacksonville Jaguars W 38–14 1–1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
3 September 25 at Indianapolis Colts L 22–26 1–2 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
4 October 2 New Orleans Saints L 34–35 1–3 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
5 October 9 at Oakland Raiders L 31–34 1–4 Oakland Alameda Coliseum Recap
6 October 13 Denver Broncos W 21–13 2–4 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
7 October 23 at Atlanta Falcons W 33–30 (OT) 3–4 Georgia Dome Recap
8 October 30 at Denver Broncos L 19–27 3–5 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap
9 November 6 Tennessee Titans W 43–35 4–5 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
10 November 13 Miami Dolphins L 24–31 4–6 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
11 Bye
12 November 27 at Houston Texans W 21–13 5–6 NRG Stadium Recap
13 December 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 21–28 5–7 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
14 December 11 at Carolina Panthers L 16–28 5–8 Bank of America Stadium Recap
15 December 18 Oakland Raiders L 16–19 5–9 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
16 December 24 at Cleveland Browns L 17–20 5–10 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
17 January 1 Kansas City Chiefs L 27–37 5–11 Qualcomm Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week One: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Chargers 7 14 33027
Chiefs 3 0 717633

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

First quarter

  • KC – Cairo Santos 47-yard field goal, 11:51. Chiefs 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:09.
  • SD – Melvin Gordon 1-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 8:27. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:24.

Second quarter

  • SD – Melvin Gordon 6-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 11:51. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 6:51.
  • SD – Danny Woodhead 4-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 7:54. Chargers 21–3. Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards, 3:32.

Third quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 29-yard field goal, 6:02. Chargers 24–3. Drive: 9 plays, 34 yards, 4:00.
  • KC – Tyreek Hill 9-yard pass from Alex Smith (Cairo Santos kick), 2:47. Chargers 24–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:15.

Fourth quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 28-yard field goal, 13:24. Chargers 27–10. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:23.
  • KC – Jeremy Maclin 19-yard pass from Alex Smith (Cairo Santos kick), 9:18. Chargers 27–17. Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 2:02.
  • KC – Cairo Santos 33-yard field goal, 3:09. Chargers 27–20. Drive: 12 plays, 62 yards, 3:40.
  • KC – Spencer Ware 5-yard run (Cairo Santos kick), 1:03. Tied 27–27. Drive: 4 plays, 42 yards, 0:46.

Overtime

  • KC – Alex Smith 2-yard run, 9:53. Chiefs 33–27. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 5:07.

Top passers

  • SD – Philip Rivers – 25/36, 243 yards, TD
  • KC – Alex Smith – 34/48, 363 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

  • SD – Danny Woodhead – 16 rushes, 89 yards
  • KC – Spencer Ware – 11 rushes, 70 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • SD – Tyrell Williams – 2 receptions, 71 yards
  • KC – Spencer Ware – 7 receptions, 129 yards

Leading 21–3 at halftime, the Chargers blew their lead, scoring only six more points by field goals. Kansas City rallied with 24 unanswered points, forcing overtime, where the Chiefs won the season's opening game.

Week 2: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Two: Jacksonville Jaguars at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 0 01414
Chargers 7 14 14338

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: September 18
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 52,165
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy and Adam Archuleta
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • SD – Travis Benjamin 6-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 14:54. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:34.
  • SD – Antonio Gates 2-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 9:54. Chargers 21–0. Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards, 2:11.

Third quarter

  • SD – Tyrell Williams 44-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 10:54. Chargers 28–0. Drive: 3 plays, 55 yards, 1:33.
  • SD – Travis Benjamin 45-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 2:48. Chargers 35–0. Drive: 7 plays, 93 yards, 4:18.

Fourth quarter

  • JAX – Marcedes Lewis 4-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Jason Myers kick), 12:54. Chargers 35–7. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 4:54.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 25-yard field goal, 7:00. Chargers 38–7. Drive: 11 plays, 36 yards, 5:54.
  • JAX – Corey Grant 15-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Jason Myers kick), 1:04. Chargers 38–14. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 2:30.

Top passers

  • JAX – Blake Bortles – 31/50, 329 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
  • SD – Philip Rivers – 17/24, 220 yards, 4 TD

Top rushers

  • JAX – Blake Bortles – 3 rushes, 34 yards
  • SD – Melvin Gordon – 24 rushes, 102 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • JAX – Marqise Lee – 5 receptions, 75 yards
  • SD – Travis Benjamin – 6 receptions, 115 yards, 2 TD

Already without Keenan Allen for the entire season, running back Danny Woodhead suffered a torn ACL, putting him out for the season. Nevertheless, the Chargers would go on to burn the Jaguars, winning 38–14 and with that, they went to 1–1.

Week 3: at Indianapolis Colts

Week Three: San Diego Chargers at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 13 6322
Colts 10 3 7626

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: September 25
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 64,747
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

  • IND – Adam Vinatieri 38-yard field goal, 8:53. Colts 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 6:07.
  • IND – Frank Gore 6-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick), 3:39. Colts 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 85 yards, 3:25.

Second quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 42-yard field goal, 14:51. Colts 10–3. Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 3:48.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 34-yard field goal, 14:04. Colts 10–6. Drive: 4 plays, −10 yards, 0:32.
  • IND – Adam Vinatieri 33-yard field goal, 6:25. Colts 13–6. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 7:39.
  • SD – Caraun Reid 61-yard fumble return (Josh Lambo kick), 0:55. Tied 13–13.

Third quarter

  • SD – Melvin Gordon 1-yard run (kick blocked), 8:23. Chargers 19–13. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:37.
  • IND – Robert Turbin 1-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick), 2:39. Colts 20–19. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:44.

Fourth quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 27-yard field goal, 7:34. Chargers 22–20. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 4:25.
  • IND – T. Y. Hilton 63-yard pass from Andrew Luck (pass failed), 1:17. Colts 26–22. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 1:12.

Top passers

  • SD – Philip Rivers – 26/39, 330 yards
  • IND – Andrew Luck – 24/37, 331 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

  • SD – Melvin Gordon – 16 rushes, 35 yards, TD
  • IND – Frank Gore – 21 rushes, 82 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • SD – Tyrell Williams – 6 receptions, 69 yards
  • IND – T. Y. Hilton – 8 receptions, 174 yards, TD

With a stunning loss on a 63-yard Colts touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton with 1:17 to play, the Chargers' record fell to 1–2.

Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week Four: New Orleans Saints at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 7 71435
Chargers 7 17 01034

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 2
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C), fair
  • Game attendance: 60,641
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • NO – John Kuhn 4-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:20. Saints 14–7. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 6:50.
  • SD – Dontrelle Inman 57-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 7:04. Tied 14–14. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:16.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 30-yard field goal, 4:50. Chargers 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 29 yards, 2:05.
  • SD – Melvin Gordon 1-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 0:13. Chargers 24–14. Drive: 11 plays, 47 yards, 2:14.

Third quarter

  • NO – John Kuhn 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 9:00. Chargers 24–21. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 4:18.

Fourth quarter

  • SD – Melvin Gordon 1-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 12:15. Chargers 31–21. Drive: 14 plays, 74 yards, 6:28.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 47-yard field goal, 8:39. Chargers 34–21. Drive: 6 plays, −3 yards, 2:48.
  • NO – Michael Thomas 5-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 4:50. Chargers 34–28. Drive: 4 plays, 13 yards, 1:50.
  • NO – John Kuhn 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 1:57. Saints 35–34. Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 2:45.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • NO – Mark Ingram II – 6 receptions, 49 yards
  • SD – Dontrelle Inman – 7 receptions, 120 yards, TD

Ahead 34–21, the Chargers gave up two Drew Brees touchdown passes in the final five minutes and fell to 1–3.

Week 5: at Oakland Raiders

Week Five: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 10 14731
Raiders 3 6 18734

at Oakland Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: October 9
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 54,275
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy and Adam Archuleta
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

  • OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 20-yard field goal, 4:00. Raiders 3–0. Drive: 16 plays, 87 yards, 8:01.

Second quarter

  • SD – Tyrell Williams 29-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 13:07. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:20.
  • OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 26-yard field goal, 7:13. Chargers 7–6. Drive: 11 plays, 67 yards, 5:54.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 36-yard field goal, 4:24. Chargers 10–6. Drive: 5 plays, 57 yards, 2:249.
  • OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 56-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 10–9. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 1:39.

Third quarter

  • SD – Melvin Gordon 18-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 12:31. Chargers 17–9. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 2:29.
  • OAK – Amari Cooper 64-yard pass from Derek Carr (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 11:25. Chargers 17–16. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:06.
  • SD – Hunter Henry 1-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 10:10. Chargers 24–16. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:15.
  • OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 48-yard field goal, 4:41. Chargers 24–19. Drive: 10 plays, 45 yards, 5:29.
  • OAK – Michael Crabtree 21-yard pass from Derek Carr (Derek Carr–Amari Cooper pass), 1:09. Raiders 27–24. Drive: 6 plays, 38 yards, 2:45.

Fourth quarter

  • OAK – Jamize Olawale 1-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 12:51. Raiders 34–24. Drive: 4 plays, 32 yards, 2:09.
  • SD – Antonio Gates 4-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 6:21. Raiders 34–31. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:30.

Top passers

  • SD – Philip Rivers – 21/30, 359 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
  • OAK – Derek Carr – 25/40, 317 yards, 2 TD, INT

Top rushers

Top receivers

With their third straight loss to the Raiders, the Chargers fell to 1–4.

Week 6: vs. Denver Broncos

Week Six: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 3 01013
Chargers 7 3 9221

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 37-yard field goal, 10:35. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 18 plays, 75 yards, 10:03.
  • DEN – Brandon McManus 29-yard field goal, 5:40. Chargers 10–3. Drive: 4 plays, 0 yards, 2:08.

Third quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 21-yard field goal, 10:41. Chargers 13–3. Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 2:10.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 31-yard field goal, 7:15. Chargers 16–3. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 2:00.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 32-yard field goal, 3:31. Chargers 19–3. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 2:51.

Fourth quarter

  • SD – Penalty on Russell Okung enforced in the end zone for a safety 11:59. Chargers 21–3.
  • DEN – Bennie Fowler 5-yard pass from Trevor Siemian (Brandon McManus kick), 8:08. Chargers 21–10. Drive: 11 plays, 51 yards, 3:51.
  • DEN – Brandon McManus 46-yard field goal, 0:27. Chargers 21–13. Drive: 11 plays, 56 yards, 2:36.

Top passers

  • DEN – Trevor Siemian – 30/50, 230 yards, TD
  • SD – Philip Rivers – 18/29, 178 yards, TD

Top rushers

Top receivers

  • DEN – Emmanuel Sanders – 4 receptions, 40 yards
  • SD – Hunter Henry – 6 receptions, 83 yards, TD

The Chargers wore Color Rush uniforms with shades of blue and yellow San Diego used from 1974 until 1984.

The team snapped a 3-game losing streak against the Broncos and improved to 2–4.

Week 7: at Atlanta Falcons

Week Seven: San Diego Chargers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Chargers 7 10 310333
Falcons 6 21 03030

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta

  • Date: October 23
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. PDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 69,832
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

  • SD – Melvin Gordon 2-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 10:55. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:05.
  • ATL – Matt Bryant 42-yard field goal, 6:26. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 4:29.
  • ATL – Matt Bryant 27-yard field goal, 2:34. Chargers 7–6. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 0:56.

Second quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 40-yard field goal, 13:29. Chargers 10–6. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 4:05.
  • ATL – Jacob Tamme 17-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 9:06. Falcons 13–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:23.
  • ATL – Tevin Coleman 30-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), 6:07. Falcons 20–10. Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 1:49.
  • ATL – Adrian Clayborn 5-yard fumble return (Matt Bryant kick), 4:31. Falcons 27–10.
  • SD – Melvin Gordon 3-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 1:02. Falcons 27–17. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:29.

Third quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 37-yard field goal, 4:50. Falcons 27–20. Drive: 8 plays, 50 yards, 3:15.

Fourth quarter

  • ATL – Matt Bryant 31-yard field goal, 13:23. Falcons 30–20. Drive: 13 plays, 62 yards, 6:27.
  • SD – Melvin Gordon 5-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 5:59. Falcons 30–27. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 7:24.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 33-yard field goal, 0:18. Tied 30–30. Drive: 12 plays, 50 yards, 3:14.

Overtime

  • SD – Josh Lambo 42-yard field goal, 9:01. Chargers 33–30. Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 3:11.

Top passers

  • SD – Philip Rivers – 27/44, 371 yards, TD, INT
  • ATL – Matt Ryan – 22/34, 273 yards, TD, INT

Top rushers

Top receivers

The Chargers came into this game with a 1–8 all-time record against Atlanta, and this marked San Diego's first visit to Atlanta since 2004. The Falcons had built a 27–10 lead by the two-minute warning at the end of the first half, but the Chargers pulled them back and leveled the score at 30–30 with a 33-yard Josh Lambo field goal with 18 seconds left in regulation. Lambo then hit a 42-yard attempt in overtime to seal the win for the Chargers as they improved to 3–4.

Week 8: at Denver Broncos

Week Eight: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 0 6619
Broncos 3 7 71027

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • DEN – Bradley Roby 49-yard interception return (Brandon McManus kick), 9:10. Broncos 10–7.

Third quarter

  • DEN – Devontae Booker 3-yard run (Brandon McManus kick), 12:45. Broncos 17–7. Drive: 2 plays, 10 yards, 0:45.
  • SD – Travis Benjamin 14-yard pass from Philip Rivers (kick blocked), 4:02. Broncos 17–13. Drive: 13 plays, 98 yards, 7:42.

Fourth quarter

  • DEN – Juwan Thompson 1-yard run (Brandon McManus kick), 12:32. Broncos 24–13. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:30.
  • SD – Casey Hayward 24-yard interception return (pass failed), 8:02. Broncos 24–19.
  • DEN – Brandon McManus 22-yard field goal, 5:19. Broncos 27–19. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 2:43.

Top passers

  • SD – Philip Rivers – 20/47, 267 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
  • DEN – Trevor Siemian – 20/38, 276 yards, INT

Top rushers

  • SD – Melvin Gordon – 23 rushes, 111 yards
  • DEN – Devontae Booker – 19 rushes, 54 yards, TD

Top receivers

Week 9: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week Nine: Tennessee Titans at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 14 71435
Chargers 9 10 141043

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 6
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 52,281
  • Referee: Brad Allen
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Dan Fouts and Scott Kaplan
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

  • SD – Antonio Gates 13-yard pass from Philip Rivers (kick failed, wide right), 10:02. Chargers 6–0. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:58.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 32-yard field goal, 4:11. Chargers 9–0. Drive: 10 plays, 35 yards, 4:44.

Second quarter

  • SD – Tyrell Williams 6-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 14:18. Chargers 16–0. Drive: 5 plays, 87 yards, 2:51.
  • TEN – Rishard Matthews 16-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 11:14. Chargers 16–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:04.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 23-yard field goal, 1:32. Chargers 19–7. Drive: 6 plays, 10 yards, 0:52.
  • TEN – Rishard Matthews 7-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 0:14. Chargers 19–14. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:18.

Third quarter

  • TEN – Marcus Mariota 14-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 12:19. Titans 21–19. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:41.
  • SD – Melvin Gordon 1-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 5:28. Chargers 26–21. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 6:51.
  • SD – Dwight Lowery 36-yard fumble return (Josh Lambo kick), 2:31. Chargers 33–21.

Fourth quarter

  • TEN – Delanie Walker 8-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 9:51. Chargers 33–28. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:59.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 36-yard field goal, 6:05. Chargers 36–28. Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 3:46.
  • SD – Brandon Flowers 33-yard interception return (Josh Lambo kick), 4:51. Chargers 43–28.
  • TEN – DeMarco Murray 1-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 2:45. Chargers 43–35. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:06.

Top passers

  • TEN – Marcus Mariota – 27/43, 313 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
  • SD – Philip Rivers – 24/33, 275 yards, 2 TD

Top rushers

  • TEN – DeMarco Murray – 14 rushes, 51 yards, TD
  • SD – Melvin Gordon – 32 rushes, 196 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • TEN – Richard Matthews – 6 receptions, 63 yards, 2 TD
  • SD – Antonio Gates – 5 receptions, 75 yards, TD

This turned out to be the Chargers last win in San Diego. They lost their last 4 games at Qualcomm Stadium.

Week 10: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week Ten: Miami Dolphins at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 0 7 141031
Chargers 0 10 7724

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 13
  • Game time: 1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 55,107
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

  • No scoring plays

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • MIA – Damien Williams 2-yard run (Andrew Franks kick), 12:29. Dolphins 14–10. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:31.
  • SD – Hunter Henry 7-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 5:36. Chargers 17–14. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 6:53.
  • MIA – Damien Williams 18-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill (Andrew Franks kick), 1:43. Dolphins 21–17. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:53.

Fourth quarter

  • SD – Tyrell Williams 51-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 4:04. Chargers 24–21. Drive: 4 plays, 58 yards, 1:02.
  • MIA – Andrew Franks 27-yard field goal, 2:57. Tied 24–24. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 1:07.
  • MIA – Kiko Alonso 60-yard interception return (Andrew Franks kick), 1:01. Dolphins 31–24.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

Philip Rivers would throw four fourth quarter interceptions in this game, including a crucial pick-6 with a minute remaining that was returned by Kiko Alonso.

With the loss, the Chargers went into their bye week at 4–6.

Week 12: at Houston Texans

Week Twelve: San Diego Chargers at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 14 0721
Texans 0 7 0613

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/10:00 a.m. PST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,897
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

  • No scoring plays

Second quarter

Third quarter

  • No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

  • HOU – Nick Novak 19-yard field goal, 14:09. Chargers 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 36 yards, 5:28.
  • SD – Hunter Henry 12-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 9:52. Chargers 21–10. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:17.
  • HOU – Nick Novak 45-yard field goal, 0:14. Chargers 21–13. Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 2:03.

Top passers

Top rushers

Top receivers

This would end up being the last win for the Chargers in franchise history while in San Diego.

Week 13: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Thirteen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 7 0 101128
Chargers 7 7 7021

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 4
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 53,832
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, David Diehl and Holly Sonders
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • SD – Melvin Gordon 2-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 10:08. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 6:04.

Third quarter

  • TB – Roberto Aguayo 27-yard field goal, 8:29. Chargers 14–10. Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 6:35.
  • TB – Lavonte David 15-yard interception return (Roberto Aguayo kick), 4:32. Buccaneers 17–14.
  • SD – Tyrell Williams 40-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 1:42. Chargers 21–17. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:52.

Fourth quarter

  • TB – Roberto Aguayo 35-yard field goal, 13:07. Chargers 21–20. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 3:30.
  • TB – Cameron Brate 12-yard touchdown pass from Jameis Winston (Jameis Winston–Mike Evans pass), 9:06. Buccaneers 28–21. Drive: 4 plays, 54 yards, 2:14.

Top passers

  • TB – Jameis Winston – 20/30, 280 yards, TD, INT
  • SD – Philip Rivers – 15/26, 225 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT

Top rushers

  • TB – Melvin Gordon – 17 rushes, 84 yards, TD
  • SD – Doug Martin – 17 rushes, 45 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • TB – Cameron Brate – 6 receptions, 84 yards, TD
  • SD – Melvin Gordon – 4 receptions, 54 yards

Week 14: at Carolina Panthers

Week Fourteen: San Diego Chargers at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 7 9016
Panthers 10 13 3228

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/10:00 a.m. PST
  • Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 73,856
  • Referee: Ronald Torbert
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Brady Quinn and Holly Sonders
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

  • CAR – Graham Gano 41-yard field goal, 10:19. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 29 yards, 3:10.
  • CAR – Jonathan Stewart 1-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 1:48. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 3:23.

Second quarter

  • CAR – Devin Funchess 6-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 11:12. Panthers 17–0. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:33.
  • CAR – Graham Gano 44-yard field goal, 5:23. Panthers 20–0. Drive: 6 plays, 34 yards, 2:48.
  • CAR – Graham Gano 45-yard field goal, 3:49. Panthers 23–0. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 0:47.
  • SD – Hunter Henry 9-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 1:03. Panthers 23–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 2:46.

Third quarter

  • CAR – Graham Gano 23-yard field goal, 11:29. Panthers 26–7. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 3:31.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 32-yard field goal, 4:26. Panthers 26–10. Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 7:03.
  • SD – Dontrelle Inman 19-yard pass from Philip Rivers (pass failed), 0:30. Panthers 26–16. Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:08.

Fourth quarter

  • CAR – Philip Rivers sacked in the end zone by Mario Addison for a safety, 10:09. Panthers 28–16.

Top passers

Top rushers

  • SD – Kenneth Farrow – 16 rushes, 55 yards
  • CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 24 rushes, 66 yards, TD

Top receivers

  • SD – Dontrelle Inman – 6 receptions, 71 yards, TD
  • CAR – Greg Olsen – 4 receptions, 87 yards

Week 15: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Fifteen: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Raiders 3 7 3619
Chargers 7 3 6016

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 68,352
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 35-yard field goal, 1:29. Chargers 10–3. Drive: 14 plays, 63 yards, 3:58.
  • OAK – Michael Crabtree 13-yard pass from Derek Carr (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 0:22. Tied 10–10. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 1:07.

Third quarter

  • OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 33-yard field goal, 10:48. Raiders 13–10. Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 8:45.
  • SD – Hunter Henry 7-yard pass from Philip Rivers (kick blocked), 6:14. Chargers 16–13. Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 4:34.

Fourth quarter

  • OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 21-yard field goal, 8:38. Tied 16–16. Drive: 6 plays, 11 yards, 2:57.
  • OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 44-yard field goal, 2:40. Raiders 19–16. Drive: 9 plays, 54 yards, 3:47.

Top passers

Top rushers

  • OAK – Latavius Murray – 13 rushes, 81 yards
  • KC – Kenneth Farrow – 15 rushes, 39 yards

Top receivers

Top tacklers

With the loss, the Chargers were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for the 3rd straight year, and 7th time in 8 years.

Week 16: at Cleveland Browns

Week Sixteen: San Diego Chargers at Cleveland Browns – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chargers 10 0 7017
Browns 7 10 3020

at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/10:00 a.m. PST
  • Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 57,272
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

  • SD – Antonio Gates 1-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 10:49. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:11.
  • CLE – Isaiah Crowell 8-yard run (Cody Parkey kick), 5:12. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 5:37.
  • SD – Josh Lambo 43-yard field goal, 1:49. Chargers 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:23.

Second quarter

  • CLE – Isaiah Crowell 4-yard run (Cody Parkey kick), 12:39. Browns 14–10. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:10.
  • CLE – Cody Parkey 49-yard field goal, 4:46. Browns 17–10. Drive: 10 plays, 39 yards, 4:49.

Third quarter

  • CLE – Cody Parkey 27-yard field goal, 10:58. Browns 20–10. Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 4:02.
  • SD – Tyrell Williams 1-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 6:04. Browns 20–17. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:54.

Fourth quarter

  • No scoring plays

Top passers

Top rushers

  • SD – Kenneth Farrow – 9 rushes, 28 yards
  • CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 16 rushes, 54 yards, 2 TD

Top receivers

The loss dropped the Chargers to 5–10, and they became the only team to lose to the Cleveland Browns in 2016.

Week 17: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Seventeen: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 17 14337
Chargers 3 7 71027

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: January 1, 2017
  • Game time: 1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 54,915
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

First quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 35-yard field goal, 10:16. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:44.
  • KC – Cairo Santos 35-yard field goal, 5:20. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 53 yards, 4:56.

Second quarter

  • SD – Antonio Gates 2-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 14:49. Chargers 10–3. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5:31.
  • KC – Alex Smith 5-yard run (Cairo Santos kick), 12:53. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:56.
  • KC – Charcandrick West 4-yard pass from Alex Smith (Cairo Santos kick), 6:09. Chiefs 17–10. Drive: 9 plays, 34 yards, 4:26.
  • KC – Cairo Santos 25-yard field goal, 0:00. Chiefs 20–10. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 1:10.

Third quarter

  • SD – Jahleel Addae 90-yard interception return (Josh Lambo kick), 10:23. Chiefs 20–17.
  • KC – Charcandrick West 2-yard pass from Alex Smith (Cairo Santos kick), 3:48. Chiefs 27–17. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 6:35.
  • KC – Tyreek Hill 95-yard punt return (Cairo Santos kick), 0:59. Chiefs 34–17.

Fourth quarter

  • SD – Josh Lambo 29-yard field goal, 10:19. Chiefs 34–20. Drive: 14 plays, 64 yards, 5:40.
  • KC – Cairo Santos 37-yard field goal, 4:31. Chiefs 37–20. Drive: 10 plays, 31 yards, 5:48.
  • SD – Hunter Henry 12-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Josh Lambo kick), 2:08. Chiefs 37–27. Drive: 10 plays, 89 yards, 2:23.

Top passers

Top rushers

  • KC – Charcandrick West – 16 rushes, 58 yards
  • SD – Andre Williams – 18 rushes, 87 yards

Top receivers

  • KC – Charcandrick West – 5 receptions, 58 yards, 2 TD
  • SD – Tyrell Williams – 6 receptions, 70 yards

With their sixth straight loss to the Chiefs, the Chargers finished the season 5–11. This would be the final game played as the San Diego Chargers before relocating to Los Angeles following the season.

Standings

Division

AFC West
  • view
  • talk
  • edit
 W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Kansas City Chiefs 12 4 0 .750 6–0 9–3 389 311 W2
(5) Oakland Raiders 12 4 0 .750 3–3 9–3 416 385 L1
Denver Broncos 9 7 0 .563 2–4 6–6 333 297 W1
San Diego Chargers 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 410 423 L5

Conference

AFC
  • v
  • t
  • e
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 New England Patriots East 14 2 0 .875 5–1 11–1 .439 .424 W7
2[a] Kansas City Chiefs West 12 4 0 .750 6–0 9–3 .508 .479 W2
3 Pittsburgh Steelers North 11 5 0 .688 5–1 9–3 .494 .423 W7
4[b] Houston Texans South 9 7 0 .563 5–1 7–5 .502 .427 L1
Wild Cards
5[a] Oakland Raiders West 12 4 0 .750 3–3 9–3 .504 .443 L1
6 Miami Dolphins East 10 6 0 .625 4–2 7–5 .455 .341 L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[b][c] Tennessee Titans South 9 7 0 .563 2–4 6–6 .465 .458 W1
8[c] Denver Broncos West 9 7 0 .563 2–4 6–6 .549 .455 W1
9[d] Baltimore Ravens North 8 8 0 .500 4–2 7–5 .498 .363 L2
10[d] Indianapolis Colts South 8 8 0 .500 3–3 5–7 .492 .406 W1
11 Buffalo Bills East 7 9 0 .438 1–5 4–8 .482 .339 L2
12 Cincinnati Bengals North 6 9 1 .406 3–3 5–7 .521 .333 W1
13[e] New York Jets East 5 11 0 .313 2–4 4–8 .518 .313 W1
14[e] San Diego Chargers West 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .543 .513 L5
15 Jacksonville Jaguars South 3 13 0 .188 2–4 2–10 .527 .417 L1
16 Cleveland Browns North 1 15 0 .063 0–6 1–11 .549 .313 L1
Tiebreakers[f]
  1. ^ a b Kansas City clinched the AFC West division over Oakland based on head-to-head sweep.
  2. ^ a b Houston clinched the AFC South division title over Tennessee based on record vs. division opponents.
  3. ^ a b Tennessee finished ahead of Denver based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ^ a b Baltimore finished ahead of Indianapolis based on record vs. conference opponents.
  5. ^ a b The New York Jets finished ahead of San Diego based record vs. common opponents — the Jets' cumulative record against Cleveland, Indianapolis,
    Kansas City and Miami was 1–4, while San Diego's cumulative record against the same four teams was 0–5.
  6. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

References

  1. ^ Hirsh, Lou (January 29, 2016). Chargers to Play in S.D. for 2016; More Negotiations Planned. San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  2. ^ Marc Sessler (January 1, 2017). "Chargers fire Mike McCoy after four seasons at helm". NFL.com. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
  3. ^ "Over The Cap".
  4. ^ Florio, Mike (March 31, 2015). "June 1 free-agency deadline moved to May 12". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved March 31, 2015.

External links

  • Official website
  • v
  • t
  • e
Los Angeles Chargers
  • Founded in 1960
  • Played in San Diego (1961–2016)
  • Based in Inglewood, California
  • Headquartered in Costa Mesa, California
Franchise
Stadiums
Culture
Lore
Rivalries
Wild card berths (4)
Division championships (15)
Conference championships (1)
League championships (1)
Media
Current league affiliations
Former league affiliation
  • Category
  • v
  • t
  • e
Los Angeles Chargers seasons
Played in San Diego (1961–2016)
Bold indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) victory
Italics indicates AFL Championship (1960–69) or Super Bowl (1966–) appearance