2006 San Diego Chargers: Unfulfilled Promise

2006 San Diego Chargers: Unfulfilled Promise

[paypal_donation_button]2006 San Diego Chargers: Unfulfilled Promise

When the San Diego Chargers let Drew Brees walk away through free agency following the 2005 NFL season, it was thought that the team was letting one of the cornerstones of the franchise leave. Philip Rivers inherited the quarterback duties. Rivers completed 8 of his 11 pass attempts for 108 yards in the first game. The Chargers beat the Oakland Raiders 27-0. LaDainian Tomlinson had 31 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown in the win. The Chargers ran for a total of 194 yards. From that first game, it was obvious what the Chargers’ game plan would be for the rest of the year: Feed LaDainian Tomlinson.

The following week, Tomlinson scored two touchdowns as the Chargers defense held the Tennessee Titans to only 7 points. After losing their first game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Chargers faced the defending Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tomlinson was held to 36 yards on the ground, but Rivers and the defense stepped up. Rivers threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns. The defense forced two turnovers and sacked Ben Roethlisberger five times in their 23-13 win.

The win made the league take notice. The Chargers were not a one dimensional team. The Kansas City Chiefs handed the Chargers their second loss of the season in Week 7, but that would be their last loss of the regular season. They won 10 straight games to end the year thanks to Rivers, their aggressive defense and the electrifying Tomlinson.

In his first full season as a starter, Philip Rivers earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl. He threw for 3388 yards and 22 touchdowns. Rivers limited his mistakes and only threw 9 interceptions all year. The Chargers didn’t have a wide receiver to catch over 1000 receiving yards, but they had an athletic freak for a tight end. Antonio Gates led the team with 71 receptions, 924 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. Second on the team in receptions was running back, LaDainian Tomlinson.

Tomlinson collected 56 receptions for 508 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He amassed 1815 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns for the year. Tomlinson also set the record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season. His 31 rushing and receiving touchdowns also set a record previously held by the Seattle Seahawks’ Shaun Alexander. The Chargers led the league in scoring and Tomlinson was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.

The offense put up the points and the defense terrorized opposing quarterbacks. The Chargers collected a league-leading 61 sacks in 2006. Wade Phillips’ 3-4 defense attacked offenses from all sides using athletic linebackers: Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips. Merriman had 17 sacks and Phillips added 11.5 of his own. Nose tackle, Jamal Williams, ate up blockers on his way to a selection to the Pro Bowl.

The Chargers finished the 2006 regular season with a 14-2 record thanks to their tenacious defense and an offensive weapon that was unlike any other. They earned the #1 seed in the AFC and would enjoy home field advantage throughout the playoffs. After a bye in the first round, they welcomed the winner of three of the past five Super Bowls, the New England Patriots. The Chargers held a 14-3 lead before the two minute warning in the 2nd quarter, but a Jabar Gaffney touchdown with six seconds remaining in the first half kept the Patriots within striking distance. LaDainian Tomlinson scored his second touchdown of the game to give the Chargers an 8-point lead in the 4th quarter, but the Patriots tied the game with a Reche Caldwell receiving touchdown and a two-point conversion. The Patriots got the ball back and drove down the field to set up a 31-yard field goal which Stephen Gostkowski made to give the Patriots a 24-21 lead with less than two minutes to play in the game. The Chargers’ attempt to tie the game fell short and after one playoff game, their stellar season full of promise was over.