2006 San Diego Chargers Season Recap

May 11th, 2016
By Marneen Zahavi
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2006 San Diego Chargers: Unfulfilled Promise

The 2006 San Diego Chargers opened a new chapter when they let Drew Brees walk away in free agency following the 2005 NFL season, a move that left many believing the team was losing one of the cornerstones of the franchise. Philip Rivers inherited the starting quarterback job and made an immediate mark, completing 8 of 11 pass attempts for 108 yards in his first start. The Chargers opened the season with a 27-0 win over the Oakland Raiders, powered by LaDainian Tomlinson’s 31 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown. The Chargers ran for a total of 194 yards in the win. From that first game, it was obvious what the Chargers’ game plan would be for the rest of the year: feed LaDainian Tomlinson.

Early-Season Statement Wins

The following week, Tomlinson scored two touchdowns as the Chargers defense held the Tennessee Titans to just seven points. After dropping their next game to the Baltimore Ravens, the Chargers faced the defending Super Bowl champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, fresh off their Super Bowl XL title. Tomlinson was held to just 36 yards on the ground, but Rivers and the defense stepped up. Rivers threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns, while the defense forced two turnovers and sacked Ben Roethlisberger five times in a 23-13 win.

The win made the rest of the league take notice: the Chargers were not a one-dimensional team. The Kansas City Chiefs handed San Diego its second loss of the season in Week 7, but that would be the team’s last defeat of the regular season. The Chargers won ten straight games to close out the year, powered by Rivers, an aggressive defense, and the electrifying Tomlinson.

Rivers, Gates and an MVP Season for Tomlinson

In his first full season as a starter, Philip Rivers earned an invitation to the Pro Bowl. He threw for 3,388 yards and 22 touchdowns while limiting his mistakes to just nine interceptions all year. The Chargers didn’t have a wide receiver who topped 1,000 receiving yards, but they had an athletic freak at tight end. Antonio Gates led the team with 71 receptions, 924 receiving yards, and nine 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 1,815 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns for the year, setting the record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season. His 31 rushing and receiving touchdowns also broke the 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, a season later honored with his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction.

A Defense That Terrorized Quarterbacks

The offense put up points, and the defense terrorized opposing quarterbacks. The 2006 San Diego Chargers collected a league-leading 61 sacks on the year. 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 Pro Bowl selection.

Playoff Heartbreak Against the Patriots

The Chargers finished the 2006 regular season with a 14-2 record thanks to their tenacious defense and an offensive weapon unlike any other. They earned the No. 1 seed in the AFC and enjoyed home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. After a first-round bye, 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 second 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 fourth quarter, but the Patriots tied the game on a Reche Caldwell receiving touchdown and a two-point conversion. New England then drove down the field to set up a 31-yard field goal that Stephen Gostkowski converted, giving the Patriots a 24-21 lead with less than two minutes to play. The Chargers’ attempt to tie the game fell short, and after one playoff game, the stellar season full of promise for the 2006 San Diego Chargers was over.