The San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 27th overall. the team failed to improve on their 8–8 record from 1985. Following a stagnant 1–7 start, Head Coach Don Coryell was fired and Al Saunders was named interim Head Coach. After the season, Saunders was named the permanent Head Coach and would hold the position through the end of the 1988 season. Leslie O'Neal was named Defensive Rookie of the Year.
NFL draft
Roster
Preseason
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 August 9 Dallas Cowboys W 20–0 1–0 Jack Murphy Stadium 2 August 16 Philadelphia Eagles W 45–38 2–0 Jack Murphy Stadium 3 August 23 at Los Angeles Rams L 17–20 2–1 Anaheim Stadium 4 August 29 St. Louis Cardinals W 24–17 3–1 Jack Murphy Stadium
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 7 Miami Dolphins W 50–28 1–0 Jack Murphy Stadium 57,726 Recap 2 September 14 at New York Giants L 7–20 1–1 Giants Stadium 74,921 Recap 3 September 21 Washington Redskins L 27–30 1–2 Jack Murphy Stadium 57,853 Recap 4 September 28 at Los Angeles Raiders L 13–17 1–3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 63,153 Recap 5 at Seattle Seahawks L 7–33 1–4 Kingdome 63,207 Recap 6 October 12 Denver Broncos L 14–31 1–5 Jack Murphy Stadium 55,662 Recap 7 October 19 at Kansas City Chiefs L 41–42 1–6 Arrowhead Stadium 55,767 Recap 8 October 26 at Philadelphia Eagles L 7–23 1–7 Veterans Stadium 41,469 Recap 9 November 2 Kansas City Chiefs L 23–24 1–8 Jack Murphy Stadium 48,518 Recap 10 November 9 at Denver Broncos W 9–3 2–8 Mile High Stadium 75,012 Recap 11 November 16 Dallas Cowboys L 21–24 2–9 Jack Murphy Stadium 55,622 Recap 12 Los Angeles Raiders L 31–37 (OT) 2–10 Jack Murphy Stadium 56,031 Recap 13 November 30 at Indianapolis Colts W 17–3 3–10 Hoosier Dome 47,950 Recap 14 December 7 Houston Oilers W 27–0 4–10 Jack Murphy Stadium 40,103 Recap 15 December 14 Seattle Seahawks L 24–34 4–11 Jack Murphy Stadium 47,096 Recap 16 December 21 at Cleveland Browns L 17–47 4–12 Cleveland Municipal Stadium 68,505 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries All game reports use the Pro Football Researchers' gamebook archive as a source.
Week 1: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 2: at New York Giants
Week 3: vs. Washington Redskins
With the loss, the Chargers dropped to 1-2 on the season. This would be the Chargers last loss at home to Washington until 2025.
Week 4: at Los Angeles Raiders
Week 5: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 6: vs. Denver Broncos
Week 7: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 8: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 9: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 10: at Denver Broncos
Week 11: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 12: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
Week 13: at Indianapolis Colts
Week 14: vs. Houston Oilers
Week 15: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 16: at Cleveland Browns
Standings
Awards Gary Anderson was the only Charger named to the AFC Pro Bowl squad, making the team as a kick returner. None were named first or second team All-Pro by the Associated Press. Leslie O'Neal won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award with 34 votes; no other play received more than 20.
References