| 1986 San Diego Chargers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Alex Spanos |
| General manager | Johnny Sanders |
| Head coach | Don Coryell (fired October 29, 1-7 record) Al Saunders (interim, 3-5 record) |
| Home stadium | Jack Murphy Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–12 |
| Division place | 5thAFC West |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| All-Pros | None |
| Pro Bowlers | |
The1986San Diego Chargersseason was the franchise's 17th season in theNational Football League (NFL), and its 27th overall. the team failed to improve on their 8–8 record from1985. 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 namedDefensive Rookie of the Year.
| 1986 San Diego Chargers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Leslie O'Neal * | DE | Oklahoma State | |
| 1 | 13 | James FitzPatrick | OT | USC | |
| 3 | 66 | Terry Unrein | DE | Colorado State | |
| 3 | 70 | Jeff Walker | T | Memphis State | |
| 4 | 95 | Ty Allert | LB | Texas | |
| 4 | 97 | Tommy Taylor | LB | UCLA | |
| 5 | 118 | Doug Landry | LB | Louisiana Tech | |
| 5 | 129 | Donald Brown | DB | Maryland | |
| 5 | 133 | Matt Johnson | DB | USC | |
| 6 | 155 | Curt Pardridge | WR | Northern Illinois | |
| 7 | 182 | Fred Smalls | LB | West Virginia | |
| 8 | 209 | Mike Perrino | T | Notre Dame | |
| 9 | 235 | Mike Zordich | DB | Penn State | |
| 11 | 293 | Chuck Sanders | RB | Slippery Rock | |
| 11 | 298 | Drew Smetana | T | Oregon | |
| 12 | 320 | Jeff Sprowls | DB | Brigham Young | |
| 12 | 333 | Mike Travis | DB | Georgia Tech | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
| 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 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 17–20 | 2–1 | Anaheim Stadium | |
| 4 | August 29 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 24–17 | 3–1 | Jack Murphy Stadium |
| 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 | atNew 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 | atLos Angeles Raiders | L 13–17 | 1–3 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 63,153 | Recap |
| 5 | October 6 | atSeattle 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 | atKansas City Chiefs | L 41–42 | 1–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 55,767 | Recap |
| 8 | October 26 | atPhiladelphia 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 | atDenver 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 | November 20 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 31–37(OT) | 2–10 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 56,031 | Recap |
| 13 | November 30 | atIndianapolis 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 | atCleveland Browns | L 17–47 | 4–12 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 68,505 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.
All game reports use the Pro Football Researchers' gamebook archive as a source.[2]
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolphins | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Chargers | 17 | 9 | 14 | 10 | 50 |
atJack Murphy Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Giants | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
atGiants Stadium,East Rutherford, New Jersey
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redskins | 3 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 30 |
| Chargers | 14 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
atJack Murphy Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
[5]With the loss, the Chargers dropped to 1-2 on the season. This would be the Chargers last loss at home to Washington until2025.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
atMemorial Coliseum,Los Angeles, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Seahawks | 0 | 6 | 17 | 10 | 33 |
atKingdome,Seattle, Washington
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
atJack Murphy Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 41 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Eagles | 3 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 23 |
atVeterans Stadium,Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 24 |
| Chargers | 2 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 23 |
atJack Murphy Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Broncos | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
atMile High Stadium,Denver, Colorado
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
atJack Murphy Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 14 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 37 |
| Chargers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
atJack Murphy Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Colts | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oilers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chargers | 0 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
atJack Murphy Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seahawks | 10 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 34 |
| Chargers | 0 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
atJack Murphy Stadium,San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Browns | 7 | 13 | 17 | 10 | 47 |
atMunicipal Stadium,Cleveland, Ohio
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Denver Broncos(2) | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 378 | 327 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs(5) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 9–5 | 358 | 326 | W3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 366 | 293 | W5 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 7–5 | 323 | 346 | L4 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–7 | 4–8 | 335 | 396 | L2 |
Gary Anderson was the only Charger named to theAFC Pro Bowl squad, making the team as akick returner.[19] None were named first or second teamAll-Pro by theAssociated Press.[20]Leslie O'Neal won theAP Defensive Rookie of the Year award with 34 votes; no other play received more than 20.[21]