1989 San Diego Chargers season

The 1989 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 20th season in the National Football League (NFL), its 30th overall and the first season under head coach Dan Henning, whose predecessor, Al Saunders, had been fired shortly after the previous season.

The team matched their 6–10 record from 1988. Their season followed a similar pattern to the previous year, with their six wins arriving in three pairs. San Diego brought in a high-profile free agent in quarterback Jim McMahon, but it was their defensive unit that saw a big improvement, ranking sixth in the league,^[1] and never conceding more than 26 points in a game after week 2.

On the field, McMahon's form was indifferent; off it, he repeatedly clashed with journalists. He was released shortly after the season finished. Second-year receiver Anthony Miller had a strong year with 1,252 yards. The running game lost Gary Anderson to a holdout, which lasted the entire season; one of his replacements, 7th-round draft pick Marion Butts, was the only player from San Diego's 1989 draft class to make the Pro Bowl during his career.

The combination of a strong defense and mediocre offense led to several close finishes - thirteen games were decided by seven points or fewer, including the last twelve in a row. Before the NFL adopted the two-point conversion in 1994, this was tied for the most one-score games in a single season.^[2]