| 1993 San Diego Chargers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Alex Spanos |
| General manager | Bobby Beathard |
| Head coach | Bobby Ross |
| Home field | Jack Murphy Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–8 |
| Division place | 4th AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | 3[1] |
| AP All-Pros | 1[2]
|
The 1993 San Diego Chargers season was the team's 34th season, their 33rd in San Diego, and 24th in the National Football League.
The 1993 season began with the team trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 1992. Instead, they slipped to an 8–8 record. A tougher schedule made wins harder to come by — their beaten opponents averaged a 0.500 win percentage, compared to 0.369 the year before. Football Outsiders nonetheless rated the 1993 Chargers as the fourth-best team that season, and the second best in the AFC behind their conference rival Chiefs.[3]
Uncertainty at the quarterback position contributed to a slow start. Stan Humphries suffered a shoulder injury during the pre-season,[4] and posted a quarterback rating of just 46.12 through the first four games; John Friesz replaced him, posting better numbers but going 2–4 as a starter. Humphries returned for the final six games with a greatly improved rating of 90.7, and San Diego won four of them, but missed the playoffs by a single win.
The pass-catching corps were largely unchanged. Anthony Miller led the team in all major receiving categories (84 receptions, 1,162 yards, 7 touchdowns), while Ronnie Harmon had 73 catches out of the backfield. Marion Butts (746 yards, 4 touchdowns) split time in the backfield with rookie Natrone Means (645 yards, 8 touchdowns). On defense, the leaders were Leslie O'Neal (12.0 sacks), Junior Seau (129 tackles), and Darren Carrington (7 interceptions, plus 1 fumble recovery). Veteran cornerback Gill Byrd missed the entire season with injury and retired afterwards. Kicker John Carney started the season in fine form, running the consecutive field goal streak he'd started in 1992 up to a new NFL record of 29.[5] His form slipped as the season wore on, and he finished on 31 field goals from 40 attempts.