| 2006 San Diego Chargers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Alex Spanos |
| General manager | A. J. Smith |
| Head coach | Marty Schottenheimer |
| Home field | Qualcomm Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 14–2 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (vs. Patriots) 21–24 |
| Pro Bowlers | |
| AP All-Pros | 6
|
The 2006 season was the San Diego Chargers' 37th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 47th overall and the fifth and final under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. They improved on their 9–7 record in 2005 and finished the campaign as the No. 1 seed in the AFC ending the season at 14–2, the best record in the NFL in 2006. Their two regular season losses were by a combined 6 points. The team would experience a brutal home-field playoff loss for the second time in the past three seasons losing in the final minutes, this time to the New England Patriots 24–21. This was the first of four consecutive AFC West titles for the Chargers.
Running back LaDainian Tomlinson led the league in rushing with 1,815 yards, as well as setting NFL single-season records for rushing touchdowns (28) and total touchdowns (31). It was the final season the Chargers wore their powder blue-free uniforms.
The 2006 Chargers are widely considered to be one of the greatest teams to not make the Super Bowl.[1][2][3]
- ^ "Super Bowl stumble: The 16 best NFL teams of all-time that didn't reach Super Sunday". USA Today. February 3, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "Best Chargers Team Ever: 2006". ESPN. June 25, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
- ^ "The best NFL teams that never made it to a Super Bowl". Yardbarker. July 9, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2023.