2014 San Diego Chargers season

2014 San Diego Chargers season
OwnerAlex Spanos
General managerTom Telesco
Head coachMike McCoy
Home fieldQualcomm Stadium
Local radioKIOZ, KLSD
Results
Record9–7
Division place3rd AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
2
AP All-Pros
1

The 2014 season was the San Diego Chargers' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 55th overall and their second under head coach Mike McCoy. After former Chargers' offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt was hired by the Tennessee Titans to become their new head coach, the Chargers promoted Frank Reich to replace him. Reich spent the 2013 season as the Chargers' quarterbacks coach.

The Chargers began the season 5–1, winning five straight after losing their season opener. It was followed by a three-game losing streak, and they finished 4–4 in the second half. They won just two of their final five games, coming back from double-digit fourth quarter deficits twice to remain in playoff contention. They lost the final game of the season when a win would have secured a playoff berth.[1] In three of their last four games, and five of their last eight, the Chargers did not score more than one touchdown (TD).[2] Compared to 2013, the offense dropped in points (from 12th in the league to 17th), yards (5th to 18th), first downs (3rd to 15th), net yards per pass (2nd to 8th), rushing yards (13th to 30) and yards per rush (21st to 31st).[3] It was the second time in three years the team finished second-to-last in yards per carry.[4] San Diego was just 2–4 against teams in their division in the AFC West, and were swept by both the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. It was their worst intradivision record since they were 1–5 in 2003.[5] The Chargers were only 3–6 against teams with winning records.[6] They matched their 9–7 record from 2013, but missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.

Safety Eric Weddle was the team's lone selection to the Pro Bowl. Quarterback Philip Rivers was voted by the Chargers as their most valuable player after finishing the season with 4,286 yards passing, 31 TDs and 18 interceptions. During weeks 2–6, he became the first NFL player ever to have a passer rating over 120 for five consecutive games.[4] Later in the season, Rivers suffered from sore ribs and a back injury, but he denied that they affected his performance. The team lost center Nick Hardwick and running back Danny Woodhead early in the season when they were placed on injured reserve. Running back Ryan Mathews also missed seven games early in the season. He and wide receiver Keenan Allen were sidelined during the final games of the season. For the season, the Chargers started five different players at center.[7]

This was the last season the Chargers finished with a winning record while based in San Diego, as they would finish with a losing record the next two seasons and relocated to Los Angeles in the 2017 season.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference acee_12282014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Acee, Kevin (December 28, 2014). "No offense, Chargers defense can't do it". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014.
  3. ^ Krasovic, Tom (December 29, 2014). "Did foes figure out Chargers offense?". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference gehlken_12292014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Gehlken, Michael (December 29, 2014). "Antonio Gates ends year with milestone". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference williams_12282014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Gehlken, Michael (December 29, 2014). "Surgery not ruled out for Philip Rivers". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014.