From Wikipedia - Reading time: 21 min
| 2004 San Diego Chargers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Alex Spanos |
| General manager | A.J. Smith |
| Head coach | Marty Schottenheimer |
| Home stadium | Qualcomm Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoffs | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Jets) 17–20 (OT) |
| Pro Bowlers | 3 |
| All-Pros | 4
|
The 2004 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 35th season in the National Football League (NFL), its 45th overall and the third under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. It was the franchise's first season involving quarterback Philip Rivers. The team improved on their 4–12 record in 2003 and finished the regular season 12–4, made the playoffs for the first time in nine years, and captured their first division title since the 1994 season. In the playoffs they lost in overtime to the New York Jets. At the end of the season Marty Schottenheimer was named NFL Coach of the Year.
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| WR Keenan McCardell (Buccaneers) | DE Raylee Johnson (Broncos) |
| T Roman Oben (Buccaneers) | C Cory Raymer (Redskins) |
| LB Randall Godfrey (Seahawks) | G Kelvin Garmon (Browns) |
| WR David Boston (Dolphins) |
Entering the draft, the consensus top pick was Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning. However, Manning had said prior to the draft that he did not want to play for the Chargers and would not sign with them if he was drafted. The Chargers struck a deal with the Giants before the draft that would shape the future of both franchises: the Chargers would select Manning first overall, as they had intended to, and the Giants would draft quarterback Philip Rivers of North Carolina State and then swap him and two 2005 draft picks for Manning.
| 2004 San Diego Chargers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Eli Manning * | QB | Ole Miss | traded to NY Giants |
| 2 | 35 | Igor Olshansky | DT | Oregon | |
| 3 | 65 | Nate Kaeding * | K | Iowa | From NY Giants |
| 3 | 66 | Nick Hardwick * | C | Purdue | |
| 4 | 98 | Shaun Phillips * | DE | Purdue | |
| 5 | 133 | Dave Ball | DE | UCLA | |
| 5 | 154 | Michael Turner * | RB | NIU | from Miami |
| 6 | 169 | Ryan Krause | TE | Nebraska-Omaha | |
| 7 | 204 | Ryon Bingham | DT | Nebraska | |
| 7 | 209 | Shane Olivea | OT | Ohio State | from Atlanta |
| 7 | 254 | Carlos Joseph | OT | Miami (FL) | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | at Houston Texans | W 27–20 | 1–0 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 19 | New York Jets | L 28–34 | 1–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | at Denver Broncos | L 13–23 | 1–2 | Invesco Field at Mile High | Recap |
| 4 | October 3 | Tennessee Titans | W 38–17 | 2–2 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 10 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 34–21 | 3–2 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 17 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 20–21 | 3–3 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 7 | October 24 | at Carolina Panthers | W 17–6 | 4–3 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | October 31 | Oakland Raiders | W 42–14 | 5–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 7 | New Orleans Saints | W 43–17 | 6–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | Bye | |||||
| 11 | November 21 | at Oakland Raiders | W 23–17 | 7–3 | McAfee Coliseum | Recap |
| 12 | November 28 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 34–31 | 8–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 5 | Denver Broncos | W 20–17 | 9–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–24 | 10–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 19 | at Cleveland Browns | W 21–0 | 11–3 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 26 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 31–34 (OT) | 11–4 | RCA Dome | Recap |
| 17 | January 2, 2005 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 24–17 | 12–4 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
| Texans | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 14 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| Broncos | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Chargers | 7 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Chargers | 14 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 34 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
| {{{home}}} | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| Panthers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Chargers | 14 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Chargers | 14 | 6 | 16 | 7 | 43 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 6 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 23 |
| Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
at McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 | 34 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Chargers | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buccaneers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| Chargers | 0 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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San Diego clinches its first division title since 1994.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| Colts | 0 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 3 | 34 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
| Chargers | 3 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (4) San Diego Chargers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 446 | 313 | W1 |
| (6) Denver Broncos | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 381 | 304 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 483 | 435 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 320 | 442 | L2 |
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division leaders | |||||||||||
| 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 5–1 | 11–1 | .484 | .479 | W14 |
| 2 | New England Patriots | East | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .492 | .478 | W2 |
| 3[a] | Indianapolis Colts | South | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .500 | .458 | L1 |
| 4[a] | San Diego Chargers | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .477 | .411 | W1 |
| Wild cards | |||||||||||
| 5[b] | New York Jets | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .523 | .406 | L2 |
| 6[b] | Denver Broncos | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .484 | .450 | W2 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
| 7[c][d] | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .527 | .479 | W1 |
| 8[c][d] | Baltimore Ravens | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .472 | W1 |
| 9[c] | Buffalo Bills | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .512 | .382 | L1 |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .543 | .453 | W2 |
| 11[e] | Houston Texans | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .504 | .402 | L1 |
| 12[e] | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .551 | .509 | L1 |
| 13[f] | Oakland Raiders | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .570 | .450 | L2 |
| 14[f] | Tennessee Titans | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .512 | .463 | W1 |
| 15[g] | Miami Dolphins | East | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | .555 | .438 | L1 |
| 16[g] | Cleveland Browns | North | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .590 | .469 | W1 |
| Tiebreakers[h] | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | January 8, 2005 | New York Jets (5) | L 17–20 | 0–1 | Qualcomm Stadium | 67,536 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jets | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
| Chargers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Three Chargers were named to the 2005 Pro Bowl,[3] and four were named first or second team Associated Press (AP) All-Pros.[4] Brees won the AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year with 18+1⁄2 of the 48 available votes, and Schottenheimer took the Coach of the Year award with 27+1⁄2 out of 48. Also, Brees and Tomlinson gained a vote each for Offensive Player of the Year, and Edwards gained a vote for Defensive Player of the Year.[5]
| Player | Position | Pro Bowl starter | Pro Bowl reserve | AP 1st team All-Pro | AP 2nd team All-Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Brees | Quarterback | ||||
| Antonio Gates | Tight end | ||||
| Donnie Edwards | Linebacker | ||||
| LaDainian Tomlinson | Running back | ||||
| Jamal Williams | Defensive tackle |