1982: Raiders Overcome 24-Point Deficit to Beat Chargers in LA Debut

The Raiders made their long-delayed regular season home debut as a Los Angeles team against the San Diego Chargers on November 22, 1982. Having made the move from Oakland to LA in the face of much resistance from the NFL, the Raiders won their first two games on the road before the 57-day players’ strike put the entire league on hiatus.

The Raiders, coached by Tom Flores, fell to 7-9 in ’81, which was their first sub-.500 record since 1964, and were looking to rebound. QB Jim Plunkett had been troubled by injuries but was healthy again and HB Marcus Allen (pictured above), the first draft choice out of USC, was a welcome addition to the offense – indeed, the game against the Chargers marked his return to the stadium where he had starred in college and won the Heisman Trophy. Todd Christensen took over as starting tight end in place of the injured Derrick Ramsey with promising results. On defense, DE Lyle Alzado was obtained from the Browns and combined with second-year DE Howie Long to provide an enhanced pass rush.

San Diego came into the game at 1-1 following the long layoff. Under offensive-minded Head Coach Don Coryell, the Chargers boasted the league’s most prolific passing attack, guided by QB Dan Fouts and including TE Kellen Winslow and wide receivers Charlie Joiner and Wes Chandler. RB Chuck Muncie provided power and all-purpose RB James Brooks speed.

Skies were overcast for the nationally-televised Monday night game at the Memorial Coliseum with just 42,162 fans in attendance. Fans were disgruntled from the long work stoppage and, as was the case at other locales in this first post-strike weekend, there were many no-shows. The Chargers had the first possession and drove 79 yards in 12 plays. Dan Fouts was quick to go to the air and completed six passes along the way, the longest to TE Eric Sievers for 21 yards, and two penalties on the Raiders helped the visitors along. But with first-and-goal at the one, three carries by Chuck Muncie netted a loss of a yard and Rolf Benirschke kicked a 19-yard field goal.

The Raiders were forced to punt following their first series and San Diego moved quickly to another score, advancing 83 yards in just four plays. Following a five-yard run by Muncie, Fouts (pictured below) connected on passes of 12 yards to Sievers and 22 yards to Charlie Joiner. A personal foul on the Raiders added another ten yards and then Fouts threw to WR Dwight Scales for a 29-yard touchdown. Benirschke added the extra point and the Chargers were ahead by 10-0.

QB Jim Plunkett was intercepted by FS Tim Fox on the next possession, but while Fouts completed passes to Muncie for 27 yards and three to WR Wes Chandler that picked up a total of 41 yards, the Chargers ultimately had to punt. As the game headed into the second quarter, the Raiders also punted and, with good starting field position at the LA 48, San Diego moved quickly down the field. Fouts had completions to Chandler for 24 yards and Kellen Winslow for 19 yards to reach the five yard line, and two plays later Muncie ran up the middle for a two-yard TD. Benirschke added the point after to make it a 17-0 contest.

The Raiders moved well on their next series as Plunkett completed three passes, the longest to WR Malcolm Barnwell for a gain of 25 yards. Marcus Allen picked up 15 yards on a sweep and HB Greg Pruitt ran for another 13, but after reaching the San Diego 29, Plunkett was sacked by DE Leroy Jones for an 11-yard loss and then was intercepted by LB Cliff Thrift. The Chargers made the most of the turnover, going 57 yards in six plays, although it was a 42-yard pass interference penalty on CB Ted Watts that moved them all the way to the LA two. Muncie dove for a one-yard touchdown shortly thereafter and, with Benirschke’s PAT, the visitors extended their lead to 24-0.

Now in a deep hole, the Raiders stormed back. Plunkett completed five passes, with throws to WR Cliff Branch for 16 yards and FB Kenny King (pictured at left) for 28. Allen ran effectively, including a 17-yard carry on a trap play. But Plunkett was again thrown for a loss while rolling out on a third down play and Chris Bahr missed wide to the left on a 36-yard field goal attempt.

LA got a break on the next play, however, as Muncie fumbled the handoff and LB Ted Hendricks recovered for the Raiders at the San Diego 17. Five plays later, Plunkett connected with TE Todd Christensen for a one-yard touchdown to finally get the Raiders on the board. Bahr converted and the score was 24-7 at halftime.

The Raiders punted after a short series to start the third quarter and the Chargers lost ground due to two penalties and a sack of Fouts by Hendricks. Maury Buford punted and the shanked kick traveled only 27 yards to the LA 36. Plunkett came out throwing, hitting Christensen twice for 11 and 12 yards. King and Allen then combined for 40 yards on the ground with the star rookie gaining the last three for a TD. Bahr added the PAT and San Diego’s lead was cut to ten points at 24-14.

Following the kickoff, Fouts threw to Winslow for 21 yards to midfield, but three plays later Winslow fumbled when hit by DB Odis McKinney after catching a short pass and NT Ruben Vaughn recovered for the Raiders. LA scored again in four plays, highlighted by King running for a 21-yard gain up the middle, and Allen swept for the last three yards and another touchdown. Bahr’s extra point made it a three-point game.

The teams traded punts to finish out the period and San Diego started off the fourth quarter with a drive to the LA 15. James Brooks picked up 23 yards on three carries and Fouts had passes to Winslow for 15 yards and Chandler for nine. But the Chargers came up empty when Benirschke missed a 22-yard try for a field goal.

The Raiders responded by going 80 yards in nine plays. Plunkett was successful on three passes, including one to Christensen for 24 yards on a third-and-three play, and Barnwell gained 14 yards on a reverse. FB Frank Hawkins ran for a one-yard TD, Bahr added the point after, and the home team, once down by 24 points, was in front by four with 5:54 remaining to play.

San Diego fought back as Fouts fired to Chandler for completions of 30 and 24 yards. But after getting to the LA 18, Fouts threw into the end zone under a heavy rush and was intercepted by FS Vann McElroy. It in effect clinched the game for the Raiders as, with 1:56 remaining on the clock, they were able to maintain possession until the final seconds when Fouts threw a last desperation pass into the end zone that was batted away to nail down the 28-24 comeback win for Los Angeles.

The Chargers gained more total yards (411 to 326) and had the edge in first downs (26 to 23), but they also turned the ball over four times, to two by LA. The Raiders were dominant on the ground (181 yards to 72).

Marcus Allen rushed for 87 yards on 18 carries that included two touchdowns and caught 5 passes for 37 more yards. Jim Plunkett completed 18 of 25 passes for 163 yards and a TD while giving up two interceptions. Kenny King contributed 68 yards on 13 rushing attempts. Todd Christensen topped the club with 8 catches for 83 yards and a TD.

For the Chargers, Dan Fouts was successful on 24 of 42 throws for 357 yards and a touchdown while tossing two interceptions. Kellen Winslow (pictured below) caught 8 passes for 105 yards and Wes Chandler gained 118 yards on his 7 receptions. Chuck Muncie had six catches for 50 yards but was held to 23 yards on 15 rushing attempts that included two for TDs. James Brooks topped the club with 49 yards on eight carries.

"I don’t know what it is about Monday night football, but we’re very proud of our Monday night record,” said Coach Tom Flores, commenting on the fact that the come-from-behind win gave the Raiders a 19-2-1 record in Monday night contests.

The Raiders lost at Cincinnati the next week but didn’t drop another game during the remainder of the truncated regular season, finishing atop the AFC with an 8-1 record. With the divisions set aside, LA was the top seed in an eight-team conference postseason tournament and handily defeated the Browns in the first round before losing to the Jets in the second. San Diego, which lost to the Raiders again in the season finale, ended up at 6-3 and fifth-seeded in the AFC. The Chargers also won their first round game at Pittsburgh and lost to Miami in the second round.

Marcus Allen continued to have an excellent first season, receiving consensus first-team All-NFL and Pro Bowl honors as well as Rookie of the Year recognition. He rushed for 697 yards on 160 carries (4.4 avg.) and caught 38 passes for another 401 yards to lead the league in yards from scrimmage with 1098. His 14 touchdowns also led the circuit, as did his 84 points, making him the first rookie to lead the NFL in scoring since Gale Sayers in 1965.

As he had in each of the previous three seasons, Dan Fouts led the NFL in passing yards with 2883 and also topped the circuit in TD passes (17, tied with Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana) and yards per attempt (8.7). Kellen Winslow led the AFC in pass receptions (54) and Wes Chandler topped the league in pass receiving yards (1032). All three received consensus first-team All-NFL honors and were selected to the Pro Bowl. 

1980: Third Quarter Surge Keys Dallas Win Over Chargers

The Dallas Cowboys were 5-2 and a game behind the Eagles in the NFC East (a team they had lost a closely-fought contest to the week before) as they took on the San Diego Chargers (also 5-2) at Texas Stadium on October 26, 1980.

The Cowboys, in their 21st season under Head Coach Tom Landry, were a club that had regularly contended since the mid-60s. Star QB Roger Staubach retired following the 1979 season, however, and 28-year-old Danny White (pictured at right), who had been the backup for the previous four years after coming to Dallas from the World Football League, was now the starting quarterback. He was also still the team’s punter, which would be a factor in the game against San Diego.

The Chargers, coached by Don Coryell, featured an explosive offense directed by QB Dan Fouts and included wide receivers John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen Winslow. RB Chuck Muncie had been obtained from the Saints in September to bolster the suspect running game. The underrated defense featured an outstanding pass rush.

There were 60,639 fans in attendance as Muncie returned the opening kickoff to the San Diego 41. Fouts threw two completions to Jefferson, of 9 and 17 yards, and Rolf Benirschke kicked a 45-yard field goal to give the Chargers the early 3-0 lead. The Cowboys responded by advancing to the San Diego 23, with White connecting with WR Butch Johnson for a 19-yard gain along the way. However, Rafael Septien was wide to the left on a 45-yard field goal attempt.

Late in the first quarter, Fouts was intercepted by CB Steve Wilson, who returned it 35 yards. The Cowboys went the remaining 35 yards in four plays, with White throwing to TE Billy Joe DuPree for a 15-yard gain and RB Ron Springs, in place of the injured Tony Dorsett, running in for a four-yard touchdown.

In the second quarter, Jefferson scored on an odd play when a pass from Fouts intended for Joiner bounced off the receiver’s hands, hit the defender Wilson in the helmet, and was caught on the carom by Jefferson at the Dallas 47. Jefferson continued on untouched to complete the 58-yard scoring play and San Diego regained the lead at 10-7.

Shortly thereafter, White lobbed a pass toward RB James Jones that was intercepted by San Diego LB Woodrow Lowe, who returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. The Chargers were up by ten points at 17-7. The Cowboys responded with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by a White scoring pass covering 17 yards to Johnson with just under three minutes left in the half.

San Diego came right back with a five-play possession that included a Fouts pass to Joiner for 33 yards to the Dallas nine and a TD pass to Winslow. The Chargers got one last scoring opportunity before halftime when SS Pete Shaw recovered a fumble by DuPree at the Dallas 40. But on the last play of the half, Benirschke missed a 46-yard field goal attempt. San Diego held a 24-14 lead at the intermission.

The Cowboys came back decisively, scoring three touchdowns in an 8:15 span of the third quarter. Jones returned the second half kickoff 38 yards and Springs had two ten-yard runs and a 12-yard pass reception. White’s 13-yard pass to TE Jay Saldi got the ball to the ten, and rookie FB Tim Newsome finished off the drive with a one-yard scoring plunge.

Dallas regained the ball and White, who had run for a first down on a fake punt during the first half, did so again following a high snap to gain 12 yards and keep another drive going – with a further 15 yards tacked on for good measure thanks to a penalty on the Chargers for a late hit. White proceeded to throw to WR Tony Hill for a 24-yard gain and the revived possession ended once again with a one-yard run by Newsome. Dallas now had the lead at 28-24.

The third touchdown of the period for Dallas came on a 12-yard pass play from White to Saldi, and the Cowboys were up by a 35-24 margin going into the final quarter.

Any comeback hopes for San Diego were ruined by sloppy play as Fouts was intercepted three times in the fourth quarter and also fumbled the ball away. The Chargers scored just one touchdown in the second half, and it was inconsequential with 1:41 to play as Fouts threw to Winslow from three yards out. Dallas had already scored once again, on a nine-yard touchdown pass from White to DuPree, and the Cowboys won handily, 42-31.

The Chargers outgained Dallas by 449 yards to 425, most of that coming on passes while the Cowboys, even without Dorsett, ran for 198 yards. Dallas also led in first downs, 29 to 21. But San Diego was undone by seven turnovers, to just two given up by the Cowboys. Dallas also had a huge advantage in time of possession (41:52 to 18:08), effectively keeping the ball away from San Diego’s high-powered offense.

Danny White, in addition to completing 22 of 34 passes for 260 yards with three touchdowns against one interception, also twice ran for first downs from punt formation, with a 19-yard gain in the first half and the 12-yard carry in the third quarter that led to the go-ahead TD. He ended up running for 39 yards on six attempts. Billy Joe DuPree (pictured below) caught 5 passes for 45 yards and a TD, although White’s passes were well distributed to nine different receivers. Ron Springs gained 61 yards on 13 carries that included a score.


For the Chargers, Dan Fouts went to the air 44 times and completed 21 of those passes for 371 yards with three TDs but also four interceptions. John Jefferson caught 8 of those throws for 160 yards and a touchdown and Kellen Winslow added 110 yards on 5 receptions with two TDs. Chuck Muncie ran for 71 yards on 11 carries but also fumbled the ball away twice.

“Danny White is just super,” said San Diego’s Coach Coryell. “His scrambling and his making the big plays were the difference. Then on those two runs he made off the punts, well, they were great plays.”

“Neither of White's running plays on punting downs was called,” explained Tom Landry. “Whenever he runs with it, it is his own doing.”

“The runs from punt formation are never planned,” said White. “I did it the first time because their contain men turned their backs. The second time the snap was a little high. I thought it might be blocked and took a few steps to punt, then saw an opening. I know that had to be discouraging to their defense.”

The win allowed the Cowboys to keep pace with Philadelphia in the division race and they finished with the same record as the Eagles at 12-4, but placed second due to the net points tiebreaker. Dallas defeated the Rams handily in the Wild Card playoff and then came from behind to beat Atlanta in the Divisional round, but lost to the Eagles in the NFC Championship game. San Diego went 6-2 the rest of the way to win the AFC West with an 11-5 record, beating Buffalo in the Divisional playoff but losing to Oakland in the AFC title game.

Danny White threw for 3287 yards and ranked fifth in the league with 28 touchdown passes, although he also tied for third (with Green Bay’s Lynn Dickey) with 25 interceptions.

Dan Fouts led the NFL in pass attempts (589), completions (348), and yards (4715). He was one behind the leader in touchdown passes with 30, as opposed to 24 interceptions, and was also second with 8.0 yards per attempt. John Jefferson and Kellen Winslow placed first and second in pass receiving yards, with 1340 and 1290, respectively (Charlie Joiner was fourth with 1132 yards on 71 catches). Winslow led the league with 89 receptions while Jefferson caught 82. All three receivers were consensus first-team All-NFL selections and were named to the Pro Bowl, along with Fouts.

1982: Dolphins Come from Behind, Chargers Prevail in Overtime Thriller

It appeared that the AFC Divisional playoff game at the Orange Bowl on January 2, 1982 would be a classic blowout when the visiting San Diego Chargers broke out to a 24-0 lead over the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter. Ultimately, the contest ended up being a thrilling overtime struggle.

The Chargers, coached by Don Coryell, had gone through the 1981 season with a 10-6 record to win the AFC West for the third straight year. They had lost two of their key players, WR John Jefferson and DE Fred Dean, to trades as a result of contract disputes. WR Wes Chandler was obtained from New Orleans during the season to take Jefferson’s spot, joining WR Charlie Joiner and TE Kellen Winslow to keep the aerial game explosive. QB Dan Fouts (pictured above) broke his own record with 4802 passing yards while also leading the NFL with 33 touchdown passes and ranking second with a 90.6 passer rating. The loss of Dean proved more difficult to compensate for, as the defensive performance dropped off badly, especially against the pass.

Miami, under Head Coach Don Shula, won the AFC East at 11-4-1. Second-year QB David Woodley had a strong arm and was mobile, but also inconsistent and was relieved several times during the season by eighth-year veteran backup Don Strock, who lacked mobility but was the better passer. The defense was respectable, if also prone to inconsistency, and featured Pro Bowl NT Bob Baumhower, DE Vern Den Herder, and LB A.J. Duhe.

It was a hot and humid night in Miami, but it was San Diego who played hot in the opening period, much to the dismay of the 73,735 fans in the Orange Bowl. On their first series, the Chargers drove from their 22 to the Miami 14, the big play being a 47-yard pass completion from Fouts to Chandler, and Rolf Benirschke kicked a 32-yard field goal for the early lead.

The Dolphins went three and out, and the resulting punt was returned 58 yards for a touchdown by Chandler, racing down the right sideline. Things went further awry for the Dolphins when San Diego regained possession on the ensuing kickoff after an odd bounce took the ball over Miami’s front line of players and was recovered by RB Hank Bauer for the Chargers at the Dolphins’ 29. Fouts completed two short passes, hit Winslow on a third-and-two play at the nine for an eight-yard gain to the one, and two plays later RB Chuck Muncie bulled over for a TD. The Chargers were up by 17-0.

Three plays into the ensuing Miami series, Woodley was intercepted by FS Glen Edwards, who returned it to the Miami 11 and in three more plays, Fouts tossed an eight-yard scoring pass to rookie RB James Brooks for a touchdown and 24-0 San Diego lead.

Woodley had been sacked three times and completed two of five passes for 20 yards. Coach Shula decided to make a change at quarterback, and in the second quarter, with 12:05 remaining in the half, Strock entered the game. On the first series with Strock behind center, Miami drove 63 yards to the San Diego 17 and Uwe von Schamann kicked a 34-yard field goal to finally get the Dolphins on the board.

On San Diego’s next possession, the defense created a break as Fouts was hit hard by DE Kim Bokamper and fumbled. Baumhower recovered for the Dolphins at the San Diego 39. Seven plays later, Strock threw to TE Joe Rose in the middle of the end zone from a yard out and it was 24-10 with 2:46 now left on the clock.

The Chargers, attempting to add to their lead before the half, got to the Miami 37 with 36 seconds remaining. On fourth down, Coryell chose to have Benirschke attempt a 55-yard field goal, but the kick was wide to the right and Miami had the ball with 30 seconds of time to work with.

Strock fired three completions and then tossed a 15-yard pass to WR Duriel Harris at the San Diego 25 who lateraled to the running back trailing the play, Tony Nathan. Nathan ran the rest of the way to complete the 40-yard “hook-and-ladder” play for a touchdown with no time left (pictured below), narrowing the score to 24-17 at the half.


The momentum stayed with the Dolphins to start the third quarter as they went 74 yards in eight plays on their first possession to pull even with San Diego on a 15-yard TD pass to Rose, making the comeback complete.

With the game now tied at 24-24, the Chargers put together a scoring drive. San Diego went 60 yards in six plays, capped by a 25-yard Fouts to Winslow pass for a 31-24 lead with 4:15 remaining in the period. Miami came right back as Strock connected on five straight passes, the last a 50-yard TD throw to TE Bruce Hardy. The contest was again tied at 31-31.

The Chargers took over on their 17 and, after two incomplete passes, Fouts was intercepted by FS Lyle Blackwood who lateraled to CB Gerald Small for a return to the San Diego 15. Two plays later, and now into the fourth quarter, Nathan ran for a 12-yard touchdown and the Dolphins took the lead at 38-31.

The Chargers had to punt on their next possession, and Miami put together a long drive of 13 plays to the San Diego 21. However, before they could get the opportunity to add points, Miami RB Andra Franklin fumbled and SS Pete Shaw recovered for the Chargers.

Down seven points with 4:39 remaining in regulation and starting at their own 18, the Chargers drove downfield. Fouts passed to Joiner for 14 yards, Winslow for seven, and then Chandler for 19 to set up first-and-goal at the Miami 9. Fouts hit Brooks in the corner of the end zone and, with the successful extra point, the game was tied with 58 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

In the remaining time, Strock got Miami in position to try for a game-winning field goal on the last play of regulation, but the snap was high, the kick low, and the 6’5” Winslow was able to get a hand on the ball to block von Schamann’s 43-yard attempt. The game went into overtime.

San Diego got the first shot in OT, and it looked to be all over when the Chargers drove from their 13 yard line to the Miami eight, but Benirschke missed a rushed 27-yard field goal attempt.

Now it was Miami’s turn, and they again moved into Chargers territory. But another von Schamann field goal attempt, this time from 35 yards, was blocked by DE Leroy Jones. San Diego had the ball at its 16, and Fouts threw to Chandler for a 19-yard gain. A 40-yard completion down the middle to Joiner gave the Chargers a first down on the Miami 10 and Coryell immediately sent out the field goal unit. Benirschke then delivered the game-winning 29-yard field goal at 13:52 into the overtime period, and San Diego came away with a hard-fought 41-38 win.

The San Diego players could barely celebrate due to exhaustion after the game-winning kick. Kellen Winslow, dehydrated from the humidity and suffering from a sore shoulder, had to be helped off the field by teammates (pictured at bottom).

The teams combined for a then-NFL postseason-record 1036 yards, with the Chargers outgaining Miami by 564 to 472. The net passing total of 809 yards also set a record, as both quarterbacks threw for over 400 yards.

Dan Fouts completed 33 of 53 passes for 433 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Kellen Winslow caught 13 of those passes for 166 yards with a TD and also blocked a field goal. Two other San Diego receivers reached the hundred-yard mark, with Charlie Joiner gaining 108 yards on 7 receptions and Wes Chandler accumulating 106 yards on 6 catches. Chuck Muncie paced the rushing attack with 120 yards on 24 carries that included a touchdown.


Don Strock (pictured at left), who didn’t enter the game until the second quarter, threw 43 passes and completed 29 of them for 403 yards with four TDs and one interception. Tony Nathan, in addition to leading the team in rushing with 48 yards on 14 attempts that included a score, also gained 114 yards on 9 receptions with another TD. Duriel Harris added 6 catches for 106 yards.

It was an especially amazing performance for Strock, the career backup who threw just six touchdown passes in relief during the regular season, but tossed four against the Chargers. Dan Fouts complimented him afterward, saying “He played one of the best games I’ve ever seen any quarterback play. He was awesome.”

San Diego’s ascent through the playoffs ended in the AFC Championship game with a 27-7 loss to the Bengals in frigid Cincinnati. David Woodley was still Miami’s starting quarterback during the strike-shortened 1982 season, with Strock backing up, but the arrival of rookie QB Dan Marino in 1983 settled the issue.

1982: Wes Chandler Gains 260 Receiving Yards on Way to 1032 in Short Season

There were many offensive superlatives in the game between the San Diego Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium on December 20, 1982. In a wild offensive battle, Chargers QB Dan Fouts passed for over 400 yards for the second week in a row (435) while Cincinnati’s Ken Anderson threw for 416. Adding a 66-yard TD on an option pass by San Diego RB Chuck Muncie, the teams combined for an NFL record 883 yards through the air (broken in 1986). The Chargers alone accounted for a franchise-record 661 yards of total offense.

Anderson completed 40 of 56 passes; 9 of them, for 156 yards, went to WR Cris Collinsworth, while another 8 for 81 yards were caught by TE Dan Ross. San Diego TE Kellen Winslow gathered in 6 passes for 116 yards, and RB James Brooks ran for 105 yards on just 12 carries with three touchdowns. The hard-fought game was finally won by the Chargers, 50-34, who scored 33 points in the second half (23 in the third quarter alone).

In the midst of this, WR Wes Chandler caught 10 passes for 260 yards and two TDs, including the option toss from Muncie in the first quarter and a 38-yard catch from Fouts in the third quarter. For Chandler, it was the biggest day in a season in which he accumulated over a thousand pass receiving yards in just eight games.

San Diego was already well-established as a high-flying passing offense prior to ’82. The coming of Head Coach Don Coryell in 1978 and the blossoming of Fouts, who had his first of three consecutive 4000-yard passing seasons in ’79, turned the Chargers into a formidable offensive powerhouse that posed a significant challenge to opposing defenses. When deep threat WR John Jefferson’s contract dispute led to his being traded to Green Bay early in the 1981 season, the Chargers quickly dealt for Chandler, a standout receiver with a poor team in New Orleans.

The San Diego passing game didn’t miss a beat in the transition from Jefferson to Chandler, with the steady Charlie Joiner holding down the other wide receiver spot and Winslow, one of the greatest pass receiving tight ends in pro football history, contributing his share (he led the AFC in receptions three years in a row and the entire NFL once). Chandler caught 52 passes for 857 yards and five touchdowns in the remaining 12 games of the season.

An eight-week player strike shortened the 1982 season to nine games. Chandler had gone over a hundred yards in the opening game at Denver, and had 118 on 7 catches in the first contest following the strike against the Raiders at Los Angeles. He missed the next week with an injury, but then gathered in 7 passes for 125 yards and three scores at San Francisco the week before the Cincinnati matchup.

The 260-yard performance marked the second of five consecutive games in which Chandler went over a hundred yards receiving as he ended up with 1032 on 49 catches for a 21.1-yard average and 9 touchdowns in just half of a normal season of play. He averaged 129 yards a game and led the NFL, naturally enough, in receiving yards as well as TD receptions.


Of course, it was no accident that Fouts (pictured at left) once again had a big year throwing the ball, leading the league for the fourth consecutive season in passing yards (2883) and second straight time in touchdown passes (17). He had the two consecutive 400-yard games, having outdueled San Francisco’s Joe Montana the week prior to the Cincinnati game, 444 yards and 5 TDs to 356 yards and 3 scoring tosses. His passing yardage per game was a career-best 320.3.

The Chargers, having avenged their defeat by the Bengals in the AFC Championship game the previous year, went on to complete the regular season with a 6-3 record. However, as they had in each of the last three postseasons, San Diego came up short in winning the first round over Pittsburgh but losing to Miami in the second stage of the tournament format that was used in place of the usual playoff structure due to the shorter season (the Chargers had been seeded fifth of the qualifying eight conference teams). Cincinnati, with a 7-2 tally, was seeded third and lost to the New York Jets in the first playoff round.

As the games against the 49ers and Bengals suggest, as much as the Chargers could score points, the defense gave up prodigious amounts through the air as well. While the team contended, provided plenty of excitement, and set numerous records through the 1979-82 time period, it was unable to make it to the Super Bowl.