1964 San Diego Chargers season
Meanwhile, former Charger quarterback Jack Kemp featured on a Buffalo Bills team that defeated San Diego three times, including in the AFL title game.
Alworth missed the title game due to injury, and running back Keith Lincoln was knocked out of it in the opening quarter by Mike Stratton's "Hit Heard ‘Round the World".
[35] Lincoln, who had ended the previous season as MVP of the AFL Championship Game, began the new one by scoring the first two Chargers touchdowns of their exhibition schedule.
He opened the scoring against Denver with a 13-yard catch from Tobin Rote, then put San Diego ahead to stay with a 45-yard run; Lance Alworth and Keith Kinderman added further touchdowns in a 34–20 win.
Late in the game, Earl Faison recovered a fumble, and Hadl completed three passes to Alworth on a 12-play, 62-yard drive that culminated in Kinderman's game-winning 3-yard run, 72 seconds from time.
[44] Defensive end Faison unofficially[a] had a team-high 7+1⁄2 sacks and was a first-team All-Pro, while linebackers Chuck Allen and Frank Buncom were both voted to the AFL All-Star game,[50] and second-year cornerback Dick Westmoreland led the team with six interceptions.
[54] Houston had the first scoring chance - they opted to fake a 33-yard field goal, but George Blanda was brought down by Westmoreland and Emil Karas for a loss of 14 yards.
[56] The first significant takeaway was by the Charger defense - down 10–0 in the 2nd quarter, the pass rush of Karas forced a fumble from Babe Parilli, which Buncom recovered at the Patriot 8-yard line.
[57] Hadl was again inserted at quarterback; he threw nine times on the ensuing drive, completing five for 80 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown to Don Norton; he also found MacDougall for a two-point conversion, reducing the deficit to eight points.
[59] After receiving the opening kickoff, San Diego advanced steadily from their own 20 to a 3rd and 3 at the Buffalo 27-yard line, whereupon Butch Byrd cut in front of a quick sideline pass and went 75 yards the other way for a touchdown.
After the Bills missed a field goal, Rote led San Diego from their own 20 to a 4th and 1 at the Buffalo 26-yard line, from where Lincoln was stopped short of a first down.
[61][62] Lincoln, who had been handed the placekicking duties on account of Blair's injury, had opened the scoring with a 47-yard kick, tying Ben Agajanian's club record set in 1960.
[63] The running back also played a role in San Diego's first touchdown, taking a pass in the flat from an under-pressure Rote and skipping out of two tackles in the backfield en route to a 32-yard gain.
[66] Despite kicking off, San Diego extended their lead three plays into the second half: Allen recovered a fumble on the Boston 27-yard line, Lowe shaped to pass before cutting up the middle for 12 yards, and Norton pulled in a 15-yard touchdown.
[68] The Chargers continued to pull away in the second half, with Kocourek scoring after less than three minutes; the tight end took Hadl's pass at the Denver 32-yard line and shrugged off a weak tackle before completing a 46-yard touchdown.
Houston responded by driving into Charger territory, but Faison hit George Blanda as he attempted to pass, and the ball fluttered straight to Hank Schmidt, whose 58-yard scoring return made it 20–7.
[75][76] Hadl threw the game's first interception, leading to a Raider field goal, but his next pass was a 76-yard touchdown, Alworth sprinting up the right sideline and pulling in the ball at the Oakland 30-yard line en route to the end zone.
Further interceptions by Allen and Harris gave San Diego openings in opposition territory, but Ben Agajanian missed a field goal, and Alworth later fumbled after making a catch.
[80] After the Chargers were forced to punt on their next possession, the struggling Hadl was removed from the game and replaced by Rote; he came in with a golden chance to score after Lee's ill-advised lateral was recovered by Allen on the Denver 11-yard line.
Kansas City responded with an unusual touchdown, as Westmoreland intercepted Len Dawson's long pass at the 5 yard-line, only to fumble into the end zone where the Chiefs recovered.
Len Dawson did manage to finish a drive off early in the final quarter, sneaking the ball home himself from a yard out, but couldn't lead his team back into the red zone.
[85] Early on, ex-Charger Jack Kemp was stopped a foot short on 4th and 1 at the San Diego 39-yard line, and Lincoln caught a 25-yard pass to set up his own field goal.
Following a Bills punt, Hadl (reinstated at quarterback), made two big throws on a 63-yard touchdown drive, finding Alworth for 23 yards on 3rd and 2 before hitting Norton in the front of the end zone on 3rd and 10 from the 17-yard line.
The Buffalo QB was stopped short on a two-point try, but San Diego had committed a defensive hold - given another chance from the one, Lamonica again successfully dove through the middle, and the score was tied with 3:24 to play.
Warren's 54-yard kickoff return gave the Chargers excellent starting field position, but a Hadl pass was deflected and intercepted, before Buffalo drove into range for the game-winner, a 33-yard kick by Pete Gogolak with three seconds to play.
In a processional second half, Faison made a leaping interception at the line of scrimmage before scoring on a 42-yard return, and Alworth got behind the defense on a play action pass for an easy 82-yard touchdown reception.
When Hadl found Alworth for a short touchdown early in the 3rd quarter, the Chiefs went 65 yards the other way for another Dawson TD pass to shut down the potential comeback.
San Diego improved on their previous week's performance, but nonetheless went into the AFL title game on a two-game losing streak after a narrow defeat.
[95] The Chargers wasted numerous early openings, beginning when Petrich's fumble recovery in Oakland territory led only to a missed Lincoln field goal.
The injury to Alworth, their recent poor form and the Bills' home field advantage combined to make San Diego the underdogs for the title game.
