1989 San Diego Chargers season
San Diego brought in a high-profile free agent in quarterback Jim McMahon, but it was their defensive unit that saw a big improvement, ranking sixth in the league,[1] and never conceding more than 26 points in a game after week 2.
The combination of a strong defense and mediocre offense led to several close finishes - thirteen games were decided by seven points or fewer, including the last twelve in a row.
Saunders had publicly criticised the personnel decisions of Steve Ortmayer, the Chargers' director of football operations, creating personal friction that potentially accelerated his departure.
[7] On February 9, Henning was named to the role, bringing an end to a long search - the Chargers had been the first in the league to fire their previous head coach, but the last to appoint a replacement.
[25] Wide receiver Phil McConkey, a former Super Bowl winner, was another mid-season pickup - his five games in San Diego proved to be the last of his NFL career.
After forcing a punt, San Diego took over on their own 39 with 1:49 to play, and began a 15-play drive that saw Tolliver convert two fourth downs, before breaking a collarbone while scrambling out of bounds at the Phoenix 4 yard line with a second left.
[1][62] Despite the indifferent quarterbacking play, second-year wide receiver Anthony Miller performed well enough that his teammates voted him the Chargers' MVP for the season; he had 75 catches for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns, ranking at least eleventh in the league in each statistic.
[74] Anthony Miller, in addition to his successes on offense, averaged 25.4 yards on 21 kickoff returns, fourth best in the league, while running one back for a touchdown for the second consecutive season.
McMahon converted third downs with his arm and his legs during the answering drive; San Diego reached a 3rd and 1 at midfield, from where rookie Marion Butts burst through the middle and scored a 50-yard touchdown on only his third NFL carry.
Los Angeles scored three times in quick succession in the final quarter to turn the game into a runaway: a field goal was followed by Victor Floyd muffing the kickoff, and being tackled in the end zone for a safety; the Raiders received the ensuing free kick, and added a touchdown in short order.
McMahon threw incomplete on 4th down in the red zone the next time San Diego had the ball, but they soon made another chance - Elvis Patterson blocked a punt, which rolled out of bounds at the Oiler's 1 yard line.
Lester Lyles then appeared to have recovered an onside kick for the Chargers, but after a five-minute consultation, officials ruled the ball had been illegally touched before travelling ten yards.
Gill Byrd intercepted an underthrown bomb from DeBerg to stop a later Kansas City threat, but the Chiefs managed a further field goal, and trailed by just one point at halftime.
After a second Cardinal field goal, San Diego finally sprang into life, covering 82 yards in just 6 plays - Miller's 47-yard reception moved the ball into Phoenix territory, and his 16-yard touchdown put his team ahead.
Smith continued to make an impact as the final quarter wore on, breaking up a fourth down pass in Charger territory and recovering a second fumble to set up a field goal.
The Broncos converted, Elway faking a handoff up the middle and instead giving to Steve Sewell, who swept left and eluded O'Neal's dive before turning the corner and gaining seven yards.
[90] Both offenses began well: Jamie Holland drew a 39-yard pass interference penalty to account for nearly half of an 82-yard touchdown drive (Arthur Cox scoring), before Seattle drove from their own 26 all the way to a 4th and goal from the 1.
San Diego had an immediate chance to make amends, as David Brandon recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but the offense backed up from the Seattle 18 to the 33, and Bahr's 51-yard attempt was met by a second block.
New York appeared to have answered with a touchdown, but Mark Bavaro's catch was ruled out by penalty, and Raul Allegre made his second field goal as time expired in the half.
The San Diego defense pulled the team back into the game, Smith punching the ball free for Glenn to recover and return 81 yards for an easy touchdown with 2:19 on the clock.
They were kept in the game by a resilient defensive performance, with Patterson and Smith producing interceptions in their own territory, and an off day from Seattle kicker Norm Johnson, who made only one attempt out of four.
San Diego reached their own 46 in response, before an unusual finish - McMahon's pass was batted back to him, he caught it and was tackled at midfield as time expired.
The Charger defense foiled two good Eagle chances in the 2nd quarter: Randall Cunningham fumbled a red zone snap, with Cedric Figaro recovering, and Sam Seale intercepted a third down pass at his own 23.
A McMahon bomb was then intercepted, but Raider quarterback Jay Schroeder also struggled, with Elvis Patterson and Roy Bennett picking off passes in Charger territory.
After Bennett's interception, San Diego reached a 4th and 1 at the Los Angeles 43 - they went for the conversion, but McMahon was sacked, and Jaeger field goals either side of halftime pushed the Raider lead to 12–0.
Shortly afterwards, a Sam Seale interception set the Chargers up in Raider territory - they reached a first down at the eleven before Tim Spencer swept around right end and lost a fumble a yard from the goal line.
McMahon found Nelson for a touchdown on third down, but Anthony Miller was flagged for offensive pass interference, and San Diego had to settle for Bahr's 38-yard kick with 3:41 to play.
The Colt offense then awoke, gaining 87 of their game total of 264 yards on a six-play touchdown drive, Trudeau hitting Bill Brooks for a 25-yard score with 1:54 left.
[106] After Johnny Hector had scored the opening touchdown for the Jets, Jamie Holland ran the ensuing kickoff back 34 yards, then drew a 31-yard pass interference penalty that moved the ball to the New York 20-yard line.
Three plays later, Miller fumbled on a reverse, then Glenn was twice flagged for pass interference and Denver tied the score with 35 seconds left (a failed conversion kept them from taking the lead).
