NFL team season
The 1986 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 27th overall. the team failed to improve on their 8–8 record from 1985 . Following a stagnant 1–7 start, Head Coach Don Coryell was fired and Al Saunders was named interim Head Coach. After the season, Saunders was named the permanent Head Coach and would hold the position through the end of the 1988 season. Leslie O'Neal was named Defensive Rookie of the Year .
Roster [ ]
1986 San Diego Chargers final roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
Regular season [ ]
Schedule [ ]
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Record
Venue
Attendance
Recap
1
September 7
Miami Dolphins
W 50–28
1–0
Jack Murphy Stadium
57,726
Recap
2
September 14
at New York Giants
L 7–20
1–1
Giants Stadium
74,921
Recap
3
September 21
Washington Redskins
L 27–30
1–2
Jack Murphy Stadium
57,853
Recap
4
September 28
at Los Angeles Raiders
L 13–17
1–3
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
63,153
Recap
5
at Seattle Seahawks
L 7–33
1–4
Kingdome
63,207
Recap
6
October 12
Denver Broncos
L 14–31
1–5
Jack Murphy Stadium
55,662
Recap
7
October 19
at Kansas City Chiefs
L 41–42
1–6
Arrowhead Stadium
55,767
Recap
8
October 26
at Philadelphia Eagles
L 7–23
1–7
Veterans Stadium
41,469
Recap
9
November 2
Kansas City Chiefs
L 23–24
1–8
Jack Murphy Stadium
48,518
Recap
10
November 9
at Denver Broncos
W 9–3
2–8
Mile High Stadium
75,012
Recap
11
November 16
Dallas Cowboys
L 21–24
2–9
Jack Murphy Stadium
55,622
Recap
12
Los Angeles Raiders
L 31–37 (OT)
2–10
Jack Murphy Stadium
56,031
Recap
13
November 30
at Indianapolis Colts
W 17–3
3–10
Hoosier Dome
47,950
Recap
14
December 7
Houston Oilers
W 27–0
4–10
Jack Murphy Stadium
40,103
Recap
15
December 14
Seattle Seahawks
L 24–34
4–11
Jack Murphy Stadium
47,096
Recap
16
December 21
at Cleveland Browns
L 17–47
4–12
Cleveland Municipal Stadium
68,505
Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries [ ]
Week 1 vs Dolphins [ ]
Miami Dolphins (0–0) at San Diego Chargers (0–0)
1
2
3 4 Total
Dolphins
0
14
7 7 28
Chargers
17
9
14 10 50
at Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California
Scoring summary
Quarter
Time
Drive
Team
Scoring information
Score
Plays
Yards
TOP
MIA
SD
1
10:52
Chargers
Gary Anderson 18-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts , Rolf Benirschke kick good
0
7
1
2:17
Chargers
26-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke
0
10
1
0:24
Chargers
Tim Spencer 17-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick good
0
17
2
12:00
Dolphins
Mark Clayton 22-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino , Fuad Reveiz kick good
7
17
2
4:02
Chargers
Buford McGee 4-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick no good
7
23
2
2:19
Dolphins
Mark Clayton 49-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good
14
23
2
0:28
Chargers
36-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke
14
26
3
9:22
Chargers
Wes Chandler 7-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good
14
33
3
6:47
Dolphins
Nat Moore 6-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good
21
33
3
0:21
Chargers
Pete Holohan 17-yard touchdown reception from Dan Fouts, Rolf Benirschke kick good
21
40
4
14:15
Chargers
Buford McGee 4-yard touchdown run, Rolf Benirschke kick good
21
47
4
5:48
Chargers
36-yard field goal by Rolf Benirschke
21
50
4
0:58
Dolphins
Nat Moore 17-yard touchdown reception from Dan Marino, Fuad Reveiz kick good
28
50
"TOP" = time of possession . For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football .
28
50
Standings [ ]
Awards and honors [ ]
Los Angeles Chargers
Franchise Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Wild card berths (3) Division championships (15) Conference championships (1) League championships (1) Media Current league affiliations Former league affiliation
Category
Played in San Diego (1961–2016)