1977 San Diego Chargers season
The 1977 San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's eighth season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 18th overall. It was Tommy Prothro's final full season as the team's head coach.
| 1977 San Diego Chargers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Eugene V. Klein |
| General manager | Johnny Sanders |
| Head coach | Tommy Prothro |
| Home field | San Diego Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–7 |
| Division place | 3rd AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | T Russ Washington DT Louie Kelcher |
The 7–7 record allowed the Chargers to break a string of seven consecutive losing seasons. It was their best mark since the AFL–NFL merger.
NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
Rookies in italics | ||||||
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 18 | at Oakland Raiders | L 0–24 | 0–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 51,022 | Recap |
| 2 | September 25 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 23–7 | 1–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 56,146 | Recap |
| 3 | October 2 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 24–3 | 2–1 | San Diego Stadium | 40,352 | Recap |
| 4 | October 9 | at New Orleans Saints | W 14–0 | 3–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 53,942 | Recap |
| 5 | October 16 | New England Patriots | L 20–24 | 3–2 | San Diego Stadium | 50,327 | Recap |
| 6 | October 23 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 16–21 | 3–3 | San Diego Stadium | 33,010 | Recap |
| 7 | October 30 | at Miami Dolphins | W 14–13 | 4–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | 40,670 | Recap |
| 8 | November 6 | at Detroit Lions | L 0–20 | 4–4 | Pontiac Silverdome | 72,559 | Recap |
| 9 | November 13 | Denver Broncos | L 14–17 | 4–5 | San Diego Stadium | 45,211 | Recap |
| 10 | November 20 | Oakland Raiders | W 12–7 | 5–5 | San Diego Stadium | 50,887 | Recap |
| 11 | November 27 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 30–28 | 6–5 | Kingdome | 58,994 | Recap |
| 12 | December 4 | Cleveland Browns | W 37–14 | 7–5 | San Diego Stadium | 37,312 | Recap |
| 13 | December 11 | at Denver Broncos | L 9–17 | 7–6 | Mile High Stadium | 74,905 | Recap |
| 14 | December 18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 9–10 | 7–7 | San Diego Stadium | 50,727 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Results
Week 1: at Oakland Raiders
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Raiders | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
- Date: September 18
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 11 mph
- Game attendance: 51,022
- TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and Merlin Olsen
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 23 |
| Chiefs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: September 25
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 71%, wind 10 mph
- Game attendance: 56,146
- TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Floyd Little
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengals | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Chargers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: October 2
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 70 °F (21.1 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 6 mph
- Game attendance: 40,352
- TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and Merlin Olsen
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 4: at New Orleans Saints
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Saints | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: October 9
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Dome
- Game attendance: 53,942
- TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Floyd Little
- Box score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Week 5
Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Denver Broncos(1) | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 6–1 | 11–1 | 274 | 148 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders(4) | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 5–2 | 10–2 | 351 | 230 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 3–4 | 6–6 | 222 | 205 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 1–3 | 4–9 | 282 | 373 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 2 | 12 | 0 | .143 | 1–6 | 1–11 | 225 | 349 | L6 |