Coming off the conclusion of the 2005 season, the San Diego Chargers finished 9-7 and narrowly missed out on the playoffs. However, there was a lot of excitement building to the 2006 season.
This marked their first season with Philip Rivers as their starting quarterback after Drew Brees signed a six-year deal landing him in New Orleans.
How did the 2006 season go for the Chargers?
The Chargers had an unbelievable regular season, going 14-2 and owning the best record in the NFL. Scoring the most points in the league at 492, and having arguably the best season by a running back ever. Ending with 31 total touchdowns, which is still the record, LaDainian Tomlinson went on to win MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.
Heading into the playoffs, the Chargers seemed unstoppable. Riding a 10-game winning streak, they went on to face the 12-4 New England Patriots who had won the Super Bowl three out of the past five years. The Chargers dropped the game in Qualcomm Stadium 24-21, ending their 2006 campaign 14-3.
What will we see from the Chargers in 2022?
The Chargers, in 2021, had a very similar season as the 2005 season. They went 9-8 and barely missed the playoffs in a Week 18 loss to the Raiders. The offseason for the Chargers has been nothing short of spectacular. Bringing in Khalil Mack, J.C. Jackson, bolstering interior defensive lineman, and Super Bowl champ Kyle Van Noy to hopefully improve this defense to a championship level.
Justin Herbert is entering his third year in the league and is currently one of the top candidates to win MVP (+1000 odds to win the award on WynnBET). Bringing back almost every offensive weapon, and replacing Jared Cook with Gerald Everett is going to be exciting to watch this coming year.
All of these additions to the roster are going to help second-year head coach Brandon Staley in creating a championship pedigree in the Los Angeles Chargers locker room. As this offseason has proven, Staley and the rest of the Chargers organization want to win now and are doing everything in their power to do so.
MUST-READ: 3 Chargers who are primed to take a massive leap
Will the Chargers have a 14-win regular season? Probably not, as they are in the best division in football and have opponents outside of the division like the daunting NFC West. Similar success could come, in securing Herbert's first playoff appearance, and potentially his second award-winning season.