1980 San Diego Chargers season

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Four touchdown passes from Dan Fouts saw the Chargers to an easy win on opening day. It was 3–3 early in the 2nd quarter when Woodrow Lowe sparked San Diego with a blocked punt, setting them up at the Seattle five-yard line. Fouts found Greg McCrary three plays later for the opening touchdown. On the next two Chargers possessions, Joiner and Jefferson got on the scoresheet, and the lead was 24–3 at halftime.

Pete Shaw's interception set up another Jefferson touchdown as San Diego eased to victory in the second half. The receiver caught 6 passes for 103 yards and 2 TDs. John Cappelletti rushed 16 times for 112 yards.

Tight end Kellen Winslow had a breakout performance as the Chargers edged an overtime epic. Oakland attempted field goals on their first three possessions, but Chris Bahr only converted one of them, while Rolf Benirschke made a club-record 52-yarder; it was 3–3 midway through the 2nd quarter. Clarence Williams then lost a fumble in his own territory, but Bob Horn pounced on a mishandled snap a play later to win possession back. Following this reprieve, the Chargers drove 63 yards, Jefferson scoring with 48 seconds left in the half. That proved to be enough time for the Raiders, who moved from their own 18 to the Charger 48, from where Dan Pastorini found Cliff Branch for a game-tying touchdown with 6 seconds on the clock.

Fouts gave an error-strewn performance during the 3rd quarter. He lost a fumble, which was run back for a Raider touchdown, and threw four interceptions, three in Oakland territory to end scoring chances, and a fourth which set up a field goal try for Bahr. This kick was no good from 53 yards, and the Chargers drove 56 yards in 5 plays to tie the game, Winslow scoring from 25 yards out. Oakland responded quickly, reaching a 1st and 10 at the Charger 19 before Glen Edwards intercepted Pastorini. San Diego made the most of the reprieve, going 80 yards in 12 plays, including a 22-yard completion from Fouts to Winslow and a 4-yard touchdown run from Williams with 2:00 on the clock.

Trailing 24–17, Oakland reached a 1st and 10 from the San Diego 16, from where Pastorini threw two incompletions before Gary Johnson sacked him for a loss of 7 and temporarily knocked him out of the game. Backup Jim Plunkett was then sacked by Johnson on 4th down, but the apparent game-clinching play was ruled out by penalty, and Plunkett threw the game-tying touchdown a play later. With 33 seconds on the clock, there was still time for Fouts to connect on three straight passes, giving Benirschke a chance to win the game from 51 yards out. The kick came up short and right, sending the game into overtime.

Oakland won the toss. Pastorini returned, but was intercepted again by Edwards on the first play of the extra period. Fouts, however then threw his fifth pick of the game, giving the Raiders a golden chance at the San Diego 46. They drove as far as the 32, from where Bahr tried a 50-yard game-winner. Mike Williams partially blocked the kick, giving Bahr his fourth miss of the game. Fouts connected with Joiner for 28 yards on the next drive, and the Chargers reached a 3rd and 11 at the Raider 24. Fouts then lofted a high pass to Jefferson just short of the end. The receiver leapt to make the catch, fell at the one-yard line and rolled over the goalline untouched for the winner, 8:09 into overtime.

Fouts had an eventful day, completing 29 of 44 for a club-record 387 yards, 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Winslow had 9 catches for 132 yards and a touchdown; Jefferson had 9 for 110 yards and two scores. San Diego won despite losing the turnover battle 7–4. To date, this is the last win by a Chargers team over an eventual Super Bowl champion.[9]

For the second straight week, San Diego played in a turnover-riddled game – this time, they won that battle 7–3, and had the game safe with time to spare. On the opening possession, Benirschke broke the Charger record for longest field goal for the second consecutive week, this time converting from 53 yards out. After Denver tied the scores, a 41-yard connection between Fouts and Winslow had San Diego back in Bronco territory, but Fouts was intercepted. Fred Dean won possession back when he recovered an errant snap, and John Cappelletti scored his first Charger touchdown at the end of a 48-yard drive.

Another Fouts interception led to a Denver field goal, but the tables soon turned. First, Woodrow Lowe intercepted Matt Robinson, and ran the ball back 28 yards to the Denver 22. Fouts found Joiner in the end zone on the very next play. Denver then reached the Charger 45, but a Gary Johnson sack pushed them back 9 yards, and Edwards picked off a Robinson pass two plays later, returning it 68 yards for a touchdown. Benirschke added another field goal before halftime, pushing the lead to 27–6. Denver's attempts to come back in the second half were foiled by a further four interceptions.

Edwards had two of the Chargers' total of six interceptions. Johnson had four sacks in the first half alone, and the team finished with six.

Turnovers were again the key, as San Diego defeated the winless Chiefs. After five punts to start the game, Louie Kelcher recovered a fumble at the Kansas City 3, and Cappelletti scored on the next play. The Chiefs went 80 yards to tie the scores, but Kellen Winslow scored on consecutive drives to break the game open: his first touchdown was set up by Hal Stringert's fumble recovery, the second by Jefferson's 42-yard reception. Benirschke completed the scoring early in the 3rd quarter, following a Kelcher interception.

After completing a clean sweep of AFC West opponents in the first four weeks, San Diego were now two games clear in the division.

A 4th quarter collapse cost San Diego in the battle of the last two unbeaten AFC teams. They had capitalised on short fields in taking a 14–3 lead early in the 2nd quarter. First, Lowe forced Bills' running back Joe Cribbs to fumble, with Willie Buchanon recovering at the Buffalo 44 – that led to Winslow's touchdown catch on 3rd and goal from the 4. Then Buchanon pressured Buffalo's punter, forcing him to run; he was stopped well short of a first down, and San Diego took over at the Buffalo 29. That led to a 5-yard Jefferson touchdown, again on 3rd and goal. The Bills responded with a field goal, then blocked a punt by Rick Partridge and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. A Benirschke field goal made it 17–13 at the break.

Mike Williams blocked a punt at the start of the second half, but the Chargers came up empty handed after Benirschke missed from 31 yards out. However, Clarence Williams scored from the 4 on their next drive, and the lead was 24–12. Buffalo gambled on 4th and 1 from the Charger 10 early in the 4th quarter, but Cribbs was stuffed for no gain. However, there was yet another problem punt soon afterwards, Partridge struggling to field a high snap and getting tackled well behind the line. That set of a Bills touchdown on 4th and 3 from the 9. On the next play from scrimmage, Fouts was intercepted, and Cribbs scored the winner five plays later. These two Buffalo scores came 3:15 apart, after drives covering 16 and 21 yards.

San Diego looked to respond quickly, but Winslow fumbled after what would have been a first down reception at the Bill 25. Buffalo then picked up three first downs to run out the final 4:38 from the clock.

A pair of huge 4th quarter plays turned a back-and-forth encounter decisively in Oakland's favour. Kenny King rushed 31 yards for a touchdown on the Raiders' opening possession, before San Diego tied the scores, John Cappelletti scoring the play after a 34-yard Jefferson reception. Fouts then fumbled away a good scoring chance for the Chargers, and the teams exchanged field goals. Another long touchdown restored Oakland's lead at halftime, a 43-yard connection from Plunkett to Branch.

Oakland doubled their lead on the first drive of the second half, going 68 yards in 13 plays, but San Diego's response was swift, three Fouts completions covering 71 yards, the last 25 to Jefferson. Hal Stringert recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but Cappelletti fumbled the ball back four plays later. The reprieve was temporary for Oakland; they went three-and-out, and Dan Fouts sneaked across the goaline seven plays later, on 4th and goal.

Level at 24–24, the Chargers appeared to have momentum, but conceded 14 points in the next 23 seconds. On the next play from scrimmage, King broke off left tackle and went 89 yards for a touchdown, shrugging off a tackle by Pete Shaw at the Charger 40. Chuck Muncie mishandled the ensuing kickoff, and Oakland recovered in the end zone to fully restore their 14-point advantage. Fourteen minutes still remained in the 4th quarter, and the Chargers penetrated Oakland territory on each of their three remaining possessions, but were foiled by a fumble, a turnover on downs and an interception.

Fouts narrowly beat his own Charger single-game passing yardage record, going 23 of 39 for 388 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Joiner had 8 receptions for 135 yards, while Jefferson contributed 5 for 114 and a touchdown. With the win, Oakland closed to within a game at the top of the AFC West.[10]

San Diego enjoyed utter dominance as they posted their widest margin of victory since 1969. With New York offering little on offense, the Chargers could afford to turn the ball over twice in the first half and still lead 21–0, with Cappelletti, Jefferson and Joiner all scoring. The lone Giants touchdown was set up by a special teams error, Partridge mishandling a snap near his goal line, but Cappelletti soon found the end zone again, with John Floyd and (for the first time as a Charger) Chuck Muncie also getting on the scoresheet.

Dan Fouts finished with 26 completions from 41 attempts, for 444 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception, breaking the club record for passing yards in a game for the third time that season, and the second week in a row. This new total would not be surpassed until 2010. San Diego also boasted three 100-yard receivers for the first time: Joiner, 10 for 107 yards and a touchdown; Jefferson, 5 for 107 yards and a touchdown; Winslow, 6 for 102 yards. The Chargers outgained New York 567–206.[11]

A turnover-riddled second half saw the Chargers slip into a tie with Oakland atop the AFC West. The Cowboys benefitted from an interception as they led 7–3 after the 1st quarter. The tide turned San Diego's way after a fluke play, a pass deflecting from Joiner straight to Jefferson, who went in untouched for a 58-yard touchdown. Only three plays later, Lowe intercepted Danny White and ran it back 16 yards for another score. Dallas scored a touchdown on their next possession, but the Chargers came straight back with a long completion to Joiner and a Winslow touchdown – they led 24–14 at the break.

The game soon turned in the second half, however. Dallas scored 28 unanswered points, while the Chargers turned the ball over on six consecutive possessions – three fumbles followed by three interceptions. The most notable of these came when Winslow made a juggling 65-yard catch but lost the ball when tackled by the last man – it was only 35–24 at that point, early in the 4th quarter. As it was, there was 1:41 left on the clock when Winslow scored the final Charger touchdown.

It was another incident-packed game for Fouts, who finished 21 of 44 for 371 yards, 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Jefferson had 8 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown, his third 100-yard game in a row, while Winslow caught 5 passes for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Pete Shaw's three interceptions helped the Chargers to a one-sided victory. San Diego themselves conceded no turnovers, after giving up 7 the previous week and 20 through their last four games. Mike Thomas and Kellen Winslow both scored as San Diego went up 17–0, and they weren't troubled by a Bengals touchdown before halftime, Jefferson adding two more to his season tally in the third quarter. Winslow had a big day, with 9 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown.

Despite more than doubling both the yardage of (459–219), and the first downs (26–11) of Denver, San Diego suffered their fourth loss in six games, and slipped behind the surging Raiders. While the Chargers missed two field goals and committed three turnovers, Denver made the most of their chances and led 20–6 early in the 4th quarter. Fouts led three drives into Denver territory after that, but the first two ended with 4th down incompletions. The third led to Jefferson's short touchdown reception, but only 1:26 remained by then, and San Diego didn't get the ball back.

Fouts completed 29 of 45 passes, for 363 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Joiner had 9 catches for 127 yards. Chuck Muncie had his first 100-yard game in a Charger uniform, gaining 115 yards on 23 carries.

With Dan Fouts throwing no touchdowns for the first time all season, San Diego's rushing attack came to the fore. The Chargers trailed 7–0 when Chiefs QB Steve Fuller was sacked by Lowe, forcing a fumble that Gary Johnson recovered at the Kansas City 21. Mike Thomas scored five plays later, though a failed extra point kept the team behind. Benirschke also missed field goal attempts of 43, 35, 44 and 50 yards, giving him a streak over six consecutive misses over two games. Fouts also squandered a scoring chance with an end zone interception in the second quarter.

Despite the errors, San Diego steadily took control of the game. Kansas City never crossed the Charger 45 after their early scoring drive, and the Chargers scored twice in the second half. Firstly, they mixed six passes with five runs in an 80-yard drive that Thomas capped with his second touchdown. Later, they ran eight times on a 10-play, 59-yard drive, with Clarence Williams scoring an insurance touchdown 6:21 from time.

The defense sacked Fuller five times (Leroy Jones had two of them), and forced six fumbles, three of which the Chargers recovered. Thomas finished with 27 carries, 109 yards and 2 touchdowns, his most as a Charger in each statistic.

Rolf Benirschke atoned for his recent misses with the game-winner, as San Diego edged the Dolphins in overtime. Terry Robiskie put Miami ahead on the game's opening drive, but San Diego responded by going 73 yards in 11 plays, Fouts finding Clarence Williams to tie the scores, 7–7. The Dolphins threatened to score again on their next possession, but Jones forced David Woodley to fumble in Charger territory, and Johnson recovered. Woodley was intercepted by Willie Buchanon on the next Miami drive, and Benirschke kick San Diego ahead. Woodley then made amends with a touchdown pass, before Muncie broke off a 53-yard run, and Joiner scored five plays later. A Dolphin field goal made it 17–17 at the break.

In the 3rd quarter, the Chargers went 65 yards in 8 plays following a missed Miami field goal, and Jefferson gave them the lead. The Dolphins responded by driving all the way to the Charger one-yard line, where Louie Kelcher stuffed Robiskie on 4th and goal. However, the Dolphins converted two 4th downs on their next drive, and tied the scores with 1:21 to play. San Diego reached the Miami 41 in response, but Fouts threw four incompletions; Miami drove to midfield, but Woodley was sacked by Charles DeJurnett as time expired.

San Diego won the toss in overtime, but their opening drive stalled at the Dolphin 42, and Partridge's punt went into the end zone for a touchback. Woodley led Miami to a 3rd and 5 at their own 37, from where his pass was intercepted by Lowe and run back 28 yards to the 12. Benirschke hit the winner from 28 yards out, four plays later.

Jones had two sacks for the second week in a row. Three days later, Oakland's six-game winning streak came to an end in Philadelphia, leaving both the Raiders and Chargers at 8–4.

San Diego survived a late scare before beating the team with the best record in the NFL. Philadelphia entered the game with an 11–1 record and an eight-game winning streak, but the Chargers struck for a big gain on the game's opening play, Fouts working the pump fake and finding Jefferson along the right sideline for 50 yards. Winslow scored a 14-yard touchdown two plays later and San Diego were ahead to stay, only 63 seconds into the game. After a Benirschke field goal, Fouts pump faked again, this time hitting Joiner for 51 yards along the left sideline. Aa before, Winslow capitalised two plays later, this time from 17 yards out. Benirschke added another field goal as time expired in the half, and it was 19–0.

On the first possession of the 3rd quarter, Philadelphia fooled the Chargers with a fake punt, and ultimately drove 80 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown. San Diego reached the red zone in response, but Mike Thomas threw an interception on a trick play. However, they did add another field goal on their next drive, and then forced a punt, leaving them with both possession of the ball and a 15-point lead, with 11:13 on the clock.

The complexion of the game then changed rapidly: Muncie fumbled on the next play, and Ron Jaworski threw a touchdown the play after that. San Diego then went three and out, and the Eagles pulled within a point with another Jaworski TD pass. This final Eagle touchdown drive took them six minutes, despite only covering 58 yards. Taking over at their own 7 with 2:41 to play, San Diego had only to gain a single first down with a Fouts-to-Winslow completion, and could then run the clock out.

Gary Johnson had three sacks. Fouts completed 20 of 28 for 342 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions, and Jefferson caught 8 passes for 164 yards.

San Diego committed seven turnovers for the 3rd time in the 1980 season, as they slipped to a shock defeat against the 3–10 Redskins. On the first San Diego possession, Joe Lavender made the first of three interceptions on the day and ran the ball back 51 yards for a touchdown. It was soon 14–0, but Greg McCrary caught a 28-yard touchdown reception in response, and the Chargers trailed by a manageable 20–10 at halftime.

On the opening possession of the second half, San Diego drove from their 10 to the Washington 4-yard line, with Winslow catching a 42-yard pass. However, Fouts threw his fourth interception of the game and the chance was wasted. The Redskins added two more field goals before Hank Bauer scored his only touchdown of the season, making it 26–17 with most of the 4th quarter to go. The Charger defense then appeared to have made a red zone stop, but Wilbur Young jumped offside on a field goal attempt, and Washington scored the crucial touchdown a play later.

Despite the defeat, San Diego remained tied atop the AFC West, as Oakland lost to Dallas later in the day.

Point differential was significant coming into this game – if San Diego and Oakland both won their remaining two games, divisional net points would decide the division winner. There, the Chargers had a 19-point advantage, and both teams would play their final divisional games in Week 15.

San Diego piled up 290 yards of offense in the first half; they could afford to turn the ball over twice inside the Seattle 10 (one Fouts interception, one Muncie fumble), and still lead 21–0, with Muncie scoring twice and Jefferson once. They were less impressive in the second half, gaining only two first downs from their first four possessions, while Seattle pulled seven points back. They did manage a 15-play, 86-yard drive in the 4th quarter, but Benirschke missed from close range, and Seattle scored another touchdown on the final play of the game. The reduced margin of victory proved to be enough to claim the tiebreaker, as Oakland could only beat Denver by three points later in the day.

Fouts was 28 of 42 for 339 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, with Jefferson catching 8 for 113 yards and a touchdown. DeJurnett had 2.5 sacks.

This was the final Monday Night Football game of the season, so the Chargers knew the stakes beforehand – a win would make them AFC West champions and the #1 seed in the conference, but a loss would see them miss the playoffs entirely. The Steelers, by contrast, had already been eliminated, after winning the previous two Super Bowls.

San Diego moved the ball well in the first half, their three drives covering 66, 81 and 74 yards. However, they broke down in the red zone each time, settling for three Benirschke field goals and a 9–3 halftime lead. Winslow caught a 59-yard pass on the opening possession of the 3rd quarter, and the Chargers reached 4th and goal at the one yard line; they opted to go for it, and Fouts sneaked in the game's opening touchdown. The Steelers responded in kind, but San Diego used another long field goal drive to make it a two-score game again. The defense then made a crucial stop, Terry Bradshaw throwing incomplete on 4th and 3 from the Charger 20. After an exchange of punts, San Diego went 64 yards for the clinching touchdown, scored by Muncie with 3:22 on the clock.

The previous match between the sides had seen 12 total turnovers; this time there were none. San Diego used uncharacteristic ball-control offense, holding possession for 37:19. Dan Fouts was 21 of 37 for 308 yards, Winslow caught 10 passes for a career-high 171 yards, and Chuck Muncie rushed 26 times for 115 yards and a touchdown.[12]

A late touchdown by little-used wide receiver Ron Smith gave the Chargers their first playoff win since the 1963 AFL Championship Game.

San Diego's season ended in defeat, as an attempted comeback from 28–7 down fell short.

• The San Diego Chargers became the first team in NFL history to have three of its receivers with over 1,000 receiving yards.