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 stadium	San Diego Stadium
Results
Record	7–7
Division place	3rd AFC West
Playoffs	Did not qualify
All-Pros	1 DT Louie Kelcher (2nd team)
Pro Bowlers	2 DT Louie Kelcher T Russ Washington
← 1976 Chargers seasons 1978 →

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.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1977 NFL draft

1977 San Diego Chargers draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	24	Bob Rush	Center	Memphis
3	77	Linden King	Linebacker	Colorado State
5	124	Clarence Williams	Running back	South Carolina
5	128	Cliff Olander	Quarterback	New Mexico State
6	146	Dave Lindstrom	Defensive end	Boston University
6	151	Larry Barnes	Running back	Tennessee State
6	152	Pete Shaw	Safety	Northwestern
7	181	Ron Bush	Defensive back	Southern California
9	234	Gene Washington	Wide receiver	Georgia
10	265	Curtis Townsend	Linebacker	Arkansas
12	319	Jim Stansik	Tight end	Eastern Michigan
Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster

1977 San Diego Chargers roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 14 Dan Fouts 19 Bill Munson 10 Cliff Olander Running backs (RB) 38 Larry Barnes 37 Hank Bauer 41 Bo Matthews 24 Joe Washington 40 Clarence Williams 33 Don Woods 34 Rickey Young Wide receivers (WR) 87 Larry Dorsey 18 Charlie Joiner 89 Dwight McDonald 85 Artie Owens 20 Johnny Rodgers Tight ends (TE) 82 Pat Curran 84 Bob Klein

Offensive linemen (OL) 64 Charles Aiu G 65 Booker Brown T 62 Don Macek G 53 Ralph Perretta C 56 Bob Rush C 66 Billy Shields T 70 Russ Washington T 63 Doug Wilkerson G Defensive linemen (DL) 71 Fred Dean DE 73 Charles DeJurnett DT 74 Louie Kelcher DT 79 Gary Johnson DT 68 Leroy Jones DE 69 John Lee DE

Linebackers (LB) 50 Don Goode OLB 58 Tom Graham MLB 55 Bob Horn MLB 51 Woodrow Lowe OLB 57 Rick Middleton OLB 52 Ray Preston OLB Defensive backs (DB) 48 Jerome Dove CB 21 Clarence Duren FS 42 Mike Fuller SS 44 Pete Shaw FS 45 Hal Stringert CB 29 Mike Williams CB Special teams (ST)  6 Rolf Benirschke K 80 Jeff West P

Reserve 46 Danny Colbert CB (IR) 12 James Harris QB (IR) 31 Keith King S (IR) -- Dave Lindstrom DE (IR) -- Curtis Townsend LB (IR) Rookies in italics

Preseason

1977 preseason games^[1]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	August 6	at Dallas Cowboys	L 14–34	0–1	Texas Stadium
2	August 13	San Francisco 49ers	W 32–13	1–1	San Diego Stadium
3	August 20	New York Giants	W 29–17	2–1	San Diego Stadium
4	August 27	at Oakland Raiders	L 7–35	2–2	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
5	September 1	at Los Angeles Rams	W 26–25	3–2	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
6	September 11	Seattle Seahawks	W 38–20	4–2	San Diego Stadium

Regular season

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.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Oakland Raiders

Week One: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary

Quarter	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 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
• Game attendance: 51,022
• Referee: Cal Lepore
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and Merlin Olsen
• Box score

Game information

First quarter OAK – Cliff Branch 7-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick), 4:54. Raiders 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 13 yards, 0:28. Second quarter OAK – Errol Mann 20-yard field goal, 9:29. Raiders 10–0. Drive: 17 plays, 72 yards, 8:37. OAK – Dave Casper 1-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Errol Mann kick), 0:28. Raiders 17–0. Drive: 3 plays, 10 yards, 0:14. Third quarter OAK – Pete Banaszak 2-yard run (Errol Mann kick), 0:33. Raiders 24–0. Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 1:51. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers SDG – James Harris – 11/22, 77 yards, INT OAK – Ken Stabler – 13/20, 139 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers SDG – Don Woods – 7 rushes, 30 yards OAK – Mark van Eeghen – 19 rushes, 62 yards Top receivers SDG – Charlie Joiner – 4 receptions, 33 yards OAK – Cliff Branch – 4 receptions, 56 yards, TD

Week 2: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week Two: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

Quarter	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 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
• Game attendance: 56,146
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Floyd Little
• Box score

Game information

First quarter SDG – Don Woods 12-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:59. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 3:21. KAN – Henry Marshall 19-yard pass from Mike Livingston (Jan Stenerud kick), 3:20. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 3:33. Second quarter SDG – Leroy Jones 17-yard interception return (kick failed), 13:33. Chargers 13–7. SDG – Rolf Benirschke 31-yard field goal, 0:24. Chargers 16–7. Drive: 10 plays, 37 yards, 2:10. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter SDG – Mike Fuller 7-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 2:01. Chargers 23–7. Drive: 14 plays, 54 yards, 7:58. Top passers SDG – James Harris – 11/25, 85 yards, TD, 3 INT KAN – Mike Livingston – 7/21, 101 yards, TD, 3 INT Top rushers SDG – Clarence Williams – 9 rushes, 88 yards KAN – Tony Reed – 13 rushes, 26 yards Top receivers SDG – Joe Washington – 2 receptions, 18 yards KAN – Walter White – 5 receptions, 70 yards

Week 3: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Three: Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	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 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
• Game attendance: 40,352
• Referee: Don Wedge
• TV announcers (NBC): Jim Simpson and John Brodie
• Box score

Game information

First quarter SDG – Charlie Joiner 30-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:59. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:01. Second quarter CIN – Chris Bahr 35-yard field goal, 1:58. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 14 yards, 1:12. SDG – Charlie Joiner 15-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 0:29. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 1:29. Third quarter SDG – James Harris 1-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 1:13. Chargers 21–3. Drive: 17 plays, 83 yards, 9:08. Fourth quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 42-yard field goal, 8:54. Chargers 24–3. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 5:59. Top passers CIN – Ken Anderson – 14/31, 161 yards, 3 INT SDG – James Harris – 14/20, 200 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers CIN – Archie Griffin – 9 rushes, 38 yards SDG – Rickey Young – 14 rushes, 62 yards Top receivers CIN – Archie Griffin – 5 receptions, 59 yards SDG – Charlie Joiner – 4 receptions, 70 yards, 2 TD

Week 4: at New Orleans Saints

Week Four: San Diego Chargers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

Quarter	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: N/A (game played indoors)
• Game attendance: 53,942
• Referee: Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Len Dawson
• Box score

Game information

First quarter SDG – Mike Fuller 88-yard punt return (Rolf Benirschke kick), 11:19. Chargers 7–0. Second quarter No scoring plays. Third quarter No scoring plays. Fourth quarter SDG – Rickey Young 5-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 1:16. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 4:28. Top passers SDG – James Harris – 11/21, 137 yards NO – Archie Manning – 16/26, 124 yards, INT Top rushers SDG – Rickey Young – 11 rushes, 40 yards, TD NO – Chuck Muncie – 18 rushes, 78 yards Top receivers SDG – Larry Dorsey – 3 receptions, 43 yards NO – Tony Galbreath – 9 receptions, 55 yards

Week 5: vs. New England Patriots

Week Five: New England Patriots at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	7	0	7	10	24
Chargers	6	0	7	7	20

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: October 16
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 66 °F (18.9 °C), relative humidity 86%, wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
• Game attendance: 50,327
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Len Dawson
• Box score

Game information

First quarter NE – Don Hasselbeck 1-yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick), 7:14. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 55 yards, 5:22. SDG – Clarence Williams 1-yard run (kick failed), 5:59. Patriots 7–6. Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 1:08. Second quarter No scoring plays. Third quarter SDG – Rickey Young 1-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:58. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 5 plays, 48 yards, 0:54. NE – Ike Forte 7-yard run (John Smith kick), 3:30. Patriots 14–13. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 6:28. Fourth quarter NE – John Smith 28-yard field goal, 9:23. Patriots 17–13. Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 5:38. NE – Don Hasselbeck 4-yard pass from Steve Grogan (John Smith kick), 3:09. Patriots 24–13. Drive: 2 plays, 6 yards, 0:49. SDG – Charlie Joiner 16-yard pass from Bill Munson (Rolf Benirschke kick), 1:45. Patriots 24–20. Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards, 1:24. Top passers NE – Steve Grogan – 12/22, 83 yards, 2 TD, INT SDG – James Harris – 10/15, 152 yards, INT Top rushers NE – Sam Cunningham – 12 rushes, 141 yards SDG – Don Woods – 7 rushes, 30 yards Top receivers NE – Sam Cunningham – 5 receptions, 71 yards SDG – Don Woods – 8 receptions, 111 yards

Week 6: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Six: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	0	0	7	14	21
Chargers	3	7	3	3	16

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: October 23
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 69 °F (20.6 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
• Game attendance: 33,010
• Referee: Chuck Heberling
• TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Floyd Little
• Box score

Game information

First quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 40-yard field goal, 10:25. Chargers 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 4:35. Second quarter SDG – Larry Dorsey 26-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 5:22. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 41 yards, 1:58. Third quarter KAN – Walter White 5-yard pass from Tony Adams (Jan Stenerud kick), 9:09. Chargers 10–7. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:05. SDG – Rolf Benirschke 47-yard field goal, 4:11. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 10 plays, 44 yards, 4:58. Fourth quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 24-yard field goal, 9:14. Chargers 16–7. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 5:28. KAN – Tony Reed 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 2:30. Chargers 16–14. Drive: 2 plays, 1 yard, 0:27. KAN – Tim Gray 15-yard fumble return (Jan Stenerud kick), 2:08. Chiefs 21–16. Top passers KAN – Tony Adams – 15/26, 215 yards, TD SDG – James Harris – 18/35, 233 yards, TD, 2 INT Top rushers KAN – Tony Reed – 22 rushes, 68 yards, TD SDG – Rickey Young – 13 rushes, 51 yards Top receivers KAN – Walter White – 6 receptions, 96 yards, TD SDG – Rickey Young – 9 receptions, 97 yards

Week 7: at Miami Dolphins

Week Seven: San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	7	0	7	14
Dolphins	6	0	0	7	13

at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

• Date: October 30
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 75 °F (23.9 °C), relative humidity 74%, wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
• Game attendance: 40,670
• Referee: Bob Frederic
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
• Box score

Game information

First quarter MIA – Garo Yepremian 52-yard field goal, 9:08. Dolphins 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 40 yards, 3:42. MIA – Garo Yepremian 45-yard field goal, 3:00. Dolphins 6–0. Drive: 6 plays, 33 yards, 3:28. Second quarter SDG – Bob Klein 2-yard pass from James Harris (Rolf Benirschke kick), 7:25. Chargers 7–6. Drive: 12 plays, 43 yards, 6:47. Third quarter No scoring play. Fourth quarter MIA – Norm Bulaich 3-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick), 9:43. Dolphins 13–7. Drive: 11 plays, 69 yards, 6:02. SDG – James Harris 5-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 0:00. Chargers 14–13. Drive: 10 plays, 28 yards, 1:48. Top passers SDG – James Harris – 15/31, 131 yards, TD, 3 INT MIA – Bob Griese – 9/16, 82 yards, 3 INT Top rushers SDG – Rickey Young – 14 rushes, 32 yards MIA – Norm Bulaich – 12 rushes, 89 yards, TD Top receivers SDG – Joe Washington – 4 receptions, 30 yards MIA – Nat Moore – 3 receptions, 36 yards

Week 8: at Detroit Lions

Week Eight: San Diego Chargers at Detroit Lions – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	0	0	0	0	0
Lions	0	0	7	13	20

at Pontiac Silverdome, Detroit, Michigan

• Date: November 6
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
• Game attendance: 72,559
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
• Box score

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter No scoring plays. Third quarter DET – Rick Kane 2-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick), 5:08. Lions 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 7:10. Fourth quarter DET – Rick Kane 1-yard run (Steve Mike-Mayer kick), 9:56. Lions 14–0. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:09. DET – Marv Hubbard 1-yard run (kick failed), 4:57. Lions 20–0. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 2:55. Top passers SDG – Bill Munson – 9/16, 90 yards DET – Greg Landry – 5/7, 67 yards Top rushers SDG – Joe Washington – 9 rushes, 54 yards DET – Rick Kane – 24 rushes, 105 yards, 2 TD Top receivers SDG – Rickey Young – 4 receptions, 48 yards DET – Horace King – 3 receptions, 49 yards

Week 9: vs. Denver Broncos

Week Nine: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	3	0	7	7	17
Chargers	7	7	0	0	14

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: November 13
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 64 °F (17.8 °C), relative humidity 73%, wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
• Game attendance: 45,211
• Referee: Chuck Heberling
• TV announcers (NBC): Stu Nahan and Len Dawson
• Box score

Game information

First quarter SDG – Fred Dean 11-yard fumble return (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:27. Chargers 7–0. DEN – Jim Turner 35-yard field goal, 4:54. Chargers 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards, 4:33. Second quarter SDG – Charlie Joiner 32-yard pass from Joe Washington (Rolf Benirschke kick), 10:12. Chargers 14–3. Drive: 4 plays, 51 yards, 2:04. Third quarter DEN – Haven Moses 33-yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick), 8:10. Chargers 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:11. Fourth quarter DEN – Haven Moses 8-yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick), 1:36. Broncos 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 1:01. Top passers DEN – Craig Morton – 12/32, 149 yards, 2 TD, INT SDG – James Harris – 13/31, 166 yards Top rushers DEN – Lonnie Perrin – 9 rushes, 33 yards DEN – Otis Armstrong – 6 rushes, 33 yards SDG – Johnny Rodgers – 1 rush, 33 yards Top receivers DEN – Haven Moses – 3 receptions, 66 yards, 2 TD SDG – Charlie Joiner – 4 receptions, 79 yards, TD

Week 10: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Ten: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	0	7	0	0	7
Chargers	0	6	3	3	12

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: November 20
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 59 °F (15.0 °C), relative humidity 56%, wind 9 miles per hour (14 km/h; 7.8 kn)
• Game attendance: 50,887
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Paul Maguire
• Box score

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter SDG – Rickey Young 4-yard run (kick blocked), 8:46. Chargers 6–0. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 4:31. OAK – Mike Rae 7-yard run (Errol Mann kick), 3:04. Raiders 7–6. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 5:42. Third quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 22-yard field goal, 3:57. Chargers 9–7. Drive: 13 plays, 83 yards, 5:58. Fourth quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 46-yard field goal, 3:15. Chargers 12–7. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 5:33. Top passers OAK – Ken Stabler – 4/10, 40 yards SDG – Cliff Olander – 5/13, 51 yards, 2 INT Top rushers OAK – Clarence Davis – 12 rushes, 49 yards SDG – Rickey Young – 17 rushes, 83 yards, TD Top receivers OAK – Fred Biletnikoff – 2 receptions, 29 yards SDG – Joe Washington – 2 receptions, 22 yards

Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Eleven: San Diego Chargers at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	10	3	3	14	30
Seahawks	0	14	7	7	28

at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

• Date: November 27
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: N/A (game played indoors)
• Game attendance: 58,994
• Referee: Gene Barth
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Stockton and Len Dawson
• Box score

Game information

First quarter SDG – Rickey Young 1-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 7:55. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards, 2:38. SDG – Rolf Benirschke 40-yard field goal, 2:21. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 3:27. Second quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 26-yard field goal, 12:19. Chargers 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 2:30. SEA – Don Testerman 5-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick), 6:41. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 5:28. SEA – Steve Largent 27-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick), 0:50. Seahawks 14–13. Drive: 8 plays, 74 yards, 4:27. Third quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 39-yard field goal, 13:19. Chargers 16–14. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:35. SEA – Steve Largent 10-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick), 7:48. Seahawks 21–16. Drive: 11 plays, 53 yards, 5:23. Fourth quarter SDG – Charlie Joiner 17-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 13:50. Chargers 23–21. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 2:56. SDG – Fred Dean 22-yard interception return (Rolf Benirschke kick), 12:15. Chargers 30–21. SEA – David Sims 16-yard pass from Jim Zorn (John Leypoldt kick), 7:00. Chargers 30–28. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:26. Top passers SDG – Dan Fouts – 19/26, 199 yards, TD, INT SEA – Jim Zorn – 16/26, 291 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT Top rushers SDG – Rickey Young – 19 rushes, 80 yards, TD SEA – Sherman Smith – 14 rushes, 56 yards Top receivers SDG – Charlie Joiner – 5 receptions, 72 yards, TD SEA – Steve Largent – 4 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD

Week 12: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Twelve: Cleveland Browns at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	0	0	0	14	14
Chargers	14	13	3	7	37

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: December 4
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 59 °F (15.0 °C), relative humidity 82%, wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
• Game attendance: 37,312
• Referee: Fred Wyant
• TV announcers (NBC): Jay Randolph and Mike Adamle
• Box score

Game information

First quarter SDG – Don Woods 29-yard run (Rolf Benirschke kick), 9:57. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 5:03. SDG – Hank Bauer 15-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 4:34. Chargers 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards, 2:51. Second quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 35-yard field goal, 11:55. Chargers 17–0. Drive: 9 plays, 31 yards, 4:22. SDG – Charlie Joiner 30-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 1:17. Chargers 24–0. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 4:57. SDG – Rolf Benirschke 36-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 27–0. Drive: 2 plays, 43 yards, 0:15. Third quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 24-yard field goal, 2:09. Chargers 30–0. Drive: 14 plays, 61 yards, 7:15. Fourth quarter CLE – Reggie Rucker 16-yard pass from Dave Mays (Don Cockroft kick), 13:28. Chargers 30–7. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 3:33. SDG – Larry Dorsey 67-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Rolf Benirschke kick), 12:33. Chargers 37–7. Drive: 2 plays, 67 yards, 0:55. CLE – Cleo Miller 6-yard run (Don Cockroft kick), 1:24. Chargers 37–14. Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 1:18. Top passers CLE – Dave Mays – 19/30, 228 yards, TD, INT SDG – Dan Fouts – 14/20, 237 yards, 3 TD Top rushers CLE – Greg Pruitt – 16 rushes, 67 yards SDG – Don Woods – 11 rushes, 62 yards, TD Top receivers CLE – Greg Pruitt – 6 receptions, 98 yards SDG – Larry Dorsey – 4 receptions, 108 yards, TD

Week 13: at Denver Broncos

Week Thirteen: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	3	3	3	0	9
Broncos	7	0	0	10	17

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

• Date: December 11
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
• Game weather: 44 °F (6.7 °C), relative humidity 27%, wind 10 miles per hour (16 km/h; 8.7 kn)
• Game attendance: 74,905
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV announcers (NBC): Jack Buck and Mike Haffner
• Box score

Game information

First quarter DEN – Lonnie Perrin 41-yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick), 11:31. Broncos 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:29. SDG – Rolf Benirschke 46-yard field goal, 6:50. Broncos 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 49 yards, 4:41. Second quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 46-yard field goal, 0:18. Broncos 7–6. Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 0:42. Third quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 46-yard field goal, 4:23. Chargers 9–7. Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 4:58. Fourth quarter DEN – Jim Turner 36-yard field goal, 6:39. Broncos 10–9. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 5:18. DEN – Rick Upchurch 19-yard run (Jim Turner kick), 1:54. Broncos 17–9. Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 2:55. Top passers SDG – Dan Fouts – 24/41, 276 yards, 2 INT DEN – Craig Morton – 9/17, 133 yards, TD Top rushers SDG – Rickey Young – 8 rushes, 30 yards DEN – Jon Keyworth – 12 rushes, 41 yards Top receivers SDG – Charlie Joiner – 4 receptions, 67 yards DEN – Riley Odoms – 6 receptions, 69 yards

Week 14: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Fourteen: Pittsburgh Steeler at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	0	10	0	10
Chargers	6	3	0	0	9

at San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

• Date: December 18
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 63 °F (17.2 °C), relative humidity 81%, wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
• Game attendance: 50,727
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Andy Russell
• Box score

Game information

First quarter SDG – Clarence Williams 2-yard run (kick blocked), 7:42. Chargers 6–0. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 5:32. Second quarter SDG – Rolf Benirschke 38-yard field goal, 8:26. Chargers 9–0. Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards. Third quarter PIT – Sidney Thornton 1-yard run (Roy Gerela kick), 6:07. Chargers 9–7. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 2:07. PIT – Roy Gerela 27-yard field goal, 1:14. Steelers 10–9. Drive: 7 plays, 25 yards, 3:27. Fourth quarter No scoring plays. Top passers PIT – Terry Bradshaw – 8/17, 139 yards, INT SDG – Dan Fouts – 12/22, 157 yards, 3 INT Top rushers PIT – Alvin Maxson – 16 rushes, 51 yards SDG – Don Woods – 13 rushes, 28 yards Top receivers PIT – John Stallworth – 3 receptions, 72 yards SDG – Charlie Joiner – 3 receptions, 53 yards

Standings

AFC West
view talk edit	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

Awards

Two Chargers was named to the 1978 Pro Bowl, with Russ Washington and Louie Kelcher both reserves on the AFC squad;^[2] Kelcher was also selected in the AP All-Pro second team.^[3]