1995 San Diego Chargers: A Late Surge To The Playoffs
The Bobby Ross era in San Diego was already an unqualified success. After winning a national title at Georgia Tech in 1990, Ross made the jump to the NFL two years later. In 1992, the Chargers won the AFC West. In 1994, they reached what remains the franchise’s only Super Bowl. The 1995 San Diego Chargers weren’t quite that good, and they dug themselves a deep hole. But when the dust settled on ‘95. Ross had put the Bolts back in the postseason.
Defense was the key. San Diego’s D was anchored by Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau, who had a Pro Bowl season. They got pressure on the quarterback from defensive tackle Shawn Lee, who recorded 8 sacks and Pro Bowler Leslie O’Neal and his 12 ½ sacks. The talent wasn’t overwhelming. But this core group was enough for coordinator Dave Adolph, who had already been a success on playoff teams with the Browns, Chiefs and Raiders, to produce a unit that ranked sixth in the NFL for points scored.
Offensively, there were struggles. Injuries up front led to problems with the line. Natrone Means had some big games, but he also went down halfway through and averaged less than four yards per carry when healthy. Aaron Hayden’s YPC was also a meager 3.7.
Quarterback Stan Humphries was around the middle of the league. His 59% completion rate ranked 15th among starting quarterbacks. The 7.1 yards-per-attempt was pretty good, ranking 12th. But Humphries was mistake-prone. His TD-INT ratio was 17/14 and his 2.9% interception rate ranked 19th.
Tony Martin was the top receiver, catching 90 passes for over 1,200 yards. Shawn Jefferson and Mark Seay were the second and third targets, while tight end Alfred Pupunu caught 35 balls. Versatile running back Ronnie Harmon finished with 69 catches and his 10.7 yards-per-catch was high for a non-receiver.
Overall though, while the San Diego offense had some strengths, they still ranked 19th in a 30-team league for points scored. And those offensive struggles were on display in Week 1. Playing the Raiders in Oakland, the Chargers only rushed for 77 yards, turned the ball over three times and dropped a 17-7 decision.
Things opened up a little bit in the home opener against the Seattle Seahawks. Means ran for 115 yards and Martin finished with 163 yards receiving. There was still a problem putting points on the board and San Diego trailed 10-7 in the fourth quarter. But Humphries found Harmon for a 15-yard touchdown pass and the Chargers survived with a 14-10 win.
A road trip to playoff-bound Philadelphia started poorly, as San Diego fell behind 14-0. But defense and special teams provided a lift. Seau came up with a scoop-and-score. Andre Coleman took a punt 88 yards to the house. Means pounded out 122 yards on the ground the Chargers rallied for a 27-21 win.
They came home to face the Denver Broncos. It was a tough, physical game and San Diego clung to a 7-6 lead after three quarters. Means ran for 115 yards, while the Charger defense shut down Denver’s Terrell Davis. San Diego took over the final quarter and won 17-6. They weren’t overwhelming anyone, but the record was 3-1.
That set up a rematch of the previous year’s AFC Championship Game, on the road in Pittsburgh. The Steelers would ultimately reach the Super Bowl this season and San Diego played poorly in this late Sunday afternoon marquee showdown. Humphries threw four interceptions, two of which were Pick-6s early in the game. The Chargers committed a dozen penalties, and they lost 31-16.
Another marquee battle was on hand, this time with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night. The Chiefs were a perennial playoff team and had a big year in 1995. Playing on the road, San Diego couldn’t get the running game going. But they shut down a strong Chiefs running game. The game went back-and-forth and Humphries threw for 315 yards. But losing turnovers 3-1 was the difference in a battle that ultimately went to overtime where San Diego lost 29-23.
A brutal schedule stretch only got tougher when the eventual Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys came to town. Means ran for 90 yards on 22 carries, but nothing else went right—including watching Humphries get knocked out of the game in a 23-9 loss.
The Chargers were now under .500 as they prepared to host Seattle. The Seahawks were an AFC West team prior to the realignment of 2002 and they would also stay in playoff contention all season long. Humphries was healthy enough to play. More important, the defense came up four turnovers, Means ran for 91 yards and San Diego got a needed 35-25 win. The Chargers were 4-4 going into a midseason bye week.
Miami was on the playoff fringe and their trip to San Diego for a rematch of the prior year’s divisional playoffs was a big one. Martin caught seven passes for 121 yards, but there was no running game, thanks to Means being injured early on. The Dolphins controlled the game and handed the Bolts a 24-14 loss. They were back under .500 and their best running back was gone.
Things looked bleak and they got no better when Kansas City came in, sacked Humphries four times, controlled the line of scrimmage and beat San Diego 22-7. The Chargers went on to Denver, where the Broncos were hanging in playoff contention. San Diego was outrushed 173-70 and dug themselves a 24-7 hole. Humphries fought gallantly, going 17/28 for 206 yards and eventually tying the game 27-27. But the Broncos got the last word and won 30-27
San Diego was 4-7. For all intents and purposes, they were done. So it seemed.
The Raiders were playing good football when they came south for a Monday Night visit. As it turned out, this game was when Oakland and San Diego’s ships would cross in the night. Humphries went 24/34 for 236 yards. In a game where neither team found the end zone, it was enough to win a field goal battle 12-6.
Kansas City was running away with the AFC West. There were three wild-card spots, and the Raiders continued to lead the way at 8-4. The Indianapolis Colts were 7-5. Miami and Denver were tied at 6-6 for the final spot. San Diego, along with Seattle, was giving chase at 5-7.
The Chargers hosted the Cleveland Browns. A promising Browns season had been derailed by the announcement that the franchise was moving to Baltimore. Bill Belichick’s team had been in a free-fall ever since. That continued today. Hayden ran for 127 yards, Martin caught nine balls for 132 yards, the defense held Cleveland to 26 yards rushing and the end result was a 31-13 rout.
Meanwhile, the Raiders and Colts both lost. The race was getting jam-packed.
The lowly Arizona Cardinals came in for a Saturday afternoon date. San Diego played sloppy football, marked by six turnovers, including four interceptions by Humphries. It kept a game the Chargers otherwise controlled competitive. In the end, they got a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Coleman and survived 28-25.
Oakland lost again the next day. The three wild-card positions were now all held by 8-6 teams in the Raiders, Colts and Dolphins. The Chargers, Broncos and Seahawks were all 7-7. And San Diego would get a crack at Indianapolis.
The late afternoon showcase game in Indy was marked by a lot of penalties both ways and a back-and-forth battle. Martin caught 10 passes for 168 yards. The Chargers got 96 yards rushing from Hayden. Most important, the Bolts got the last blow, pulling out a 27-24 win.
In an unbelievable turn of events over the past four weeks, San Diego was not only alive at 8-7, but they controlled their own destiny. And with Oakland continuing a spiral that would eventually leave them home for the postseason, the Chargers were even in position to secure a home game–in the three-division format of the era, the 4-seed went to the top wild-card.
All San Diego had to do was go to the Meadowlands and beat a bad New York Giants team on early Saturday afternoon. But they didn’t make it easy on themselves. The Giants jumped out to a 17-3 lead, giving hope to other AFC contenders watching at home. Hayden and Aaron Culver each ran for touchdowns to pull even, but New York began driving.
Defensive back Shaun Gayle then made the play of the season. He intercepted a pass on the one-yard line and took it 99 yards the other way. It was a fitting moment for a game where the Chargers won the turnover battle on 4-1. And it was the final key to a 27-17 win and a playoff spot.
San Diego hosted Indianapolis in a game that brought an end to Wild-Card Weekend on New Year’s Eve. The magic of the late season finally ran out. Means tried to come back, but could only muster 11 yards on six carries. The Chargers only trailed 21-20 in the fourth quarter. But Humphries had a mistake-filled day, throwing four interceptions. The game got away and ended in a 35-20 loss.
The closing push of the 1995 campaign was the last real hurrah for the short-lived, but successful era of San Diego Charger football under Bobby Ross. After an 8-8 season in 1996 that ended short of the playoffs, Ross moved on to the Detroit Lions. The Chargers fell out of contention and did not get back on the map until 2004.