2013 San Diego Chargers season

2013 San Diego Chargers season
OwnerAlex Spanos
General managerTom Telesco[1]
Head coachMike McCoy
Home fieldQualcomm Stadium
Local radioKIOZ, KLSD
Results
Record9–7
Division place3rd AFC West
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Bengals) 27–10
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Broncos) 17–24
Pro Bowlers
2
AP All-Pros
1

The 2013 season was the San Diego Chargers' 44th in the National Football League (NFL), their 54th overall, and their first under head coach Mike McCoy. The Chargers finished the regular season with a record of 9–7, improving on their 7–9 record from 2012. Also, they qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2009. The Chargers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round by a score of 27–10, but lost to division rival Denver Broncos in the Divisional round by a score of 24–17. This was the Chargers' final playoff appearance in San Diego. They did not play in the postseason again until 2018, after relocating to Los Angeles.

The new head coach, Mike McCoy, along with offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, completed the Chargers' first winning season since 2010. Only two offensive coaches returned from 2012 in an overhauled coaching staff, and a revamped offensive system had quarterback Philip Rivers release the ball earlier and taking what opposing defenses conceded. Rivers was sacked 30 times, compared to 49 the previous year, and threw for 4,479 yards and 32 touchdowns while tying a career-high with a 105.5 passer rating. San Diego's rushing attack improved from the prior season's 1,461 yards and 3.6 yards per carry—tied for the second worst in the league—to 1,965 yards and a 4-yard average.[2] Although they were speculated to have a poor, disappointing season, and getting off to a shaky start, the Chargers finished in the top eight of the overall standings. Rivers was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, and Keenan Allen broke out into the national scene as a rookie sensation, breaking multiple wide receiver rookie records. Whisenhunt left at the conclusion of the season to become the head coach of the Titans.

Signings

Pos. Player 2012 Team Contract
CB Derek Cox Jacksonville Jaguars 4 years, $20 million
DE Dwight Freeney Indianapolis Colts 2 years, $8.7 million
TE John Phillips Dallas Cowboys 3 years, $5.2 million
OT King Dunlap Philadelphia Eagles 2 years, $3.7 million
RB Danny Woodhead New England Patriots 2 years, $3.5 million
CB Richard Marshall Miami Dolphins 1 year, $855,000
RB Chris Gronkowski Denver Broncos 1 year, $630,000
LB Thomas Keiser Carolina Panthers 1 year, $555,000

Re-signings

Pos. Player Contract
RB Ronnie Brown 1 year, $1 million

Departures

Pos. Player 2013 Team
G Louis Vasquez Denver Broncos
LB Antwan Barnes New York Jets
CB Antoine Cason Arizona Cardinals
CB Quentin Jammer Denver Broncos
LB Shaun Phillips Denver Broncos
WR Robert Meachem New Orleans Saints
LB Takeo Spikes Retired
LB Demorrio Williams
G Reggie Wells

NFL draft

2013 San Diego Chargers draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 11 D. J. Fluker  OT Alabama
2 38 Manti Te'o  LB Notre Dame from Arizona [R2 - 1]
3 76 Keenan Allen *  WR California
5 145 Steve Williams  CB California
6 179 Tourek Williams  DE FIU
7 221 Brad Sorensen  QB Southern Utah
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Draft notes

  1. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (April 26, 2013). "Manti Te'o gets fresh start with San Diego Chargers". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  1. ^ No. 38: Arizona → San Diego (D). Arizona traded this selection to San Diego in exchange for San Diego's 2013 second- (45th) and fourth- (110th) round selections.[source 1]

Staff

2013 San Diego Chargers staff

Front office

  • Owner – Alex Spanos
  • Chairman/president – Dean Spanos
  • Executive vice president – Michael Spanos
  • Executive vice president/CEO – A. G. Spanos
  • General manager – Tom Telesco
  • Executive vice president of football operations – John Spanos
  • Executive vice president of football administration/player finance – Ed McGuire
  • Senior executive – Randy Mueller
  • Director of pro scouting – Dennis Abraham
  • Director of player personnel – JoJo Wooden
  • Director of college scouting – Kevin Kelly
  • Assistant director of pro scouting – Bryan Cox
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Mike Biehl

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


Final roster

2013 San Diego Chargers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 10 reserve, 8 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 8 Seattle Seahawks L 10–31 0–1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
2 August 15 at Chicago Bears L 28–33 0–2 Soldier Field Recap
3 August 24 at Arizona Cardinals W 24–7 1–2 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
4 August 29 San Francisco 49ers L 6–41 1–3 Qualcomm Stadium Recap

Regular season

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 9 Houston Texans L 28–31 0–1 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
2 September 15 at Philadelphia Eagles W 33–30 1–1 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
3 September 22 at Tennessee Titans L 17–20 1–2 LP Field Recap
4 September 29 Dallas Cowboys W 30–21 2–2 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
5 October 6 at Oakland Raiders L 17–27 2–3 O.co Coliseum Recap
6 October 14 Indianapolis Colts W 19–9 3–3 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
7 October 20 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 24–6 4–3 EverBank Field Recap
8 Bye
9 November 3 at Washington Redskins L 24–30 (OT) 4–4 Fedex Field Recap
10 November 10 Denver Broncos L 20–28 4–5 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
11 November 17 at Miami Dolphins L 16–20 4–6 Sun Life Stadium Recap
12 November 24 at Kansas City Chiefs W 41–38 5–6 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
13 December 1 Cincinnati Bengals L 10–17 5–7 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
14 December 8 New York Giants W 37–14 6–7 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
15 December 12 at Denver Broncos W 27–20 7–7 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap
16 December 22 Oakland Raiders W 26–13 8–7 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
17 December 29 Kansas City Chiefs W 27–24 (OT) 9–7 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Postseason

See also: 2013–14 NFL playoffs
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card January 5, 2014 at Cincinnati Bengals (3) W 27–10 1–0 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
Divisional January 12, 2014 at Denver Broncos (1) L 17–24 1–1 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap

Game summaries

Regular season

Week 1: vs. Houston Texans

Week One: Houston Texans at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 7 0 71731
Chargers 7 14 7028

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

With the loss, the Chargers started their season 0–1.

Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week Two: San Diego Chargers at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 10 71333
Eagles 3 7 101030

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

Week 3: at Tennessee Titans

Week Three: San Diego Chargers at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 3 7017
Titans 0 10 01020

at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

Week 4: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week Four: Dallas Cowboys at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 21 0021
Chargers 7 6 71030

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Week 5: at Oakland Raiders

Week Five: San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 31417
Raiders 14 3 7327

at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: October 6
  • Game time: 8:35 pm. PDT
  • Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 48,834
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (NFLN*): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

This game was moved to an 8:35 pm. PDT kickoff, and from CBS to NFL Network as a "special edition" of Thursday Night Football, as extended time was required to convert the field back from its baseball configuration due to an Oakland Athletics American League Division Series game the previous night.[3]

Week 6: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week Six: Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 3 3 039
Chargers 0 10 3619

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Week 7: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Seven: San Diego Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 7 3724
Jaguars 0 3 306

at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Game information

Week 9: at Washington Redskins

Week Nine: San Diego Chargers at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Chargers 0 14 010024
Redskins 0 7 710630

at FedExField, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: November 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/10:00 a.m. PST
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 80,115
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

Week 10: vs. Denver Broncos

Week Ten: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 7 14 7028
Chargers 0 6 7720

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 10
  • Game time: 1:25 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 68,847
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

Week 11: at Miami Dolphins

Week Eleven: San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 3 3316
Dolphins 3 7 7320

at Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 4:05 pm. EST/1:05 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 81 °F (27 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 60,256
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

Week 12: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week Twelve: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 7 141741
Chiefs 7 7 141038

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 24
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/10:00 am. PST
  • Game weather: 24 °F (−4 °C), mostly sunny
  • Game attendance: 75,259
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Phil Simms
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

Week 13: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week Thirteen: Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bengals 0 7 7317
Chargers 0 7 0310

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 1
  • Game time: 1:25 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 61,536
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS (blacked out locally)): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts (blacked out locally)
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

Week 14: vs. New York Giants

Week Fourteen: New York Giants at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 0 0 7714
Chargers 7 17 7637

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 1:25 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 65,132
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

Week 15: at Denver Broncos

Week Fifteen: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 14 7327
Broncos 10 0 01020

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Week 16: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Sixteen: Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 10 0313
Chargers 3 7 10626

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Week 17: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week Seventeen: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Chiefs 14 7 30024
Chargers 7 7 010327

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

Game information

Kansas City missed a field goal as with a few seconds left to send the game into overtime, where Nick Novak kicked the game winner. With the win, the Chargers finished the 2013 season with a record of 9–7 and clinched the second wild card spot, becoming the 6th seed entering the playoffs.

Postseason

See also: 2013–14 NFL playoffs

AFC Wild Card Playoff Game: at #3 Cincinnati Bengals

AFC Wild Card Playoff Game: #6 San Diego Chargers at #3 Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 7 0 101027
Bengals 0 10 0010

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Game information

With the Chargers defeating the Bengals, 27–10, they recorded their first playoff victory since 2008 and advanced to the AFC Divisional Playoff Game.

AFC Divisional Playoff Game: at #1 Denver Broncos

AFC Divisional Playoff Game: #6 San Diego Chargers at #1 Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 01717
Broncos 7 7 3724

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: January 12, 2014
  • Game time: 2:40 p.m. MST/1:40 pm. PST
  • Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 76,969
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

With the Chargers falling to the Broncos, the Chargers finished the season 10–8, their first double-digit winning season since 2009.

Standings

Division

AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Denver Broncos 13 3 0 .813 5–1 9–3 606 399 W2
(5) Kansas City Chiefs 11 5 0 .688 2–4 7–5 430 305 L2
(6) San Diego Chargers 9 7 0 .563 4–2 6–6 396 348 W4
Oakland Raiders 4 12 0 .250 1–5 4–8 322 453 L6

Conference

AFC[4][5]
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1 Denver Broncos West 13 3 0 .813 5–1 9–3 .469 .423 W2
2 New England Patriots East 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .473 .427 W2
3[a] Cincinnati Bengals North 11 5 0 .688 3–3 8–4 .480 .494 W2
4 Indianapolis Colts South 11 5 0 .688 6–0 9–3 .484 .449 W3
Wild cards
5 Kansas City Chiefs West 11 5 0 .688 2–4 7–5 .445 .335 L2
6 San Diego Chargers West 9 7 0 .563 4–2 6–6 .496 .549 W4
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[b][c] Pittsburgh Steelers North 8 8 0 .500 4–2 6–6 .469 .441 W3
8[d] Baltimore Ravens North 8 8 0 .500 3–3 6–6 .484 .418 L2
9[e] New York Jets East 8 8 0 .500 3–3 5–7 .488 .414 W2
10 Miami Dolphins East 8 8 0 .500 2–4 7–5 .523 .523 L2
11 Tennessee Titans South 7 9 0 .438 2–4 6–6 .504 .375 W2
12 Buffalo Bills East 6 10 0 .375 3–3 5–7 .520 .500 L1
13[f][g] Oakland Raiders West 4 12 0 .250 1–5 4–8 .523 .359 L6
14[h] Jacksonville Jaguars South 4 12 0 .250 3–3 4–8 .504 .234 L3
15 Cleveland Browns North 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 .516 .477 L7
16 Houston Texans South 2 14 0 .125 1–5 2–10 .559 .500 L14
Tiebreakers[i]
  1. ^ Cincinnati defeated Indianapolis head-to-head (Week 14, 42–28).
  2. ^ Pittsburgh finished with a better division record than Baltimore.
  3. ^ Pittsburgh defeated the New York Jets head-to-head (Week 6, 19–6).
  4. ^ Baltimore defeated the New York Jets head-to-head (Week 12, 19–3).
  5. ^ The New York Jets finished with a better division record than Miami.
  6. ^ Oakland and Jacksonville finished with a better conference record than Cleveland.
  7. ^ Oakland defeated Jacksonville head-to-head (Week 2, 19–9).
  8. ^ Jacksonville defeated Cleveland head-to-head (Week 13, 32–28).
  9. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Footnotes

References

  1. ^ Wilson, Bernie (January 9, 2013). "Colts VP Telesco hired as Chargers' GM". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  2. ^ Gehlken, Michael (February 1, 2014). "Philip Rivers Comeback Player of Year". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on April 3, 2014.
  3. ^ "Late-night TV looming for Chargers fans". U-T San Diego. Retrieved October 7, 2013.
  4. ^ "2013 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  5. ^ "2013 NFL playoff picture". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2013.