the chargers made the super bowl in super bowl xxix.
the chargers made the super bowl in super bowl xxix.
when did the chargers make the super bowl?
super bowl xxix
in 1994, humphries led the chargers with clutch performances through an impressive series of victories in the nfl playoffs. it started with the chargers rallying from a 21-6 halftime deficit at home to defeat the miami dolphins (led by hall of fame quarterback dan marino) with a 22-21 victory in the afc divisional playoffs, earning the chargers a trip to the afc championship game the next week at pittsburgh. the pittsburgh steelers were favored by 10 points, and some steeler players the week prior to the game had made a super bowl rap video, assuming they would be the ones going to the super bowl. in what would become one of pro football's all-time great upsets, the chargers again rallied from a 13-3 deficit late in the 3rd quarter and held off a furious last-minute pittsburgh drive with a goal-line stand to win the afc championship 17-13 at pittsburgh's three rivers stadium. thus the chargers earned a trip to miami and super bowl xxix, the first and only super bowl appearance in franchise history. humphries executed the first successful two-point conversion in the super bowl (which was adopted by the nfl at the start of the 1994 season), throwing a pass to mark seay. they were greeted by 70,000 fans at san diego jack murphy stadium upon arriving back from pittsburgh. despite losing super bowl xxix to the san francisco 49ers 49-26, more than 100,000 fans greeted the chargers when they arrived back in san diego after the game.
stan humphries
the chargers would only appear and lose in three championship games since then. the chargers were set to defend their 1963 afl title in 1964 against the buffalo bills. however, a key play by mike stratton on keith lincoln would help the bills win, 20–7. the next year, the chargers played the bills again in the championship game and were shut out 23–0. the quarterback for the bills (and the game mvp) in both of those games was former charger jack kemp (and incidentally, those two championships would also be buffalo's last). in 1966, team owner and founder barron hilton was forced to sell off the team to appease the board of directors of hilton hotels. since hilton sold the team, the chargers have only had one super bowl appearance, in 1994, when they lost 49–26 to the san francisco 49ers, as san francisco quarterback and eventual mvp steve young threw for a super bowl–record six touchdowns. additionally, eight members of that 1994 chargers team, including team captain junior seau, died before the age of 45. since appearing in the super bowl, the chargers have fielded some dominant teams that appeared to be super bowl-type teams, only to take an early playoff exit. in 2004, the chargers finished 12-4 and hosted the new york jets in the wild card game, but they lost the game in overtime 20-17 despite rallying from a 17-7 fourth quarter deficit. in 2006, the chargers finished a league-best 14-2 and clinched the 1 seed in the afc playoffs. they hosted the new england patriots in the divisional round. late in the 4th quarter, with the chargers leading 21-13, patriots quarterback tom brady threw an interception to marlin mccree, which likely would've clinched victory. however, he was stripped of the ball by patriots wide receiver troy brown and the patriots recovered and took over in chargers territory. the patriots were able to tie the score at 21 and ultimately won the game 24-21 on a late field goal. this has since gone down as one of the greatest "what-ifs" in chargers history, going down as "what if marlin mccree holds on to the ball?". in 2007, the chargers finished 11-5 and won the afc west once again, and this time were able to advance to the afc championship game. despite praise from the media for philip rivers playing through a torn acl he had suffered the previous week in the division round win over the indianapolis colts, the chargers fell to the 17-0 new england patriots by a score of 21-12. since their super bowl appearance in 1994, this remains the only time the chargers have reached the afc championship game since that time. in 2008, the chargers became the first team in nfl history to start a season 4-8 and make the playoffs by winning their final 4 games, including a 52-21 victory in a win-and-in game over the denver broncos. after upsetting the indianapolis colts in the wild card game, the chargers lost to the pittsburgh steelers in the next round 35-24. in 2009, after a slow 2-3 start, the chargers won their last 11 games to finish the season at 13-3 and finish as the afc's number 2 seed. but in the divisional round against the new york jets, the chargers lost 17-14 which included 3 missed field goals by kicker nate kaeding. after the string of 4 consecutive afc west crowns from 2006-2009, the chargers only made the playoffs once in their final 7 seasons in san diego, in 2013 when they finished as the afc's number 6 seed after having won 4 in a row after a 5-7 start. they beat the cincinnati bengals in the wild card round 27-10, but lost to the denver broncos in the next round 24-17.
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