The Top 5 Chargers Teams of All Time

The San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers have never won a Super Bowl, but they still have featured some great teams over the years, including ones that should have won the Super Bowl, but instead ended their year in heartbreak.

With that in mind, it's time to rank the top five Chargers teams of all time. For this exercise, no back-to-back teams will be included, which is why the 1980 Chargers are notably off the list.

1. 2006 Chargers

The 2006 San Diego Chargers were absolutely dominant during the regular season, going 14-2 and heading into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. The team excelled on the heel of running back LaDanian Tomlinson's record-setting season. Tomlinson led the NFL in rushing as he rushed for 1,815 yards. He set the NFL single-season rushing touchdown record with 28 touchdowns and total touchdowns record with 31. He was named the NFL MVP and NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Tomlinson, Lorenzo Neal, Antonio Gates, Jamal Williams, and Shawne Merriman were all first-team All-Pros, and the Chargers had more Pro Bowlers than any other team. According to many this was the Chargers were the best team in the NFL that year.

Unfortunately for the Chargers, they fell short of their Super Bowl potential. During the AFC Divisional Round against the New England Patriots, the Chargers committed four turnovers. Still, they had the chance to win the game, especially when Marlon McCree intercepted Tom Brady. However, McCree fumbled the interception and the Patriots scored. The Chargers drove back into field goal range, but missed what could have been a game-tying kick.

2. 1963 Chargers

The lone Chargers championship-winning team, the 1963 Chargers were the AFL champions. Coached by legendary offensive mind Sid Gillman, the Chargers went 11-3 and defeated the Boston Patriots to win their one championship in franchise history. The victory was a 51-10 domination.

The team was led by quarterback Tobin Rote, who was the AFL MVP that year. His top target was wide receiver Lance 'Bambi' Alworth, who put up his first 1,000 yards season. They helped the Chargers lead the AFL in yards that season. Rote and Alworth were two of the Chargers' five first-team All-Pros that year, along with Earl Faison, Keith Lincoln, and Ron Mix. Eleven players total were named to the AFL All-Star game.

3. 1981 Chargers

During the heights of the "Air Coryell" Chargers, the 1981 Chargers were part of a four-year stretch in which the team made the playoffs four straight times and part of the three-year stretch in which they led the NFL in offense every year.

Led by a phenomenal offense featuring quarterback Dan Fouts, running back Chuck Muncie, tight end Kellen Winslow, and receivers Wes Chandler and Charlie Joiner, the Chargers advanced all the way to the AFC Championship Game, where they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the infamous "Freezer Bowl."

Overall, Fouts led the NFL with a career-high 4,802 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. Muncie led the NFL with 19 rushing touchdowns, and Chandler, Joiner, and Winslow all went for over 1,000 yards.

4. 1994 Chargers

The 1994 Chargers are the only Chargers team to have advanced to the Super Bowl. They do not rank higher as they were absolutely thrashed by the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, who defeated them 49-26. They also had just two first-team All-Pros and few true stars for a Super Bowl team.

The best player on the team was Junior Seau, who was eventually inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was a first-team All-Pro, Pro Bowler, and the NFL Man of the Year that season after putting up a career-high 154 total tackles.

5. 2009 Chargers

Like the 2006 squad, the 2009 Chargers featured stars like Phillip Rivers, Antonio Gates, LaDanian Tomlinson, Shawne Merriman, and Antonio Cromartie. The team was hot throughout much of the regular season, winning their last eleven games of the year on their way to their fourth straight division title. Unlike the 2006 team, this squad was coached by Norv Turner, as Marty Schottenheimer was fired after the 2006 campaign.

They rank lower than the other teams as they only had one All-Pro, and fell short in the playoffs. They fell short of a playoff victory to the Mark Sanchez-led New York Jets.

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