| Team: | San Diego Chargers |
| Year: | 1971 |
| Record: | 6–8 |
| Division Place: | 3rd AFC West |
| Coach: | Sid Gillman (games 1-10) Harland Svare (games 11-14) |
| General Manager: | Harland Svare |
| Owner: | Eugene V. Klein |
| Stadium: | San Diego Stadium |
| Ap All-Pros: | None[1] |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Shortnavlink: | Chargers seasons |
The San Diego Chargers season was the franchise's second season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 12th overall. The team improved on their 5–6–3 record in 1970. It was Harland Svare's first season as the team's head coach. After a 1–4 start, the Chargers would slightly improve, winning 3 of their next 4 games. However, they would lose 3 of their final 5 games en route to a 6-8 finish. The only bright spot was quarterback John Hadl who completed 233 passes out of 431 attempts for 3,075 yards and 21 touchdowns and won the NFL Man of the Year award as well as leading the league in both passing yards and touchdown passes.
See main article: 1971 NFL draft.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 21–14 | 1–0 | San Diego Stadium | 54,061 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 26 | Oakland Raiders | L 0–34 | 1–1 | San Diego Stadium | 54,084 | Recap | |
| 3 | October 3 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 17–21 | 1–2 | Three Rivers Stadium | 44,339 | Recap | |
| 4 | October 10 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 10–31 | 1–3 | Municipal Stadium | 50,514 | Recap | |
| 5 | October 17 | at Denver Broncos | L 16–20 | 1–4 | Mile High Stadium | 51,200 | Recap | |
| 6 | Buffalo Bills | W 20–3 | 2–4 | San Diego Stadium | 49,261 | Recap | ||
| 7 | October 31 | New York Jets | W 49–21 | 3–4 | San Diego Stadium | 44,786 | Recap | |
| 8 | November 7 | at New York Giants | L 17–35 | 3–5 | Yankee Stadium | 62,905 | Recap | |
| 9 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 20–17 | 4–5 | San Diego Stadium | 46,486 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 21 | at Oakland Raiders | L 33–34 | 4–6 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 54,681 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 28 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 0–31 | 4–7 | Riverfront Stadium | 59,580 | Recap | |
| 12 | December 5 | Minnesota Vikings | W 30–14 | 5–7 | San Diego Stadium | 54,505 | Recap | |
| 13 | December 12 | Denver Broncos | W 45–17 | 6–7 | San Diego Stadium | 44,347 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 19 | at Houston Oilers | L 33–49 | 6–8 | Houston Astrodome | 35,959 | Recap |