| Team: | San Diego Chargers |
| Year: | 1972 |
| Record: | 4–9–1 |
| Division Place: | 4th AFC West |
| Coach: | Harland Svare |
| 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 third season in the National Football League (NFL), and its 13th overall. The team failed to improve on their 6–8 record in 1971. The Chargers would get off to a poor start, as they were devoured 34-3 in their season opener at San Francisco. After their week 2 win against the Denver Broncos, the Chargers would play to a 17-17 draw with another cross-state rival, the Oakland Raiders. It was San Diego's fourth tie in 3 seasons (they tied 3 times in 1970). Even after they defeated the Baltimore Colts in the week following the tie, the Bolts would stumble the rest of the year, winning only 2 more games en route to a 4-9-1 season. This squad featured several players like Duane Thomas, Tim Rossovich, Dave Costa and John Mackey who were unwanted by most of the other NFL teams.[2]
See main article: 1972 NFL draft.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 3–34 | 0–1 | Candlestick Park | 59,438 | Recap | |
| 2 | September 24 | Denver Broncos | W 37–14 | 1–1 | San Diego Stadium | 49,048 | Recap | |
| 3 | October 1 | at Oakland Raiders | T 17–17 | 1–1–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 53,455 | Recap | |
| 4 | October 8 | at Baltimore Colts | W 23–20 | 2–1–1 | Memorial Stadium | 55,459 | Recap | |
| 5 | October 15 | at Miami Dolphins | L 10–24 | 2–2–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 80,010 | Recap | |
| 6 | October 22 | at Detroit Lions | L 20–34 | 2–3–1 | Tiger Stadium | 54,371 | Recap | |
| 7 | October 29 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–26 | 2–4–1 | San Diego Stadium | 54,533 | Recap | |
| 8 | November 5 | Dallas Cowboys | L 28–34 | 2–5–1 | San Diego Stadium | 54,476 | Recap | |
| 9 | Cleveland Browns | L 17–21 | 2–6–1 | San Diego Stadium | 54,205 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 19 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 27–17 | 3–6–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 79,011 | Recap | |
| 11 | November 26 | Houston Oilers | W 34–20 | 4–6–1 | San Diego Stadium | 46,289 | Recap | |
| 12 | December 3 | Oakland Raiders | L 19–21 | 4–7–1 | San Diego Stadium | 54,611 | Recap | |
| 13 | December 10 | at Denver Broncos | L 13–38 | 4–8–1 | Mile High Stadium | 51,478 | Recap | |
| 14 | December 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 2–24 | 4–9–1 | San Diego Stadium | 52,873 | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||||
In their last game for the year, the Chargers became the thirty-third team in the NFL or leagues that merged with the NFL to score only a safety in a full game. This unusual occurrence has been repeated only five times since: by the 1980 Buffalo Bills, the 1983 Minnesota Vikings, the 1993 Cincinnati Bengals, the 2011 Atlanta Falcons (the only team to do so in a playoff game) and the 2013 Jacksonville Jaguars.