The Los Angeles Chargers have had a lot of success dating back to their days when they were the San Diego Chargers. In the 1970's and '80s, there were some good teams, but a lot of the big success for the Chargers came after they brought in Philip Rivers to be their franchise quarterback. The 2006 squad for the Chargers was loaded with talent, and even though it didn't end the right way, that doesn't take away from how much success the team found.

On offense, the Chargers were led by Rivers, Antonio Gates, and LaDainian Tomlinson, who had one of the best seasons ever for a running back. On defense, they also had a lot of star power led by linebacker Shawne Merriman, defensive tackle Jamal Williams, and cornerback Quentin Jammer.

Heading into the season there was a big distraction surrounding the team. Days before the start of the 2006 season, linebacker Steve Foley was shot after a confrontation with an off-duty police officer. During the season, Shaun Phillips took over doing a fine job of filling in for Foley.

San Diego opened up the season in impressive fashion over the Oakland Raiders. The defense stepped up giving up zero points, which led to a blowout victory. Rivers made his NFL starting debut (after Drew Brees' departure) throwing for 108 yards and one touchdown.

In Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, they were strong on both sides of the ball again. The offense put up 40 points, leading to another blowout victory.

After a bye in Week 3, the Chargers had a late-game collapse against the Baltimore Ravens, which led to a three-point loss. The next game for San Diego was the most impressive win of the season, just based on circumstances. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the defending Super Bowl champions, but the Chargers made easy work of them, winning 23-13. The San Francisco 49ers were no match for them the following week, allowing San Diego to put up 48 points on the way to another blowout victory.

In Week 7, the offense was good against the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Chargers defense let them down giving up 30 points, leading to their second loss of the season.

Weeks 8, 9, 10 and 11 the Chargers' offense was elite scoring at least 32 points in each of the four games. Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego gave up 21 points unanswered in the first quarter, but its offense came storming back on the way to a 49-41 victory.

In Weeks 12 and 13, the offense didn't score more than 24 points, but the defense stepped up to win two more games. The Chargers closed out the season with four straight wins, and going into the playoffs it really looked like the Chargers were Super Bowl material. The Chargers had a first-round bye because of their 14-2 regular-season record. In the divisional round, the Chargers hosted the New England Patriots.

The Chargers were leading 14-10 at halftime, but the offense struggled to gain traction in the second two quarters, They did find the end zone once, but it wasn't enough. The Patriots won 24-21 and dashed San Diego's hope of winning a first title.

Even though the season ended in heartbreak, this was a special team that will always be remembered, especially by Chargers fans. 11 Chargers were named to the Pro Bowl led by Tomlinson, who had a record year rushing 1,815 yards. He also set the NFL record with 28 rushing touchdowns and 31 total touchdowns.

Tomlinson was also given the Bert Bell Award, which is given by the Maxwell Football Club to the player of the year in the NFL.