NFL 25 Dream Teams that ended up being failures

NFL 25 Dream Teams that ended up being failures: 16. 2006 San Diego Chargers

This one is much, much different than any team on this list. The 2006 San Diego Chargers were the opposite of a disappointment in the regular season. Ladainian Tomlinson was the best player in the NFL. Philip Rivers was a superstar in his first season after taking over for Drew Brees. Marty Schottenheimer was hitting all the right buttons as head coach, and the Chargers won 14 games. It was one of the best regular seasons of the decade.

Then it ended as quickly as the playoffs started. They faced the New England Patriots. They were a couple years removed from three Super Bowls in four years, but they still had a stacked team. Still, the Chargers were better. They had no weaknesses. Shawn Merriman was one of the best defensive players in the league. Vincent Jackson was making plays all over the field.

And as quickly as the Chargers rose to prominence, it was over. Stephen Gostkowski kicked a field goal with one minute left in the Divisional Round game, and it was over.

This is one of the most stacked teams of this century. Everyone was super young, but not too young. The team was hungry. They had a good mix of veterans to keep them grounded. They had a veteran head coach. And it just ended. The Chargers overreacted to the loss, firing Schottenheimer when the season ended. The team was never as good as it was this season, as Merriman was hurt by injuries and Tomlinson’s dominance started to wain. This was their chance, but they were foiled by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.