Micheal Spurlock's 99-yard kickoff return for a TD in Week 17 was one of the Chargers' few 2012 highlights. (US Presswire)

The 2012 Chargers (7-9) will be remembered more for their lowlights than their highlights. The lowlights were not just bad, they were historic!

Highlights:

  • Beating the Steelers on the road in Week 14 -- San Diego was 0-14 in regular-season games in Pittsburgh. It seemed like a foregone conclusion the streak would continue. The Bolts came into the game with three replacements on their O-line. QB Philip Rivers had already been sacked 36 times and had thrown 15 INTs. But against Pittsburgh, Rivers was only sacked once, and he avoided the pick in the 34-24 win. K Nick Novak also nailed a 51-yard field goal for only the fifth of 50 yards or longer at Heinz Field.

     
  • 11 sacks against the Jets in Week 16 -- The biggest goal in the offseason was to improve the pass rush. There was improvement, but sacks remained elusive. That was until the defense faced Jets QB Greg McElroy in his first career start. McElroy was sacked 11 times in a 27-17 Chargers win. DE Kendall Reyes (round two, 49th overall) led the carnage with 3.5 sacks.

     
  • Spurlock takes it to the house vs. Raiders in Week 17 -- WR-KR Micheal Spurlock took the game's opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in a 24-21 win over the Raiders in the season finale. The play marked the first time in franchise history a player had returned a punt and a kickoff for a TD in consecutive weeks. Spurlock also put San Diego on the board first with a 63-yard punt return for a TD against the Jets in Week 16. 

Lowlights:

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  • Blowing a 24-0 halftime lead and losing to the Broncos on MNF in Week 6 -- The Chargers (3-2) had a 24-0 halftime lead at home over the Broncos (2-3) on MNF. Even a below-average performance in the second half would have secured San Diego a two-game lead in the AFC West, plus a tiebreaker. What actually transpired was one of the worst 30 minutes in franchise history. QB Peyton Manning was 13 of 14 for 167 yards in the second half with three TDs. Meanwhile, Rivers was intercepted three times in the fourth quarter and had two lost fumbles. Rivers finished the game with four INTs and six turnovers, both career highs. The Broncos won 35-24. It was the first time in NFL history that a team down by 24 points had won by double digits, and it was only the fourth time in the Super Bowl era that a team had won after trailing by 24 points at the half.

     
  • Fourth-and-29 against the Ravens in Week 12 -- The Chargers led the Ravens 13-10 in the closing minutes. All San Diego had to do to win was make a stop on 4th-and-29. RB Ray Rice got the ball on a dump pass and proceeded to make seven defenders miss before reaching the first-down marker. The last time a first down of that length had been converted without a penalty was a Bills 4th-and-34 conversion in 2001. The Ravens tied the game on a field goal, then added three more points in OT for the win. After the game, Rice coined a phrase for the play: "Hey diddle diddle, Ray Rice up the middle."

     
  • Blowing a 10-point lead against the Saints in Week 5 -- QB Drew Brees broke Hall of Fame QB Johnny Unitas' half-century-old record by throwing a touchdown pass in his 48th straight game. That was early in the game; the worst was yet to come. With the Chargers up 24-14 late in the third quarter, ILB Demorrio Williams intercepted Brees and returned the pick for an apparent TD. The play was nullified when OLB Melvin Ingram (round one, 18th overall) was called for roughing the passer. The extended drive resulted in a TD, and the then winless Saints (0-4) came back to win 31-24.

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