This is a great time of year to be thankful for what we have, where we have been, and what the future holds. Although the Chargers have lost their way a bit in recent years, the month of December used to hold such incredible promise! This advent calendar is an attempt to hearken back to these days of December joy. Each day will bring a new advent from the Bolts’ history that makes it wonderful to be a Chargers fan.

Dec. 24: Playoff Wins

Special thanks goes to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune for much of this information and commentary!

In addition to winning the American Football League title in 1963 and losing in Super Bowl XXIX, the Chargers are 1-3 in AFC Championship games.

Overall, the San Diego Chargers are 10-16 in playoff games. Before the AFL-NFL merger, the Chargers were 1-4 in AFL title games.

Photo by Mark Cornelison/Lexington Herald-Leader/MCT via Getty Images

A year-by-year review of the good times:

1963: The Chargers routed the Boston Patriots 51-10, gaining 610 total yards en route to their only championship.

1980: The Chargers beat Buffalo 20-14 in the first round of the playoffs.

1981: This was a 41-38 overtime win over the Dolphins in Miami. This was already referenced as part of this Advent Calendar series on December 7th. The Hook and Ladder game was a league treasure!

1982: The Chargers opened with a 31-28 win at Pittsburgh in their first appearance ever in the wild-card round.

1992: Back in the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Chargers pitched a 17-0 shutout vs. Kansas City in a wild-card game.

1994: January 8, 1995 - The Chargers’ only Super Bowl season opened with a 22-21 win over the Dolphins at Jack Murphy Stadium

1994: January 15, 1995 - The Chargers then traveled to Pittsburgh to win the AFC championship 17-13. Stan Humphries passed for two touchdowns and linebacker Dennis Gibson broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone in the waning seconds to preserve the victory.

2007: January 6, 2008 - The Bolts defeated the Tennessee 17-6 in a wild-card game at Qualcomm Stadium,

2007: January 13, 2008 - The Chargers went on the road to score a 28-24 victory over Peyton Manning and the Colts in Indianapolis.

2008: For the second straight season, the Chargers beat Indianapolis to eliminate the Colts from the playoffs — this time by a 23-17 score on Darren Sproles’ 22-yard run in overtime of the wild-card round.

2013: The Chargers snuck into the playoffs and lovingly crushed the Bengals and their postseason dreams, 27-10.

-Jason “Merry Her? I Hardly Know Her!” Michaels