Editing Super Bowl XXIX (section)

===San Diego Chargers===
{{main|1994 San Diego Chargers season}}
The Chargers were the biggest surprise of the 1994 season, with very few expecting them to even reach the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.

San Diego suffered losing seasons in the 1980s until former [[Washington Redskins]] general manager [[Bobby Beathard]] joined the team in 1990. Beathard decided to rebuild the Chargers using the same model that he used to build the Redskins into Super Bowl contenders during the 1980s: a powerful running game built around big linemen, a passing game that helped sustain extremely long drives, and a bending but steady defense. After former [[Georgia Institute of Technology|Georgia Tech]] head coach [[Bobby Ross]] was hired by the [[1992 San Diego Chargers season|Chargers in 1992]], the team won the [[AFC West]] with an 11–5 regular season record and won an opening round playoff game against [[1992 Kansas City Chiefs season|Kansas City]]. But in [[1993 San Diego Chargers season|1993]], they slumped back to 8–8 and did not reach the postseason.

Before the start of the 1994 season, San Diego was not expected to do well because they had so many newcomers via the draft and free agency; the Chargers ended up with 22 new players on their roster, and 10 of them became starters. However, they ended up winning their first six regular season games en route to an 11–5 record, the AFC West championship, and the #2 AFC playoff [[Single-elimination tournament#Seeding|seed]]. The Chargers went into the final game of the season against the [[1994 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]] needing a win to get the #2 seed (a loss would have given that spot to the [[1994 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]]), which came with a first-round bye and a home game in the divisional round of the playoffs. Backup quarterback [[Gale Gilbert]], subbing for injured starter [[Stan Humphries]], led the Chargers to a come-from-behind 37–34 win, with [[John Carney (American football)|John Carney]] kicking a game-winning field goal in the game's final seconds.

The Chargers' offense was led by quarterback [[Stan Humphries]], who was the Redskins' backup to [[Mark Rypien]] during the [[1991 Washington Redskins season|1991 season]], when they won [[Super Bowl XXVI]]. During the 1994 season for San Diego, Humphries completed 264 out of 453 attempts for 3,209 yards and 17 touchdowns, with 12 interceptions. Wide receiver [[Mark Seay]] was the team's leading receiver with 58 receptions for 645 yards and 6 touchdowns. Wide receiver [[Tony Martin (American football)|Tony Martin]] had 50 catches for 885 yards and 7 touchdowns, wide receiver [[Shawn Jefferson]] recorded 43 catches for 627 yards and 3 touchdowns, and tight end [[Alfred Pupunu]] had 21 receptions for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Running back [[Natrone Means]] led the team in rushing with 1,350 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also recorded 39 receptions for 235 yards, and was named to the Pro Bowl. Third-down back [[Ronnie Harmon]] was also a big contributor, catching 58 passes for 615 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the Chargers' [[special teams]] was also a major threat with [[Andre Coleman]], who returned 49 kickoffs for 1,293 yards (26.4 average yards per return) and 2 touchdowns.

The Chargers had an excellent defensive line, anchored by Pro Bowl defensive end [[Leslie O'Neal]], who led the team with 12.5 sacks and forced four fumbles, defensive tackle [[Chris Mims]], who recorded 11 sacks, and [[Shawn Lee (American football)|Shawn Lee]], who added 6.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Their linebacking corps was led by [[Junior Seau]], who was a Pro Bowl selection for the fourth consecutive year, recording 123 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 3 fumble recoveries. Defensive back [[Stanley Richard]] was a major weapon in the secondary, recording 4 interceptions, 224 return yards, and 2 touchdowns. Defensive back [[Darrien Gordon]] was also a major asset to the team, recording 4 interceptions and 32 return yards, while also adding another 475 yards and 2 touchdowns returning punts. Safety [[Rodney Harrison]] was a rookie on the team.

Chargers backup quarterback [[Gale Gilbert]] became the first player to be a member of five consecutive Super Bowl teams. He had been a third-string quarterback for the [[Buffalo Bills]], who had won AFC Championships in the four previous seasons (1990–1993).