The 2021 season was the Los Angeles Chargers' 52nd season in the National Football League (NFL), their 62nd overall, their sixth in the Greater Los Angeles Area, their second playing their home games at SoFi Stadium and their first under head coach Brandon Staley. They improved upon their 7–9 season from the previous year after a win over the New York Giants, finishing 9–8 but narrowly missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season after a Week 18 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. In that game, they were beaten by a field goal as time expired in overtime when a tie would have put both teams in the playoffs.