in the first two games, both wins, then no touchdowns and five interceptions in the following two, both defeats. 1978–1986: Leader of Air Coryell 1978 season The Chargers drafted wide receiver John Jefferson in the first round of the 1978 draft, and he caught two touchdown passes from Fouts in his debut, as the Chargers beat Seattle in Week 1 of the 1978 season. San Diego lost their next three and Prothro resigned, to be replaced by Coryell. He installed the explosive offensive system that would become known as Air Coryell during an eight-year reign as Chargers head coach, led on the field by Fouts. San Diego lost three of Coryell's first four games, slipping to a 2–6 record at the midway point of the season. They won their next four games in a row; In the third of these, Fouts threw a 14-yard touchdown to Jefferson as time expired in overtime, to beat Kansas City 29–23. Fouts missed the return match with the Chiefs through injury, and the Chargers were shut out. He returned for the final three games, winning all of them to give him seven consecutive victories as a starter; he passed frequently during these three games, throwing for over 900 yards and 9 touchdowns, while the Chargers averaged over 40 points per game. Fouts earned praise for his performances during the strong finish. The Chargers finished 9–7, missing the playoffs. As a team, they led the league in passing yards. Fouts himself was sixth in the NFL with 2,999 passing yards, first in yards per attempt (7.9), fourth in completion percentage (58.8%) and touchdowns (24), and third in passer rating (83.0). He threw more touchdowns than interceptions for the first time in his career (24–20), and combined frequently with Jefferson, who led the league with 13 touchdown receptions. That season, the NFL had adopted a rule change to free up the passing game, prohibiting defenders from making contact with receivers past five yards from the line of scrimmage. 1979 season The Chargers finished 12–4 in 1979, winning the AFC West and reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1965. The offseason featured the arrival of another major target for Fouts. Tight end Kellen Winslow, the Chargers' 1st-round pick in the 1979 Draft, missed half of his rookie season with a broken leg, but played a huge role in the Charger offense from 1980 through to