1985 Kansas City Chiefs season

Last updated

1985 Kansas City Chiefs season
Owner Lamar Hunt
General manager Jim Schaaf
Head coach John Mackovic
Home field Arrowhead Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place5th AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
All-Pros
2
A ticket for a December 1985 game between the Chiefs and the Denver Broncos. Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos 1985-12-14 (ticket).jpg
A ticket for a December 1985 game between the Chiefs and the Denver Broncos.

The 1985 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League and the 26th overall.

Contents

The Chiefs got off to a great start in 1985 with a 47–27 win at New Orleans, while safety Deron Cherry tied an NFL record by registering four interceptions in a 28–7 win against Seattle on September 29 as the club boasted a 3–1 record four games into the season. [1] The club was then confronted with a seven-game losing streak (amidst, nonetheless, the neighboring Kansas City Royals's World Series run) that wasn’t snapped until quarterback Todd Blackledge was installed as the starter against Indianapolis on November 24. The team rebounded to win three of its final five contests of the year with Blackledge under center, further inflaming a quarterback controversy that continued into the 1986 season. [1]

Among these wins was the first time since 1972 that the Chiefs played the Atlanta Falcons, and merely the second in team history. [2] The reason for this is that before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team's division were much more influenced by table position during the previous season. [3]

One of the few remaining bright spots in a disappointing 6–10 season came in the regular season finale against San Diego when wide receiver Stephone Paige set an NFL record with 309 receiving yards in a 38–34 win, breaking the previous mark of 303 yards set by Cleveland's Jim Benton in 1945. Paige's mark was subsequently surpassed by a 336-yard effort by Flipper Anderson (Los Angeles Rams) in 1989. [1]

Offseason

NFL draft

1985 Kansas City Chiefs Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
115 Ethan Horton Tight end North Carolina
241 Jonathan Hayes Tight end Iowa
499 Bob Olderman Guard Virginia
5126 Bruce King Fullback Purdue
6149 John Bostic Defensive end Bethune–Cookman
7180Vince ThomsonDefensive end Missouri Western
7183Dave HeffernanGuard Miami (FL)
8210 Ira Hillary Wide receiver South Carolina
9237Earl Johnson Defensive back Southwest Missouri State
10267 Jeff Smith Running back Nebraska
11293Chris Jackson Center SMU

Personnel

Staff / Coaches

1985 Kansas City Chiefs staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning


Roster

1985 Kansas City Chiefs roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Reserve


Rookies in italics

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1August 10at Cincinnati Bengals W 35–271–0 Riverfront Stadium 41,115 Recap
2August 17 New England Patriots L 13–311–1 Arrowhead Stadium 35,162 Recap
3August 24at Houston Oilers W 24–192–1 Houston Astrodome 36,501 Recap
4August 31 St. Louis Cardinals W 17–133–1 Arrowhead Stadium 38,618 Recap

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueAttendanceRecap
1 September 8at New Orleans Saints W 47–271–0 Louisiana Superdome 57,760 Recap
2 September 12 Los Angeles Raiders W 36–202–0 Arrowhead Stadium 72,686 Recap
3 September 22at Miami Dolphins L 0–312–1 Miami Orange Bowl 69,791 Recap
4September 29 Seattle Seahawks W 28–73–1Arrowhead Stadium50,485 Recap
5 October 6at Los Angeles Raiders L 10–193–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 55,133 Recap
6October 13at San Diego Chargers L 20–313–3 Jack Murphy Stadium 50,067 Recap
7October 20 Los Angeles Rams L 0–163–4Arrowhead Stadium64,474 Recap
8October 27 Denver Broncos L 10–303–5Arrowhead Stadium68,246 Recap
9November 3at Houston Oilers L 20–233–6 Houston Astrodome 41,238 Recap
10November 10 Pittsburgh Steelers L 28–363–7Arrowhead Stadium46,126 Recap
11November 17at San Francisco 49ers L 3–313–8 Candlestick Park 56,447 Recap
12November 24 Indianapolis Colts W 20–74–8Arrowhead Stadium21,762 Recap
13December 1at Seattle Seahawks L 6–244–9 Kingdome 52,655 Recap
14December 8 Atlanta Falcons W 38–105–9Arrowhead Stadium18,199 Recap
15December 14at Denver Broncos L 13–145–10 Mile High Stadium 69,209 Recap
16December 22 San Diego Chargers W 38–346–10Arrowhead Stadium18,178 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at New Orleans Saints

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs101671447
Saints3002427

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Raiders

Week 2: Los Angeles Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders770620
Chiefs3917736

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 3: at Miami Dolphins

Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs00000
Dolphins00141731

at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida

Game information

Week 4: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 4: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Seahawks00707
Chiefs1477028

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 5: at Los Angeles Raiders

Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs300710
Raiders0103619

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Game information

Week 6 : at San Diego Chargers

Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs3143020
Chargers01701431

at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 13
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Clear and Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 50,067
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone and Dave Rowe
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 7: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 7: Los Angeles Rams at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Rams0133016
Chiefs00000

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 8: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 8: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Broncos10170330
Chiefs073010

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 9: at Houston Oilers

Week 9: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Oilers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs0331420
Oilers0614323

at Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 3
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 41,238
  • Referee: Jim Tunney
  • TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Sam Rutigliano
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 10: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 10: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Steelers10173636
Chiefs7701428

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 10
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 39 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 46,126
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Griese
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 11: Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs30003
49ers3147731

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Clear skies, 56 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 56,447
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (NBC): Gary Gerould and Dave Rowe
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 12: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week 12: Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts00077
Chiefs7103020

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 13: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs30306
Seahawks3147024

at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: December 1
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 52,655
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Reggie Rucker
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 14: Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Falcons0100010
Chiefs141014038

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 15: at Denver Broncos

Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs303713
Broncos070714

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Week 16 : vs. San Diego Chargers

Week 16: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chargers3372134
Chiefs7283038

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 22
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 45 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 18,178
  • Referee: Tom Dooley
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Jimmy Cefalo
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Standings

AFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
Los Angeles Raiders (1)1240.7505–39–3354308W6
Denver Broncos 1150.6885–38–4380329W2
Seattle Seahawks 880.5004–46–6349303L2
San Diego Chargers 880.5003–57–7467435L1
Kansas City Chiefs 6100.3753–54–8317360W1

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Kansas City Chiefs History 1980's". Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  2. Atlanta Falcons v Kansas City Chiefs
  3. History of the NFL’s Structure and Formats