1987 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
---|---|
Owner | Lamar Hunt |
General manager | Jim Schaaf |
Head coach | Frank Gansz |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 4–11 |
Division place | 5th AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | 4
|
AP All-Pros | None |
The 1987 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League and the 28th overall. Under new head coach Frank Gansz, the Chiefs split their first two games, 1-1. The 1987 NFL season featured games predominantly played by replacement players, as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) players went on strike from weeks four to six with week three being cancelled across the league. The replacement players went 0–3. After the regulars returned, the Chiefs continued to struggle. They lost their next five games to stand at 1–9 and finished the season with a 4–11 record a year after making the playoffs in 1986.
One of the most tumultuous weeks in franchise history took place following the club's playoff loss against the Jets in the 1986 playoffs. Assistant head coach and special teams coach Frank Gansz, resigned his position on January 7 in order to pursue opportunities as an NFL offensive coordinator. [1] The following day, the Chiefs announced in an impromptu press conference that John Mackovic was relieved of his duties as head coach on January 8. A popular figure among Chiefs players, Gansz was reinstated on January 10 and was named the sixth head coach in franchise history. [1]
Former quarterback Len Dawson became the third Chiefs player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 8, [1] while injuries forced the retirement of the club's all-time leading tackler Gary Spani.
1987 Kansas City Chiefs draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 19 | Paul Palmer | Running back | Temple | |
2 | 35 | Christian Okoye * | Fullback | Azusa Pacific | |
3 | 73 | Todd Howard | Linebacker | Texas A&M | |
5 | 128 | Kitrick Taylor | Wide receiver | Washington State | |
7 | 186 | Doug Hudson | Quarterback | Nicholls State | |
8 | 218 | Michael Clemons | Running back | William & Mary | |
9 | 244 | Randy Watts | Defensive end | Catawba | |
10 | 271 | James Evans | Running back | Southern | |
11 | 298 | Craig Richardson | Wide receiver | Eastern Washington | |
12 | 325 | Bruce Holmes | Linebacker | Minnesota | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:
A duo of rookies made a splash in a 20–13 win on Opening Day against San Diego as running back Paul Palmer returned a kickoff for a TD and Christian Okoye dashed for 105 yards. [1] A 24-day players strike began on September 22, canceling the club's contest against Minnesota. [1] Replacement players participated in games for the next three weeks. Much like Marv Levy five years earlier, Gansz's grip on the club's coaching reins was crippled by the labor unrest. [1]
Kansas City's replacement squad consisted primarily of players cut in training camp. One of the few bright spots among the players was running back Jitter Fields, who remained on the active roster following the strike. [1] The Chiefs strike squad received an ominous welcome in Los Angeles when in the early morning hours of October 4, the day prior to a contest against the Raiders, an earthquake rattled Southern California. The shaken Chiefs lost a 35–17 decision later that day. The low point of the year came the following week at Miami in the first regular season game played at what then was known as Joe Robbie Stadium. Chiefs replacement QB Matt Stevens was injured early in the contest, forcing into duty backup quarterback Alex Espinoza, who had never taken an NFL snap. The result was a 42–0 Dolphins victory, setting the stage for an 0–3 performance by Kansas City's replacement unit, giving the Chiefs a 1–4 record before the club's regular roster returned at San Diego on October 25. [1] Five straight losses followed, giving the Chiefs a team-record nine-game losing skid. For the only time in team history, five different players started games at quarterback for the club. [1] Behind Kenney, Kansas City won two of its last three games to conclude the strike-shortened 4–11 campaign.
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HOF | August 8 | vs. San Francisco 49ers | L 7–20 | 0–1 | Fawcett Stadium (Canton, Ohio) | 23,826 | Recap |
1 | August 13 | at Houston Oilers | W 32–20 | 1–1 | Houston Astrodome | 30,147 | Recap |
2 | August 22 | Atlanta Falcons | W 13–10 | 2–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 39,164 | Recap |
3 | August 29 | Buffalo Bills | W 34–14 | 3–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 43,887 | Recap |
4 | September 6 | vs. St. Louis Cardinals | W 13–10 (OT) | 4–1 | Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN) | 62,353 | Recap |
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 13 | San Diego Chargers | W 20–13 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 56,940 | Recap |
2 | September 20 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 14–43 | 1–1 | Kingdome | 61,667 | Recap |
3 | September 27 | Minnesota Vikings | Cancelled due to players' strike | ||||
4 | October 4 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 17–35 | 1–2 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 10,708 | Recap |
5 | October 11 | at Miami Dolphins | L 0–42 | 1–3 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 25,867 | Recap |
6 | October 18 | Denver Broncos | L 17–26 | 1–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | 20,296 | Recap |
7 | October 25 | at San Diego Chargers | L 21–42 | 1–5 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 47,972 | Recap |
8 | November 1 | at Chicago Bears | L 28–31 | 1–6 | Soldier Field | 63,498 | Recap |
9 | November 8 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 16–17 | 1–7 | Arrowhead Stadium | 45,249 | Recap |
10 | November 15 | New York Jets | L 9–16 | 1–8 | Arrowhead Stadium | 40,718 | Recap |
11 | November 22 | Green Bay Packers | L 3–23 | 1–9 | Arrowhead Stadium | 34,611 | Recap |
12 | November 26 | at Detroit Lions | W 27–20 | 2–9 | Pontiac Silverdome | 43,820 | Recap |
13 | December 6 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 27–30 (OT) | 2–10 | Riverfront Stadium | 46,489 | Recap |
14 | December 13 | Los Angeles Raiders | W 16–10 | 3–10 | Arrowhead Stadium | 63,834 | Recap |
15 | December 19 | at Denver Broncos | L 17–20 | 3–11 | Mile High Stadium | 75,053 | Recap |
16 | December 27 | Seattle Seahawks | W 41–20 | 4–11 | Arrowhead Stadium | 20,370 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 |
Chiefs | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Seahawks | 3 | 14 | 20 | 6 | 43 |
at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
Raiders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Dolphins | 7 | 7 | 21 | 7 | 42 |
at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 9 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 26 |
Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Chargers | 14 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 42 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 28 |
Bears | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
Chiefs | 7 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 16 |
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 7 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 23 |
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
Lions | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
Bengals | 10 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 16 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Broncos | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Chiefs | 17 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
AFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Denver Broncos (1) | 10 | 4 | 1 | .700 | 7–1 | 8–3 | 379 | 288 | W2 |
Seattle Seahawks (5) | 9 | 6 | 0 | .600 | 4–3 | 5–6 | 371 | 314 | L1 |
San Diego Chargers | 8 | 7 | 0 | .533 | 3–4 | 6–7 | 253 | 317 | L6 |
Los Angeles Raiders | 5 | 10 | 0 | .333 | 2–6 | 3–8 | 301 | 289 | L3 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 11 | 0 | .267 | 3–5 | 3–9 | 273 | 388 | W1 |
The 2004 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 35th in the National Football League (NFL), their 45th overall and their 42nd in Kansas City.
The 2002 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall and the franchise's 40th in Kansas City, Missouri.
The 2001 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 32nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their 42nd overall. It was their first year under head coach Dick Vermeil and 13th under general manager Carl Peterson. They finished the regular season with a 6–10 record.
The 2000 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 31st in the National Football League (NFL), their 41st overall and their second and final season under head coach Gunther Cunningham. They failed to improve on their 9–7 record from 1999 and finished the season 7–9, marked by a series of on and off-field struggles and incidents.
The 1999 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 30th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 40th overall. The season began with the promotion of defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham to head coach following the resignation of Marty Schottenheimer after the Chiefs finished with a 7–9 record in 1998.
The 1998 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 39th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 29th overall.
The 1997 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 28th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 38th overall. The Chiefs improved on their 9–7 record from 1996, and finished with a 13–3 record and as AFC West division champions. The Rich Gannon–Elvis Grbac quarterback controversy was a focal point of the team's season. It brewed throughout the entire season and arguably cost the Chiefs a victory in the playoffs. The Chiefs were defeated by division rival and eventual Super Bowl champion, Denver Broncos, in the 1997 playoffs. 1997 was the final season the Chiefs appeared in the playoffs during the 1990s and for the next several seasons, they fell into futility. They did not return to the playoffs until 2003.
The 1996 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 27th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 37th overall. Following their loss to the Colts in the playoffs the year before, the Chiefs failed to improve their 13–3 record from 1995 and finishing 9–7 record and second-place finish in the AFC West. Despite being predicted as one of the eventual winners of Super Bowl XXXI by Sports Illustrated, the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 1989.
The 1994 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 25th season in the National Football League, the 32nd as the Kansas City Chiefs and the 35th overall. They failed to improve their 11–5 record from 1993 and finishing with a 9–7 record and Wild Card spot in the 1994–95 playoffs. The Chiefs lost to the Miami Dolphins 27–17 in the wild-card round. Alongside celebrating the NFL's 75th anniversary season, Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana retired following the season.
The 1992 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 23rd season in the National Football League and the 33rd overall. The Chiefs matched their 10–6 record from 1991, but were shut out by the San Diego Chargers 17–0 in the wild-card round.
The 1991 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 22nd season in the National Football League and 32nd overall. They failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1990 and finished with a 10–6 record. Compared to the Chiefs' 1990 campaign, Steve DeBerg’s consistency had dropped. The running game made up for lost time as Christian Okoye ran for 1,031 yards for the season, Barry Word was productive, and rookie Harvey Williams was outstanding in limited playing time. The Chiefs defeated their division rival, the Los Angeles Raiders in the Wild Card round, resulting in the franchise's first playoff victory since Super Bowl IV in 1970. The next week, the Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional playoffs.
The 1989 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 20th in the National Football League, their 30th overall and their first under head coach Marty Schottenheimer and general manager Carl Peterson. They improved on their 4–11–1 record from 1988 and finished with an 8–7–1 record. The Chiefs did not qualify for the playoffs in for the third straight year but did send four players to the Pro Bowl. The Chiefs Week 11 10–10 tie against the Cleveland Browns remains the most recent tie in Chiefs history.
The 1980 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 11th season in the National Football League and 21st overall. They improved from 1979 from a 7–9 to an 8–8 record, the most wins for the franchise since an 8–6 season in 1972, but missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season.
The 1981 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 12th season in the National Football League and 22nd overall. They improved from 1980 from an 8–8 record to a 9–7 record but missing the playoffs for the tenth consecutive season.
The 1982 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's strike-shortened 13th season in the National Football League and the 23rd overall.
The 1983 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League and the 24th overall. They matched on their 6–10 record and last place finish in the AFC West.
The 1984 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 15th season in the National Football League, the 22nd as the Kansas City Chiefs, and the 25th overall.
The 1985 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League and the 26th overall.
The 1986 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 17th season in the National Football League and the 27th overall. It ended with a 10–6 record, the most wins for the franchise since 1971. The Chiefs clinched a wild card playoff berth, but lost to the New York Jets 35–15.
The 1988 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 19th season in the National Football League and the 29th overall.