2005 Kansas City Chiefs season

Last updated

2005 Kansas City Chiefs season
Owner Lamar Hunt
General manager Carl Peterson
Head coach Dick Vermeil
Home field Arrowhead Stadium
Results
Record10–6
Division place2nd AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
AP All-Pros
4
  • RB Larry Johnson (2nd team)
  • T Willie Roaf (2nd team)
  • G Will Shields (2nd team)
  • G Brian Waters (1st team)
Uniform
Kc chiefs uniforms.png

The 2005 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 36th in the National Football League (NFL), their 46th overall, and their fifth and final season under head coach Dick Vermeil.

Contents

The team improved on their 7–9 record from 2004 to a decent 10–6 record, but missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Chiefs became the sixth 10–6 team to fail to qualify for the playoffs since the NFL introduced the wild card.

The Chiefs drafted Derrick Johnson and Dustin Colquitt in the 2005 NFL draft. Both players would eventually become fan favorites. Johnson would play for the Chiefs until 2017 and Colquitt would play for the team until their Super Bowl championship season in 2019.

The final season of head coach Dick Vermeil was a swan song for one of the NFL's most prolific offensive squads in years, and the breakout season of running back Larry Johnson, who finished the season with 1,750 rushing yards in only nine starts. After running back Priest Holmes was injured in week 8 against the San Diego Chargers, Johnson took over the reins of the Chiefs’ offense and it almost resulted in a playoff berth.

For the 2005 campaign, the Chiefs brought several new players to boost a defense that has finished among the worst units the past three years. Starting with first draft pick, linebacker Derrick Johnson from the University of Texas, free agent linebacker Kendrell Bell, free agent safety Sammy Knight, and also trading for cornerback Patrick Surtain from the Miami Dolphins for a second-round draft pick, the Chiefs had high hopes for the 2005 season.

Season summary

The Chiefs got off to a 2–0 start, winning their Week 1 home-opener against the New York Jets and then went on the road to beat their division-rival Oakland Raiders. However, they then lost at Invesco Field at Mile High 30–10 to the Denver Broncos, another division rival. Then in Week 4, the Chiefs hosted the Philadelphia Eagles. Kansas City got off to a fast start and led 24–13 at halftime. However, the Eagles managed to come back and beat the Chiefs, the latter of which would lose the game, 37–31. The Chiefs used their Bye Week in Week 5 to regroup, and managed to win at home against the Washington Redskins, 28–21.

The Chiefs had little time to celebrate because they were informed that because Hurricane Wilma was going to impact Miami on Sunday; they would have to face the Dolphins two days earlier. Despite the sudden change of the schedule, the Chiefs managed to win against the Miami Dolphins 30–20. [1] However, despite having over a week to prepare, they couldn't defeat the San Diego Chargers on the road and lost 28–20. The Chiefs would rebound at home and win a well-fought rematch with their arch-rivals, the Oakland Raiders, with a final of 27–23. However, the Chiefs' next game would not fare as well, as they ended losing the Buffalo Bills, despite outgaining them in yards from scrimmage.

Running back Priest Holmes was injured in the Week 8 matchup against the Chargers. Holmes was injured by Chargers rookie linebacker Shawne Merriman and suffered severe head and neck trauma. Larry Johnson entered the game and claimed the starting position for the remainder of the season, an event which would eventually lead to Johnson's selection in the 2006 Pro Bowl.

The Chiefs would then proceed to start a three-game winning streak going. First, they would beat the 1–8 Houston Texans on Sunday night and then they would win back-to-back home games against the two-time defending champion New England Patriots and then a win over the Denver Broncos. In the following weeks, the Chiefs had a huge disadvantage with back-to-back interconference road losses to the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants.

Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt was honored before the Week 14 game against the Dallas Cowboys and had the honors of the pre-game coin-flip. Hunt was recognized for his contributions to the City of Dallas, and his establishment of the American Football League's Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs), one of the Cowboys’ AFL rivals.

The Chiefs were able to keep their very slim playoff hopes alive after a 20–7 home victory over the Chargers in week 16.

In week 17, the Chiefs needed a Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Detroit Lions, a Chargers loss or tie to the Broncos, and a victory against the Cincinnati Bengals to reach the playoffs. On December 31, 2005, Dick Vermeil announced at a team meeting of his intention to retire following the season. The news leaked out of the team meeting and national news sources soon began reporting it. The following day, the Chiefs soundly defeated the Bengals, who had already clinched a playoff berth, by a final score of 37–3. With the clock winding down on the game and potentially Vermeil's coaching career, Vermeil was met with enormous applause and chants of "one more year." Vermeil received a Gatorade bath from Jared Allen and Lional Dalton to commemorate both his last game at Arrowhead Stadium and final regular season game; [2] however, it also turned out to be his final game as the Steelers won over the Lions 35–21, taking AFC Wild Card #2 and thereby ending the Chiefs season. The Steelers eventually won Super Bowl XL, becoming the first sixth-seeded team to play in and win the Super Bowl.

Offseason

Speculation on Dick Vermeil's future

Speculation was heavy over the future of coach Dick Vermeil's job in Kansas City for the 2006 season. Vermeil initially signed on with the Chiefs for three years, but was entering his fifth. The 69-year-old Vermeil entered the season as the oldest current head coach in the NFL.

Free agents

The Chiefs attempted to bulk up their weak defense with veteran free agents who have proven themselves in the past. With the acquisitions of Kendrell Bell, Sammy Knight, and Patrick Surtain, the Chiefs had high hopes for the 2005 season.

Draft

2005 Kansas City Chiefs draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
115 Derrick Johnson Linebacker Texas
399 Dustin Colquitt Punter Tennessee
4116 Craphonso Thorpe Wide receiver Florida State
5138 Boomer Grigsby Linebacker Illinois State
5147 Alphonso Hodge Cornerback Miami (OH)
6187 Will Svitek Offensive tackle Stanford
6199 Khari Long Defensive end Baylor
7229 James Kilian Quarterback Tulsa
7238 Jeremy Parquet Offensive tackle Southern Miss

Staff

2005 Kansas City Chiefs staff

Front office

  • Founder – Lamar Hunt
  • President/general manager/chief executive officer – Carl Peterson
  • Chairman of the board – Jack Steadman
  • Vice chairman of the board – Clark Hunt
  • Executive vice president/assistant general manager – Dennis Thum
  • Vice president of football operations/player personnel – Lynn Stiles
  • Director of football administration – Mike White
  • Director of pro personnel – Bill Kuharich

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Roster

2005 Kansas City Chiefs final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 6 inactive, 8 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 12at Minnesota Vikings L 16–270–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recap
2August 20 Arizona Cardinals L 17–240–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
3August 27 Seattle Seahawks L 17–230–3Arrowhead Stadium Recap
4September 2at St. Louis Rams L 23–270–4 Edward Jones Dome Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs306716
Vikings7130727

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: August 12
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 63,621
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 2: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 2: Arizona Cardinals at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cardinals0017724
Chiefs1000717

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: August 20
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Overcast, 80 °F (27 °C)
  • Game attendance: 76,173
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 3: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 3: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Seahawks7310323
Chiefs770317

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: August 27
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Fair, 87 °F (31 °C)
  • Game attendance: 74,158
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at St. Louis Rams

Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs3170323
Rams3710727

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

  • Date: September 2
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 65,284
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1 September 11 New York Jets W 27–71–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
2 September 18at Oakland Raiders W 23–172–0 McAfee Coliseum Recap
3 September 26at Denver Broncos L 10–302–1 Invesco Field at Mile High Recap
4 October 2 Philadelphia Eagles L 31–372–2Arrowhead Stadium Recap
5 Bye
6 October 16 Washington Redskins W 28–213–2Arrowhead Stadium Recap
7 October 21at Miami Dolphins W 30–204–2 Dolphins Stadium Recap
8 October 30at San Diego Chargers L 20–284–3 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
9 November 6 Oakland Raiders W 27–235–3Arrowhead Stadium Recap
10 November 13at Buffalo Bills L 3–145–4 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap
11 November 20at Houston Texans W 45–176–4 Reliant Stadium Recap
12 November 27 New England Patriots W 26–167–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
13 December 4 Denver Broncos W 31–278–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
14 December 11at Dallas Cowboys L 28–318–5 Texas Stadium Recap
15 December 17at New York Giants L 17–278–6 Giants Stadium Recap
16 December 24 San Diego Chargers W 20–79–6Arrowhead Stadium Recap
17 January 1 Cincinnati Bengals W 37–310–6Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. New York Jets

Week 1: New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Jets00077
Chiefs1433727

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 2: at Oakland Raiders

Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs7103323
Raiders0107017

at McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

Week 3: at Denver Broncos

Week 3: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs030710
Broncos1737330

at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week 4: Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Eagles013111337
Chiefs10140731

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 6: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 6: Washington Redskins at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Redskins0714021
Chiefs3315728

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 7: at Miami Dolphins

Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs7710630
Dolphins067720

at Dolphins Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

Game information

Week 8: at San Diego Chargers

Week 8: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs0371020
Chargers7140728

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 30
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Clear and sunny, 73 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 65,750
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 9: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 9: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Raiders3601423
Chiefs0671427

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 6
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 79,033
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 10: at Buffalo Bills

Week 10: Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs30003
Bills077014

at Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: November 13
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Mostly sunny, 61 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 72,093
  • Referee: Tom White
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: at Houston Texans

Week 11: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs102101445
Texans7010017

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 12: vs. New England Patriots

Week 12: New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Patriots037616
Chiefs7127026

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 13: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 13: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Broncos7143327
Chiefs7143731

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 4
  • Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny and cold, 28 °F (−2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,261
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 14: Kansas City Chiefs at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs777728
Cowboys01701431

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,432
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: at New York Giants

Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at New York Giants – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chiefs037717
Giants01031427

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 17
  • Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST/4:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Clear, 39 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,625
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Bonnie Bernstein
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week 16: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Chargers70007
Chiefs7130020

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Overcast with rain, 42 °F (6 °C)
  • Game attendance: 75,956
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Randy Cross
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 17: Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Period1234Total
Bengals30003
Chiefs31710737

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: January 1
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Clear, 52 °F (11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,211
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf and Armen Keteyian
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Standings

AFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(2) Denver Broncos 1330.8135–110–2395258W4
Kansas City Chiefs 1060.6254–29–3403325W2
San Diego Chargers 970.5633–37–5418321L2
Oakland Raiders 4120.2500–62–10290383L6

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References

  1. "Chiefs-Dolphins game moved to Oct. 21". NFL.com . Archived from the original on October 23, 2005. Retrieved October 21, 2005.
  2. "NFL Wire Notes: KC's Vermeil will retire". SeattleTimes.com . Retrieved January 1, 2006.