2005 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
---|---|
Owner | Lamar Hunt |
General manager | Carl Peterson |
Head coach | Dick Vermeil |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 10–6 |
Division place | 2nd AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | 6
|
AP All-Pros | 4
|
Uniform | |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2005 Kansas City Chiefs draft | ||||
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Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
1 | 15 | Derrick Johnson | Linebacker | Texas |
3 | 99 | Dustin Colquitt | Punter | Tennessee |
4 | 116 | Craphonso Thorpe | Wide receiver | Florida State |
5 | 138 | Boomer Grigsby | Linebacker | Illinois State |
5 | 147 | Alphonso Hodge | Cornerback | Miami (OH) |
6 | 187 | Will Svitek | Offensive tackle | Stanford |
6 | 199 | Khari Long | Defensive end | Baylor |
7 | 229 | James Kilian | Quarterback | Tulsa |
7 | 238 | Jeremy Parquet | Offensive tackle | Southern Miss |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 12 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 16–27 | 0–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Recap |
2 | August 20 | Arizona Cardinals | L 17–24 | 0–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
3 | August 27 | Seattle Seahawks | L 17–23 | 0–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
4 | September 2 | at St. Louis Rams | L 23–27 | 0–4 | Edward Jones Dome | Recap |
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 3 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
Vikings | 7 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 27 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
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Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 24 |
Chiefs | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 7 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 3 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 23 |
Rams | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 27 |
at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 11 | New York Jets | W 27–7 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 18 | at Oakland Raiders | W 23–17 | 2–0 | McAfee Coliseum | Recap |
3 | September 26 | at Denver Broncos | L 10–30 | 2–1 | Invesco Field at Mile High | Recap |
4 | October 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 31–37 | 2–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
5 | Bye | |||||
6 | October 16 | Washington Redskins | W 28–21 | 3–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
7 | October 21 | at Miami Dolphins | W 30–20 | 4–2 | Dolphins Stadium | Recap |
8 | October 30 | at San Diego Chargers | L 20–28 | 4–3 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 6 | Oakland Raiders | W 27–23 | 5–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 13 | at Buffalo Bills | L 3–14 | 5–4 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 20 | at Houston Texans | W 45–17 | 6–4 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
12 | November 27 | New England Patriots | W 26–16 | 7–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
13 | December 4 | Denver Broncos | W 31–27 | 8–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
14 | December 11 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 28–31 | 8–5 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 17 | at New York Giants | L 17–27 | 8–6 | Giants Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 24 | San Diego Chargers | W 20–7 | 9–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
17 | January 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 37–3 | 10–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Chiefs | 14 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
Raiders | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, California
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
Broncos | 17 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 30 |
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eagles | 0 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 37 |
Chiefs | 10 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
Chiefs | 3 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 28 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 30 |
Dolphins | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
at Dolphins Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
Chargers | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 3 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 23 |
Chiefs | 0 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 27 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Bills | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 10 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 45 |
Texans | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Patriots | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
Chiefs | 7 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 26 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 7 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
Chiefs | 7 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Cowboys | 0 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Giants | 0 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 27 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game information | ||
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|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Chiefs | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Chiefs | 3 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 37 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
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|
AFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(2) Denver Broncos | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 395 | 258 | W4 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 403 | 325 | W2 |
San Diego Chargers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 418 | 321 | L2 |
Oakland Raiders | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 0–6 | 2–10 | 290 | 383 | L6 |
The 2003 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 34th in the National Football League (NFL), their 44th overall and their third under head coach Dick Vermeil.
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 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 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 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 1985 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 16th season in the National Football League and the 26th overall.
The 1988 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 19th season in the National Football League and the 29th overall.
The 2011 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 42nd in the National Football League (NFL), their 52nd overall and their third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Todd Haley and Scott Pioli. A 10–6 record in their 2010 season lent high expectations to their 2011 season, but the Chiefs suffered reversed fortunes. A season-ending hand injury to their starting quarterback Matt Cassel in their eighth game of the season proved especially significant. After a 4–4 record with Cassel at the helm, the Chiefs staggered to a 7–9 win–loss record by season end and failed to make the playoffs.
The 2012 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 43rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 53rd overall and their first and only full season under head coach Romeo Crennel, who had served as the interim head coach for the final three games of the 2011 season following Todd Haley's termination. The Chiefs failed to rebound from their 7–9 record in 2011, and were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 12. Although they shared the same 2–14 record as the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst record of the season, the Chiefs had a lower strength of schedule, so they were awarded the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The Chiefs went 0–12 against AFC opponents in 2012; their only wins of the season were from NFC teams, against the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints. In 2017, ESPN.com named the 2012 season the Chiefs’ worst in franchise history. The season remains, as of 2023, the most recent season that the Chiefs finished at or below .500.
The 2014 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 55th overall and their second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Andy Reid and John Dorsey. The Chiefs broke the crowd noise record on Monday Night Football against the New England Patriots on September 29, 2014 with a crowd roar of 142.2 decibels. The Chiefs failed to match their 11–5 record from 2013, and missed the playoffs. However, they defeated both teams that would eventually meet in that season's Super Bowl: the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. The 2014 Kansas City Chiefs became the first NFL team since the 1964 New York Giants, and the only team in the 16 game season era, to complete an entire season with no touchdown passes to a wide receiver.
The 2016 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 47th in the National Football League (NFL), their 57th overall and their fourth under head coach Andy Reid and the fourth and final season under general manager John Dorsey who was fired June 22, 2017. The Chiefs clinched their first AFC West division title since 2010, beginning a streak of eight consecutive that still stands as of 2023. The Chiefs also clinched a first-round bye for the first time since 2003, but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional round 18–16.
The 2019 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 60th overall, their seventh under head coach Andy Reid and third under general manager Brett Veach.