2019 Kansas City Chiefs season

Last updated

2019 Kansas City Chiefs season
Kansas City Chiefs 60th season logo.svg
Chiefs 60th season logo
Owner The Hunt family
General manager Brett Veach
Head coach Andy Reid
Home stadium Arrowhead Stadium
Results
Record12–4
Division place1st AFC West
PlayoffsWon Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Texans) 51–31
Won AFC Championship
(vs. Titans) 35–24
Won Super Bowl LIV
(vs. 49ers) 31–20
Pro Bowlers
6
All-Pros
5
Team MVP Tyrann Mathieu
Team ROY Mecole Hardman
Uniform
Kc chiefs uniforms.png
Lombardi Trophy presentation at Super Bowl LIV Chiefs Win (49607205781).jpg
Lombardi Trophy presentation at Super Bowl LIV

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.

Contents

In the offseason, the Chiefs released two of their longest-tenured players: Justin Houston and Eric Berry. The Chiefs started the season with a 1–3 record at home, their worst record after four home games since 2012. However, they began the season 4–0 on the road, their best road record after four road games since 2013. With a Week 14 Oakland Raiders loss and a win over the New England Patriots, the Chiefs clinched the AFC West, extending their team record division title streak to four consecutive. They also clinched the franchise's fifth consecutive playoff appearance, one short of the franchise record of six consecutive from 1990–1995. The Chiefs also finished undefeated in the AFC West for the second time under Andy Reid, extending their record within the AFC West since 2015 to 27–3. They clinched their second straight bye to the divisional round of the AFC playoffs due to a Week 17 win against the Los Angeles Chargers combined with a Patriots loss to the Miami Dolphins.

In the divisional round, the Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 51–31 despite falling behind 24–0 in the second quarter to give the Chiefs playoff wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history. The 51 points they scored was a franchise record for a postseason game. The win, along with the Baltimore Ravens' loss the previous night, allowed the Chiefs to host the AFC Championship for the second time in franchise history. They defeated the Tennessee Titans 35–24 in the AFC Championship advancing to Super Bowl LIV, where they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31–20 to win their first championship since Super Bowl IV in 1970. [1]

NFL Top 100

The Chiefs had six players ranked on NFL Network's annual Top 100 players countdown, which was tied for second most in the league. [2] Reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes was ranked 4th, the highest ranking ever by a Chiefs player. Additionally, he was the highest ranked player on the countdown that was not ranked in 2018 and was the second highest player ever that was unranked the previous season.

RankPlayerPositionChange
4 Patrick Mahomes QBNR
19 Tyreek Hill WRIncrease2.svg 21
21 Travis Kelce TEIncrease2.svg 3
36 Chris Jones DTNR
85 Frank Clark DENR
94 Mitchell Schwartz TNR

Staff

Coaching changes

2019 Kansas City Chiefs Staff Changes
CoachPositionReason leftReplacement
Bob Sutton Defensive CoordinatorFired Steve Spagnuolo
Britt Reid Defensive linePromoted Brendan Daly
Mike Smith Outside linebackersAccepted job with
another team
Britt Reid
Mark DeLeone Inside LinebackersAccepted job with
another team
Matt House
(as linebackers coach)
Emmitt Thomas Defensive backsRetired Dave Merritt
Al Harris CornerbacksFired Sam Madison
Jay Valai Defensive quality controlAccepted job with
another team
Alex Whittingham

[3]

Staff

2019 Kansas City Chiefs staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Roster changes

Players signed

Below are players signed in the offseason through free agency.

Players signed
PlayerPosition
Justin Senior [4] T
Sammie Coates [5] WR
Davon Grayson [6] WR
Dontae Johnson CB
E. J. Manuel QB
Harold Jones-Quartey S
Carlos Hyde RB
Tyrann Mathieu S
Damien Wilson LB
Alex Okafor DE
Bashaud Breeland CB
Blake Bell TE
Keith Reaser CB
Jeremiah Attaochu LB
Zack Golditch G
Nick KeizerTE
Neal Sterling TE

Cuts

Below are players who were released during the offseason

Players cut
PlayerPosition
Justin Houston [7] LB
Eric Berry S
Dillon Gordon T
Step DurhamCB
Tejan Koroma C
Sammie Coates WR
T.J. LintaQB
Dontae Johnson CB
Jarvis Jenkins DE
Leon McQuay III FS
Justin Senior OT
Gary JohnsonOLB
James WilliamsRB

Futures contracts

Below are players that were signed as a futures players, which are typically players that have not played in a regular season. These players usually spent the previous season on a practice squad.

Futures contracts
PlayerPosition
Josh CrockettWR
Raymond DavisonLB
Ryan HunterT
Joey Ivie NT
Chase Litton QB
Robert McCrayOLB
Leon McQuay III SS
Henry Mondeaux DT
Pace Murphy T
Aaron Ripkowski FB
Martrell Spaight LB
D'Montre WadeCB
Cavon WalkerDE
David WellsTE

Unrestricted free agents

Below are players with expiring contracts that can sign with any team without the Chiefs receiving any sort of compensation. Also included is if the player re-signed with the Chiefs or signed with another team.

UFAs
PlayerPositionRe-signed?*
Jeff Allen GYes
Allen Bailey DENo
Kelvin Benjamin WRNo
Chris Conley WRNo
Jordan Devey GNo
Demetrius Harris TENo
Mitch Morse CNo
Steven Nelson CBNo
Orlando Scandrick CBNo
Anthony Sherman FBYes
De'Anthony Thomas WRYes
Spencer Ware RBNo
Charcandrick West RBNo
Frank Zombo OLBNo
Signed with new teamRe-signed

*As of August 20

Restricted free agents

Below are players with expiring contracts that have three or fewer accrued seasons with the Chiefs that can receive a qualifying offer from any NFL team, the Chiefs can choose to either match the offer or receive a draft pick as compensation depending on the tender placed by the Chiefs which can be 1st round, 2nd, or original round (the pick that was used to draft the player). If no offer sheet is given, the player will receive a one-year contract with the Chiefs for a salary based on the tender placed on the player, $2.879 million for a first, $2.023 million for a second, or $1.323 million for an original round tender. If a tender is not placed, the player becomes an unrestricted free agent.

RFAs
PlayerPositionTenderQualifying offerMatched?*
Jordan Lucas FSOriginal round (6th)None
Signed tender
N/A
Terrance Smith ILBNot placedNoneN/A

*As of April 15

Exclusive-rights free agents

Below are players with two or fewer seasons of tenure with expiring contracts. If the Chiefs makes a qualifying offer (a one-year contract usually at league-minimum salary) the player has no negotiating rights with other teams, and must either sign the tender with the Chiefs or sit out the 2019 season. If a qualifying offer is not made, the player is an unrestricted free agent.

ERFAs
PlayerPositionQualifying offer?*Signed?†
Harrison Butker KYesYes
Alex Ellis TENoN/A
Justin Hamilton NTYesYes
Marcus Kemp WRYesYes

*As of March 13
†As of April 15

Trades

Below are any trades that included at least one player. Trades that featured only draft picks being traded for both teams, are listed in NFL Draft section.

Trades
Player(s)/Pick(s)
Received
TeamCompensation
2nd round pick
2020 NFL draft
San Francisco 49ers LB Dee Ford [8]
DE Emmanuel Ogbah Cleveland Browns S Eric Murray [9]
DE Frank Clark
3rd round pick
2019 Draft
Seattle Seahawks 1st & 3rd round pick
2019 NFL Draft
2nd round pick
2020 NFL Draft [10]
LB Darron Lee New York Jets 6th round pick
2020 NFL Draft [11]

Draft

2019 Kansas City Chiefs Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
256 Mecole Hardman Wide receiver Georgia
63 Juan Thornhill Safety Virginia
384 Khalen Saunders Defensive tackle Western Illinois
6201 Rashad Fenton Cornerback South Carolina
214* Darwin Thompson Running back Utah State
7216 Nick Allegretti Guard Illinois
* Compensatory selection

Draft pick trades

Final roster

2019 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 (ST)

Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 14 reserve, 10 practice squad

Preseason

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 10 Cincinnati Bengals W 38–171–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
2August 17at Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–171–1 Heinz Field Recap
3August 24 San Francisco 49ers L 17–271–2Arrowhead Stadium Recap
4August 29at Green Bay Packers L 20–271–3 Lambeau Field Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 1: Cincinnati Bengals at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Bengals703717
Chiefs71014738

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 2: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs07007
Steelers0701017

at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  • Date: August 17
  • Game time: 7:30 pm. EDT/6:30 pm. CDT
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 86 °F (30 °C)
  • Game attendance: 50,668
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 3: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 3: San Francisco 49ers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
49ers7601427
Chiefs737017

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: August 24
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,027
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 4: at Green Bay Packers

Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs3710020
Packers0200727

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: August 29
  • Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Clear, 73 °F (23 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,803
  • Referee: Alex Kemp
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1 September 8at Jacksonville Jaguars W 40–261–0 TIAA Bank Field Recap
2 September 15at Oakland Raiders W 28–102–0 RingCentral Coliseum Recap
3 September 22 Baltimore Ravens W 33–283–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
4 September 29at Detroit Lions W 34–304–0 Ford Field Recap
5 October 6 Indianapolis Colts L 13–194–1Arrowhead Stadium Recap
6 October 13 Houston Texans L 24–314–2Arrowhead Stadium Recap
7 October 17at Denver Broncos W 30–65–2 Empower Field at Mile High Recap
8 October 27 Green Bay Packers L 24–315–3Arrowhead Stadium Recap
9 November 3 Minnesota Vikings W 26–236–3Arrowhead Stadium Recap
10 November 10at Tennessee Titans L 32–356–4 Nissan Stadium Recap
11 November 18 at Los Angeles Chargers W 24–177–4 Flag of Mexico.svg Estadio Azteca (Mexico City) Recap
12 Bye
13 December 1 Oakland Raiders W 40–98–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
14 December 8at New England Patriots W 23–169–4 Gillette Stadium Recap
15 December 15 Denver Broncos W 23–310–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap
16 December 22at Chicago Bears W 26–311–4 Soldier Field Recap
17 December 29 Los Angeles Chargers W 31–2112–4Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 1: Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs17671040
Jaguars7601326

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Game information

Week 2: at Oakland Raiders

Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs0280028
Raiders1000010

at RingCentral Coliseum, Oakland, California

Game information

Week 3: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week 3: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Ravens6071528
Chiefs0237333

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 4: at Detroit Lions

Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs01371434
Lions10310730

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

Week 5: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week 5: Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Colts760619
Chiefs370313

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 6: vs. Houston Texans

Week 6: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans3200831
Chiefs1707024

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 7: at Denver Broncos

Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs10107330
Broncos60006

at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

Game information

Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 8: Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Packers14031431
Chiefs0170724

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 27
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 54 °F (12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,558
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 9: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week 9: Minnesota Vikings at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Vikings736723
Chiefs7310626

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 10: at Tennessee Titans

Week 10: Kansas City Chiefs at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs10391032
Titans01371535

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: November 10
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 63 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,864
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 11: at Los Angeles Chargers

NFL Mexico City games

Week 11: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs01014024
Chargers368017

at Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico

Game information

Week 13: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 13: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Raiders00099
Chiefs71410940

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 1
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 36 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,548
  • Referee: John Hussey
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 14: at New England Patriots

Week 14: Kansas City Chiefs at New England Patriots – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs3173023
Patriots706316

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 32 °F (0 °C)
  • Game attendance: 65,878
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 15: vs. Denver Broncos

Week 15: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Broncos03003
Chiefs698023

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 15
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Snow, 24 °F (−4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,257
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 16: at Chicago Bears

Week 16: Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chiefs7100926
Bears00303

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: December 22
  • Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Clear, 45 °F (7 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,213
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Week 17: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week 17: Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Chargers077721
Chiefs3714731

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

The win over the Chargers, combined with a New England loss to Miami, allowed the Chiefs to secure the No. 2 seed, and a first-round bye in the playoffs. [12] It also gave them home-field advantage for the Divisional round.

Standings

Division

AFC West
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(2) Kansas City Chiefs 1240.7506–09–3451308W6
Denver Broncos 790.4383–36–6282316W2
Oakland Raiders 790.4383–35–7313419L1
Los Angeles Chargers 5110.3130–63–9337345L3

Conference

#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOVSTK
Division leaders
1 Baltimore Ravens North1420.8755–110–2.494.484W12
2 [a] Kansas City Chiefs West1240.7506–09–3.510.477W6
3 [a] New England Patriots East1240.7505–18–4.469.411L1
4 Houston Texans South1060.6254–28–4.520.488L1
Wild Cards
5 Buffalo Bills East1060.6253–37–5.461.363L2
6 Tennessee Titans South970.5633–37–5.488.465W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Pittsburgh Steelers North880.5003–36–6.502.324L3
8 [b] [c] Denver Broncos West790.4383–36–6.510.406W2
9 [c] [d] [e] Oakland Raiders West790.4383–35–7.482.335L1
10 [b] [d] [e] Indianapolis Colts South790.4383–35–7.492.500L1
11 [b] [d] New York Jets East790.4382–44–8.473.402W2
12 [f] Jacksonville Jaguars South6100.3752–46–6.484.406W1
13 [f] Cleveland Browns North6100.3753–36–6.533.479L3
14 [g] Los Angeles Chargers West5110.3130–63–9.514.488L3
15 [g] Miami Dolphins East5110.3132–44–8.484.463W2
16 Cincinnati Bengals North2140.1251–52–10.553.406W1
Tiebreakers [h]
  1. 1 2 Kansas City claimed the No. 2 seed over New England based on head-to-head victory.
  2. 1 2 3 Denver finished ahead of Indianapolis and NY Jets based on conference record. Division tiebreak was initially used to eliminate Oakland (see below).
  3. 1 2 Denver finished ahead of Oakland based on conference record.
  4. 1 2 3 Oakland and Indianapolis finished ahead of NY Jets based on conference record.
  5. 1 2 Oakland finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head victory.
  6. 1 2 Jacksonville finished ahead of Cleveland based on record against common opponents. Jacksonville's cumulative record against Cincinnati, Denver, NY Jets, and Tennessee was 4–1, compared to Cleveland's 2–3 cumulative record against the same four teams.
  7. 1 2 LA Chargers finished ahead of Miami based on head-to-head victory.
  8. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

Schedule

RoundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordVenueRecap
Wild Card First-round bye
Divisional January 12 Houston Texans (4)W 51–311–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
AFC Championship January 19 Tennessee Titans (6)W 35–242–0Arrowhead Stadium Recap
Super Bowl LIV February 2vs. San Francisco 49ers (N1)W 31–203–0 Hard Rock Stadium Recap

Game summaries

AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (4) Houston Texans

AFC Divisional Playoffs: (4) Houston Texans at (2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Texans2137031
Chiefs028131051

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: January 12, 2020
  • Game time: 2:05 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 29 °F (−2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,503
  • Referee: Shawn Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Jay Feely
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

AFC Championship: vs. (6) Tennessee Titans

AFC Championship: (6) Tennessee Titans at (2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Titans1070724
Chiefs71401435

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: January 19, 2020
  • Game time: 2:05 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 17 °F (−8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 73,656
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Jay Feely
  • Recap, Game Book
Game information

Super Bowl LIV: vs. (N1) San Francisco 49ers

Super Bowl LIV: (N1) San Francisco 49ers vs. (A2) Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter1234Total
49ers3710020
Chiefs7302131

at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida

Game information

References

  1. "Super Rally: Mahomes, Chiefs win NFL title with late surge". AP News. February 3, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  2. "2019 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  3. "Chiefs Finalize Defensive Coaching Staff". Kansas City Chiefs. February 19, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  4. Sweeney, Pete (February 19, 2019). "Chiefs confirm signing of offensive tackle Justin Senior". Arrowhead Pride. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  5. Wood, Anthony R (February 23, 2019). "Former Texans receiver Sammie Coates joins Chiefs". Texans Wire. USA Today. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  6. Marshall, Niqko (March 5, 2019). "Grayson signs with Chiefs". The Suffolk News-Herald. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  7. Teicher, Adam (March 10, 2019). "Chiefs release LB Houston rather than pay $15M". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  8. Teope, Herbie (March 12, 2019). "Chiefs trade pass-rusher Dee Ford to 49ers". NFL.com. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  9. Teope, Herbie (April 1, 2019). "Browns trade DE Ogbah to Chiefs for Eric Murray". NFL.com. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  10. Teicher, Adam (April 23, 2019). "Sources: Clark dealt to Chiefs, has $105.5M deal". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  11. Conner, Matt (May 16, 2019). "New York Jets trade Darron Lee to Kansas City Chiefs for 6th round pick". Arrowhead Addict. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  12. "Chiefs top Bolts 31-21 to earn No. 2 seed, first-round bye". AP News. December 29, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2025.