NFL team season
The 1979 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise 's 10th season in the National Football League , the 17th as the Kansas City Chiefs , and the 20th overall. They improved on their 4–12 record from 1978 to a 7–9 record, but a last-place finish in the AFC West . The Chiefs missed the playoffs for the eighth straight year due to the four other teams ahead of them in their division all finishing with winning records.
Kansas City owned a pair of picks in the first round of the 1979 draft , selecting defensive end Mike Bell and quarterback Steve Fuller . By the season's third game, Fuller had supplanted Mike Livingston as the club's starter.[ 1]
With Fuller at the helm, the Chiefs owned a 4–2 record after six games, but a five-game midseason losing streak ended the attempt. Despite finishing fifth in the AFC West for a second straight season, Kansas City's 7–9 record was a notable accomplishment considering the fact that the division's other four clubs all posted winning records for a second consecutive season.[ 1]
The Chiefs closed the season by dropping a 3–0 decision at Tampa Bay on December 16 in one of the most water-logged contests in franchise annals. As both clubs struggled to move the ball under monsoon-like conditions (Kansas City was held to 80 total yards), a field goal late in the fourth quarter by the Buccaneers' Neil O'Donoghue averted the NFL's first scoreless tie since 1943 , allowing Tampa Bay to win the NFC Central division championship after a three-game losing streak.[ 1]
The Chiefs set a dubious NFL record for the season, with the fewest passing yards (1,660, 103.8 per game) in a 16-game season.[ 2]
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 2 Baltimore Colts W 14–0 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium 50,442 Recap 2 September 9 Cleveland Browns L 24–27 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium 42,181 Recap 3 September 16 at Houston Oilers L 6–20 1–2 Houston Astrodome 45,684 Recap 4 September 23 Oakland Raiders W 35–7 2–2 Arrowhead Stadium 67,821 Recap 5 September 30 at Seattle Seahawks W 24–6 3–2 Kingdome 61,169 Recap 6 October 7 at Cincinnati Bengals W 10–7 4–2 Riverfront Stadium 40,041 Recap 7 October 14 Denver Broncos L 10–24 4–3 Arrowhead Stadium 74,292 Recap 8 October 21 New York Giants L 17–21 4–4 Arrowhead Stadium 44,362 Recap 9 October 28 at Denver Broncos L 3–20 4–5 Mile High Stadium 74,908 Recap 10 November 4 San Diego Chargers L 14–20 4–6 Arrowhead Stadium 59,353 Recap 11 November 11 Pittsburgh Steelers L 3–30 4–7 Arrowhead Stadium 70,132 Recap 12 November 18 at Oakland Raiders W 24–21 5–7 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 53,596 Recap 13 November 25 at San Diego Chargers L 7–28 5–8 San Diego Stadium 50,078 Recap 14 December 2 Seattle Seahawks W 37–21 6–8 Arrowhead Stadium 42,160 Recap 15 December 9 at Baltimore Colts W 10–7 7–8 Memorial Stadium 25,684 Recap 16 December 16 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 0–3 7–9 Tampa Stadium 63,624 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: vs. Baltimore Colts [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
KC – Ted McKnight 70-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 8:05. Chiefs 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 79 yards, 1:13. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers BAL – Joe Washington – 13 receptions, 130 yards KC – Ted McKnight – 4 receptions, 30 yards
Week 2: vs. Cleveland Browns [ edit ] Week 2: Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 10 7 3 7 27 Chiefs 0 0 7 17 24
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Date : September 9Game time : 3:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : Clear, 84 °F (29 °C)Game attendance : 42,181Referee : Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (NBC) : Stu Nahan and Paul MaguireBox score
Game information First quarter
CLE – Don Cockroft 27-yard field goal, 5:17. Browns 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 4:12. CLE – Reggie Rucker 17-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick), 0:44. Browns 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 1:46. Second quarter
CLE – Ozzie Newsome 20-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick), 1:16. Browns 17–0. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 1:33. Third quarter
CLE – Don Cockroft 32-yard field goal, 3:30. Browns 20–0. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 3:50. KC – J. T. Smith 17-yard pass from Steve Fuller (Jan Stenerud kick), 0:00. Browns 20–7. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 3:30. Fourth quarter
KC – Tony Reed 9-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 8:52. Browns 20–14. Drive: 11 plays, 85 yards, 4:20. KC – Ted McKnight 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 5:30. Chiefs 21–20. Drive: 7 plays, 32 yards, 2:29. KC – Jan Stenerud 30-yard field goal, 2:19. Chiefs 24–20. Drive: 7 plays, 13 yards, 2:54. CLE – Reggie Rucker 21-yard pass from Brian Sipe (Don Cockroft kick), 0:52. Browns 27–24. Drive: 8 plays, 76 yards, 1:27. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Week 3: at Houston Oilers [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
KC – J. T. Smith 55-yard punt return (kick blocked), 14:45. Oilers 7–6. HOU – Tim Wilson 24-yard pass from Gifford Nielsen (Toni Fritsch kick), 7:55. Oilers 14–6. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:15. HOU – Toni Fritsch 28-yard field goal, 0:10. Oilers 17–6. Drive: 7 plays, 17 yards, 0:54. Third quarter
Fourth quarter
HOU – Toni Fritsch 23-yard field goal, 8:53. Oilers 20–6. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards, 5:40. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers KC – Tony Reed – 3 receptions, 37 yards HOU – Mike Barber – 3 receptions, 66 yards
Week 4: vs. Oakland Raiders [ edit ] Week 4: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Raiders 0 0 0 7 7 Chiefs 14 0 7 14 35
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Date : September 23Game time : 1:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : Sunny, 77 °F (25 °C)Game attendance : 67,821Referee : Ben Dreith TV announcers (NBC) : Charlie Jones and Len DawsonBox score
Game information First quarter
KC – Steve Gaunty 19-yard pass from Steve Fuller (Jan Stenerud kick), 6:09. Chiefs 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards, 7:02. KC – J. T. Smith 88-yard punt return (Jan Stenerud kick), 3:03. Chiefs 14–0. Second quarter
Third quarter
KC – Gary Barbaro 70-yard interception return (Jan Stenerud kick), 1:35. Chiefs 21–0. Fourth quarter
KC – Arnold Morgado 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 5:31. Chiefs 28–0. Drive: 15 plays, 58 yards, 9:35. OAK – Derrick Jensen 1-yard pass from Jim Plunkett (Jim Breech kick), 3:33. Chiefs 28–7. Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:58. KC – Arnold Morgado 3-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 1:01. Chiefs 35–7. Drive: 1 play, 3 yards, 0:03. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Week 5: at Seattle Seahawks [ edit ] Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 0 10 0 14 24 Seahawks 3 0 3 0 6
at Kingdome , Seattle, Washington
Date : September 30Game time : 1:00 p.m. PDTGame weather : None (indoor stadium)Game attendance : 61,169Referee : Fred Wyant TV announcers (NBC) : Jay Randolph and Paul MaguireBox score
Game information First quarter
SEA – Efrén Herrera 38-yard field goal, 12:29. Seahawks 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:21. Second quarter
KC – Ted McKnight 23-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 13:49. Chiefs 7–3. Drive: 1 play, 23 yards, 0:06. KC – Jan Stenerud 36-yard field goal, 7:16. Chiefs 10–3. Drive: 5 plays, 19 yards, 2:03. Third quarter
SEA – Efrén Herrera 20-yard field goal, 4:56. Chiefs 10–6. Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 6:28. Fourth quarter
KC – Mike Williams 3-yard pass from Steve Fuller (Jan Stenerud kick), 9:03. Chiefs 17–6. Drive: 5 plays, 20 yards, 2:42. KC – Ted McKnight 84-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 1:27. Chiefs 24–6. Drive: 3 plays, 89 yards, 0:25. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Week 6: at Cincinnati Bengals [ edit ] Week 6: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 0 10 0 0 10 Bengals 0 0 7 0 7
at Riverfront Stadium , Cincinnati, Ohio
Date : October 7Game time : 1:00 p.m. EDTGame weather : Sunny and cool, 53 °F (12 °C)Game attendance : 40,041Referee : Cal Lepore TV announcers (KCMO-Kansas City) : Jack Harry, Ed Budde , and Nick MonroeBox score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
KC – Mike Williams 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick) 3:39. Chiefs 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 48 yards, 2:31. KC – Jan Stenerud 46-yard field goal, 0:05. Chiefs 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 1:40. Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Week 7: vs. Denver Broncos [ edit ] Week 7: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Broncos 3 7 7 7 24 Chiefs 0 0 0 10 10
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Date : October 14Game time : 3:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : Overcast, 59 °F (15 °C)Game attendance : 74,292Referee : Fred Silva TV announcers (NBC) : Charlie Jones and Len DawsonBox score
Game information First quarter
DEN – Jim Turner 28-yard field goal, 0:04. Broncos 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 47 yards, 4:21. Second quarter
DEN – Bill Thompson 2-yard fumble return (Jim Turner kick), 0:17. Broncos 10–0. Third quarter
DEN – Haven Moses 16-yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick), 9:46. Broncos 17–0. Drive: 4 plays, 71 yards, 2:18. Fourth quarter
KC – Jan Stenerud 44-yard field goal, 9:57. Broncos 17–3. Drive: 6 plays, 8 yards, 1:51. DEN – Rick Upchurch 7-yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick), 2:51. Broncos 24–3. Drive: 10 plays, 81 yards, 4:08. KC – Arnold Morgado 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 0:56. Broncos 24–10. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 1:55. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Week 8: vs. New York Giants [ edit ] Week 8: New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Giants 0 0 14 7 21 Chiefs 3 7 0 7 17
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information First quarter
KC – Jan Stenerud 25-yard field goal, 13:09. Chiefs 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, 0:51. Second quarter
KC – Arnold Morgado 1-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 11:27. Chiefs 10–0. Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 4:20. Third quarter
Fourth quarter
KC – Henry Marshall 38-yard pass from Mike Livingston (Jan Stenerud kick), 3:28. Chiefs 17–14. Drive: 1 play, 38 yards, 0:08. NYG – Harry Carson 22-yard fumble return (Joe Danelo kick), 1:42. Giants 21–17. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers NYG – Earnest Gray – 4 receptions, 107 yards, TD KC – Tony Reed – 8 receptions, 103 yards
Week 9: at Denver Broncos [ edit ] Week 9: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 0 0 3 0 3 Broncos 7 7 6 0 20
at Mile High Stadium , Denver, Colorado
Date : October 28Game time : 2:00 p.m. MSTGame weather : Sunny, 62 °F (17 °C)Game attendance : 74,908Referee : Jerry MarkbreitTV announcers (NBC) : Charlie Jones and Len DawsonBox score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
DEN – Rick Upchurch 5-yard pass from Craig Morton (Jim Turner kick), 11:52. Broncos 14–0. Drive: 4 plays, 12 yards, 2:16. Third quarter
DEN – Rick Upchurch 32-yard pass from Jon Keyworth (kick blocked), 9:42. Broncos 20–0. Drive: 3 plays, 63 yards, 1:28. KC – Jan Stenerud 27-yard field goal, 1:54. Broncos 20–3. Drive: 14 plays, 63 yards, 7:38. Fourth quarter
Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Week 10: vs. San Diego Chargers [ edit ] Week 10: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Chargers 10 0 3 7 20 Chiefs 0 0 0 14 14
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Date : November 4Game time : 1:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : Sunny, 65 °F (18 °C)Game attendance : 59,353Referee : Jim Tunney TV announcers (NBC) : Jay Randolph and Paul MaguireBox score
Game information First quarter
SD – John Jefferson 13-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Mike Wood kick), 11:21. Chargers 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 2:34. SD – Mike Wood 31-yard field goal, 2:59. Chargers 10–0. Drive: 12 plays, 71 yards, 6:37. Second quarter
Third quarter
SD – Mike Wood 26-yard field goal, 3:03. Chargers 13–0. Drive: 14 plays, 58 yards, 7:32. Fourth quarter
KC – Steve Fuller 18-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 14:06. Chargers 13–7. Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:57. SD – Clarence Williams 5-yard run (Mike Wood kick), 5:45. Chargers 20–7. Drive: 14 plays, 73 yards, 8:21. KC – J. T. Smith 24-yard pass from Steve Fuller (Jan Stenerud kick), 3:05. Chargers 20–14. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 2:40. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Week 11: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers [ edit ] Week 11: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 10 10 0 10 30 Chiefs 0 0 3 0 3
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Date : November 11Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : Sunny, 43 °F (6 °C)Game attendance : 70,132Referee : Fred WyantTV announcers (NBC) : Don Criqui and John Brodie Box score
Game information First quarter
PIT – John Stallworth 26-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick), 11:13. Steelers 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 46 yards, 1:41. PIT – Matt Bahr 31-yard field goal, 6:17. Steelers 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 2:11. Second quarter
PIT – Lynn Swann 16-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick), 11:19. Steelers 17–0. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 5:39. PIT – Matt Bahr 20-yard field goal, 0:03. Steelers 20–0. Drive: 19 plays, 64 yards, 6:28. Third quarter
KC – Jan Stenerud 42-yard field goal, 9:14. Steelers 20–3. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 3:37. Fourth quarter
PIT – Matt Bahr 37-yard field goal, 10:25. Steelers 23–3. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 4:48. PIT – Larry Brown 1-yard pass from Terry Bradshaw (Matt Bahr kick), 3:03. Steelers 30–3. Drive: 9 plays, 42 yards, 5:43. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Week 12: at Oakland Raiders [ edit ] Game information First quarter
Second quarter
KC – Jan Stenerud 41-yard field goal, 12:27. Chiefs 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 18 yards, 3:18. OAK – Mark van Eeghen 2-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick), 1:07. Chiefs 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 3:36. Third quarter
KC – Tony Samuels fumble recovery in endzone (Jan Stenerud kick), 6:49. Chiefs 17–7. Drive: 15 plays, 92 yards, 8:11. KC – Henry Marshall 23-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 4:59. Chiefs 24–7. Drive: 1 play, 23 yards, 0:07. OAK – Derrick Ramsey 16-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick), 0:10. Chiefs 24–14. Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 4:40. Fourth quarter
OAK – Cliff Branch 3-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick), 7:28. Chiefs 24–21. Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 4:19. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers KC – Mike Williams – 4 receptions, 54 yards OAK – Dave Casper – 7 receptions, 91 yards
Week 13: at San Diego Chargers [ edit ] Week 13: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 7 0 0 0 7 Chargers 7 7 7 7 28
at San Diego Stadium , San Diego, California
Date : November 25Game time : 1:00 p.m. PSTGame weather : Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)Game attendance : 50,078Referee : Bob FredericTV announcers (NBC) : Sam Nover and Bob Trumpy Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
SD – John Jefferson 42-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Mike Wood kick), 2:29. Chargers 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 91 yards, 3:48. Third quarter
SD – Bob Klein 8-yard pass from Dan Fouts (Mike Wood kick), 5:05. Chargers 21–7. Drive: 14 plays, 82 yards, 6:26. Fourth quarter
SD – Artie Owens 8-yard run (Mike Wood kick), 8:11. Chargers 28–7. Drive: 14 plays, 87 yards, 6:37. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers
Week 14: vs. Seattle Seahawks [ edit ] Week 14: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Seahawks 0 0 7 14 21 Chiefs 14 10 6 7 37
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Date : December 2Game time : 1:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : Sunny, 32 °F (0 °C)Game attendance : 42,160Referee : Red Cashion TV announcers (NBC) : Jay Randolph and Paul MaguireBox score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
KC – Earl Gant 2-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 14:57. Chiefs 21–0. Drive: 13 plays, 43 yards, 5:33. KC – Jan Stenerud 27-yard field goal, 0:18. Chiefs 24–0. Drive: 8 plays, 40 yards, 4:07. Third quarter
KC – Jan Stenerud 31-yard field goal, 11:29. Chiefs 27–0. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 2:23. SEA – Jeff Moore 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick), 10:11. Chiefs 27–7. Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 1:18. KC – Jan Stenerud 22-yard field goal, 2:41. Chiefs 30–7. Drive: 13 plays, 37 yards, 7:40. Fourth quarter
KC – Ted McKnight 3-yard run (Jan Stenerud kick), 13:18. Chiefs 37–7. Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 3:22. SEA – Dan Doornink 1-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick), 10:12. Chiefs 37–14. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 3:06. SEA – Jeff Moore 12-yard run (Efrén Herrera kick), 2:10. Chiefs 37–21. Drive: 3 plays, 20 yards, 0:14. Top passers Top rushers SEA – Jim Zorn – 2 rushes, 21 yards KC – Earl Gant – 21 rushes, 67 yards, TD Top receivers
Week 15: at Baltimore Colts [ edit ] Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 7 0 0 3 10 Colts 7 0 0 0 7
at Memorial Stadium , Baltimore, Maryland
Date : December 9Game time : 2:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Sunny, clear, cold, 43 °F (6 °C)Game attendance : 25,684Referee : Gene Barth TV announcers (NBC) : Phil Stone and Mike Lucci Box score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
KC – Jan Stenerud 43-yard field goal, 11:16. Chiefs 10–7. Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 2:08. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers KC – Earl Gant – 5 receptions, 33 yards BAL – Joe Washington – 6 receptions, 70 yards, TD
Week 16: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers [ edit ] Week 16: Kansas City Chiefs at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 0 0 0 0 0 Buccaneers 0 0 0 3 3
at Tampa Stadium , Tampa, Florida
Date : December 16Game time : 1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Rain, 67 °F (19 °C)Game attendance : 63,624Referee : Jerry SeemanTV announcers (NBC) : Jay Randolph and Paul MaguireBox score
Game information First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
TB – Neil O'Donoghue 19-yard field goal, 8:50. Buccaneers 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 6:49. Top passers Top rushers Top receivers KC – Earl Gant – 3 receptions, 24 yards TB – Jerry Eckwood – 2 receptions, 26 yards
Bob Grupp, NFL Leader, Punting, 43.6 average yards per punt[ 3]
Founded in 1960 Formerly the Dallas Texans (1960–1962) Based and headquartered in Kansas City Missouri Franchise Stadiums Key personnel Culture Lore Rivalries Wild card berths (10) Division championships (16) Conference championships (4) League championships (5) Retired numbers Media Current league affiliations Former league affiliation
Formerly the Dallas Texans (1960–1962)
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia