Nickolas Loza | May 30th, 2019
In this article, we’ll continue going over the continuous failures of the Kansas City Chiefs, and again this article is not to slander the fanbase or anything of that nature it’s meant to point out the lack of success they’ve had.
2004
In 2004 the Chiefs regressed in every way possible. The Chiefs seriously fell hard this time, every player on their team that was really good regressed in some way with the exception of Tackle Willie Roaf. Dante Hall became human again, Trent Green regressed ever so slightly, and Priest Holmes totally fell off from the year before. Where he placed top three in MVP voting, not even recording 900 yards rushing, even though he still scored 15 Scrimmage TD’s. The teams future went from really bright to quite dim in a matter of a year, but they managed to pick things up again in 2005
2005
In ’05 the Chiefs managed to go 10-6 but missed the playoffs due to being 1-3 against the NFC East. The team did, however, get another great feature back in Larry Johnson who recorded 1750 Rushing Yards to go along with 21 Scrimmage TD’s, and a Pro Bowl appearance. Trent Green and Tony Gonzalez made the Pro Bowl again, along with LG Brian Waters, Will Shields, and Willie Roaf. It was a large improvement, but things would get better next year.
2006
In 2006 the Chiefs record was 9-7, despite their record, they made the playoffs, and managed to book a game with the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis, the same team they faced twice before in the playoffs and lost to. They would field a similar result here, losing 23-8, in a game that was expected to be close. This was a bad end to a good season, as Larry Johnson made All-Pro, and Tony Gonzalez made the Pro Bowl. Things would heavily worsen the next year, however.
2007
The Dark Ages begin as Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle split times at QB, Larry Johnson hits a brick wall, and the team as a whole lays an egg as the Chiefs go 4-12 and lose nine straight games to close out the season after starting out 4-3. Not much can be said about this season honestly, besides Jared Allen recording 15.5 sacks and making All-Pro and Pro Bowl.
2008
Things get worse. Much worse. The Chiefs go 2-14 with Tyler Thigpen starting most of their games at QB, and getting no productivity out of any other position other than Tight End. Nothing positive happened at all besides GM Carl Peterson getting fired, and Herm Edward getting a swift boot in the rear end on the way out. Oh yeah and Tony Gonzalez got traded in the offseason for what basically ended up the equivalent of bread crumbs.
2009
The Chiefs go 4-12 again, nothing overly positive to report from this year besides Jamaal Charles getting 1120 Rushing Yards. The team had no Pro Bowlers which was something far different than the usual in Kansas City.
2010
The Chiefs made a dramatic improvement this year, their RB Jamaal Charles earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, QB Matt Cassel made the Pro Bowl, WR Dwayne Bowe made the Pro Bowl, SS Eric Berry had his breakout year and made the Pro Bowl too. LB Tamba Hali was a Pro Bowl snub who had 14.5 sacks, all these players lead the Chiefs to a 10-6 record, the division title, and a date with the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Wild Card Game. The Chiefs struggled at home, Matt Cassel threw three interceptions, the Chiefs turned the ball over a total of five times and got clobbered at home 30-7. This would be the sixth straight playoff loss for the Chiefs, which is one short of an NFL record. Absolutely abysmal.
2011
Mediocrity hits you like a freight train, you go 7-9 and finish dead last in the ultra-competitive AFC West, where three teams finished 8-8, and the Broncos had the tiebreaker and won the division. There really isn’t much to be said, expect for Jamaal Charles tore his ACL.
2012
This was a really odd year, the Chiefs went 2-14, except they really weren’t that bad. The Chiefs had six Pro Bowlers, four on defense, one on offense, and one on special teams, but their offense was a garbage heap. They managed a measly 13.2 points per game and really weren’t mentionable. Better things came the next year.
2013
With new Head Coach Andy Reid and new QB Alex Smith, the team went 11-5. They started out at 9-0 and were the hottest commodity in sports at the time. They fell off down the stretch and finished second in the division. Meaning they’d have to go on the road in the playoffs and face an extremely familiar foe. The Indianapolis Colts, at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Chiefs got off to a red hot start, and they really hammered the Colts, until the Colts decided to fight back and the Chiefs lost. This wasn’t just any collapse, this was a collapse of absolutely epic proportions. The Chiefs were up 38-10 with 13:39 left in the 3rd quarter. They lost that lead in epic Chief-like form and lost the game 45-44, therefore becoming the first team to lose seven straight playoff games. This team would get no better the next year.
2014
In 2014 things didn’t go as planned for the Chiefs, they went 9-7, the whole roster outside of Justin Houston who recorded a league-high and nearly league record 22.0 sacks was forgettable . Basically, the whole rest of the roster receded and there really isn’t much to show for this year. Things get better the next year.
2015
The Chiefs roster as a whole breaks out. The whole defense goes absolutely bananas, rookie CB Marcus Peters recorded a league-high eight interceptions and made the Pro Bowl and got absolutely robbed of All-Pro honors, SS Eric Berry got All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, LB Derrick Johnson, LB Tamba Hali, LB Justin Houston all made the Pro Bowl, and on offense TE Travis Kelce had a breakout year and made the Pro Bowl. This all set up a record of 11-5, and a date on the road with a 9-7 Houston Texans team who won a weak division. The Chiefs took no mercy on the Texans, scoring a 106-yard kickoff return touchdown on the opening kickoff of the game. This foreshadowed things to come. The Chiefs won 30-0, breaking their playoff drought and booking a date with the Patriots in New England on a 38 degree night. The Patriots took it to the Chiefs, scoring early and often. The Patriots managed to squeeze out a 27-20 victory, and they went on to lose the next weak to the Broncos in the AFC Championship game. This year was a massive improvement for so many reasons. They finally got rid of their playoff demons, and their roster looked primed and ready to make a run at the Super Bowl.
2016
The Chiefs managed to better their record, to 12-4, and book a date with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Divisional playoff game after getting a bye through the first round. The game was a defensive slugfest, with the Steelers netting six field goals and the Chiefs managing two touchdowns, and a field goal. The Chiefs missed a critical two-point conversion with 2:43 left in the fourth quarter, and lost the game 18-16, at home again. Nothing else is good to report from this year, other than Travis Kelce making All-Pro and the Pro Bowl, and the breakout of punt/kick returner Tyreek Hill.
2017
The Chiefs managed to win their division at 10-6, and book a date with the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Wild Card Game. The Chiefs offense was dynamic, having four Pro Bowlers on it, including WR Tyreek Hill, RB Kareem Hunt, QB Alex Smith, and TE Travis Kelce. The playoff game itself went well, until the second half where the Chiefs collapsed and allowed QB Marcus Mariota to catch his own deflected pass and dive in for a touchdown, and they lost 22-21 at home. This was the final straw for the Chiefs, they got rid of QB Alex Smith in the offseason, and put in QB Patrick Mahomes to start the next season.
2018
Now to the most recent Chiefs disaster, the Chiefs went 12-4 last season and had MVP QB Patrick Mahomes take the reigns and put up one of the most impressive quarterbacking seasons of all time, passing for 50 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The rest of the Chiefs offense did great also, having five Pro Bowlers. LB Dee Ford also made the Pro Bowl after recording 13.0 sacks, all this set up a date at home with a familiar foe, the Indianapolis Colts. The Chiefs were the ones to do the slaughtering this time. They took the victory, slew their demons against the Colts, and their home playoff game demons. This set up a date in the conference championship game with the Patriots at home. The Chiefs and Patriots traded punches, and the game went to OT to decide who would represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. The Patriots won the coin toss and took the ball 75 yards for a touchdown to win the game 37-31. That’s the closest the Chiefs have gotten to the Super Bowl during this run. They do have a lot of hope for this year, however.
Concluding Thoughts
In conclusion, the Chiefs and the playoffs really don’t mix well together, but they should have hope for this year, and for their future. The blow that really changed the team forever was when QB Joe Montana hit his head on Riche Stadiums Astroturf in the 1993 AFC Championship game and was concussed, that was by far the best team the Chiefs have sent to the playoffs in the last 40 years, and it ended with a Joe Montana concussion and a 30-13 loss. That changed the team forever, and possibly the NFL forever. That’s a marvelous thing to think about.
I hope you all enjoyed reading Part 2 and check out the first article if you missed it!
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