1979 Kansas City Chiefs season
Encyclopedia
The 1979
Kansas City Chiefs
season ended with a 7–9 record and fifth place finish in the AFC West
. The Chiefs missed the playoffs 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.
With Fuller at the helm, the Chiefs owned a 4–2 record after six games, but a five-game mid-season losing stretch sullied that effort. 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.
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.
1979 NFL season
The 1979 NFL season was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams...
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
season ended with a 7–9 record and fifth place finish in the AFC West
AFC West
The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:...
. The Chiefs missed the playoffs 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
1979 NFL Draft
The 1979 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1979...
, selecting defensive end Mike Bell
Mike Bell (defensive lineman)
Mike J. Bell is a former American football defensive end who played twelve seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs in the National Football League. His twin brother Mark Bell, also played in the NFL and at Colorado State, where he was a consensus All-American in 1978.- External links :*...
and quarterback Steve Fuller. By the season’s third game, Fuller had supplanted Mike Livingston
Mike Livingston
Mike Livingston is a former American collegiate and Professional Football quarterback. He played professionally for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs in 1968-1969, and for the NFL Chiefs from 1970 to 1979...
as the club’s starter.
With Fuller at the helm, the Chiefs owned a 4–2 record after six games, but a five-game mid-season losing stretch sullied that effort. 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.
The Chiefs closed the season by dropping a 3–0 decision at Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
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
Neil O'Donoghue
Cornelis Joseph Connor Dennis "Neil" O'Donoghue is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League ....
averted the NFL’s first scoreless tie since 1943
1943 NFL season
The 1943 NFL season was the 24th regular season of the National Football League. As more players left to serve in World War II, three teams were affected by the depleted rosters. The Cleveland Rams were granted permission to suspend operations for this season. The Philadelphia Eagles and the...
, allowing Tampa Bay to win the NFC Central division championship after a three-game losing streak.
NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
|---|
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2, 1979 | Baltimore Colts | W 14–0 | |
| 2 | September 9, 1979 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 27–24 | |
| 3 | September 16, 1979 | at Houston Oilers Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter... |
L 20–6 | |
| 4 | September 23, 1979 | Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 35–7 | |
| 5 | September 30, 1979 | at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
W 24–6 | |
| 6 | October 7, 1979 | at Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... |
W 10–7 | |
| 7 | October 14, 1979 | Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 24–10 | |
| 8 | October 21, 1979 | New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 21–17 | |
| 9 | October 28, 1979 | at Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 20–3 | |
| 10 | November 4, 1979 | San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 20–14 | |
| 11 | November 11, 1979 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
L 30–3 | |
| 12 | November 18, 1979 | at Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24–21 | |
| 13 | November 25, 1979 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 28–7 | |
| 14 | December 2, 1979 | Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
W 37–21 | |
| 15 | December 9, 1979 | at Baltimore Colts | W 10–7 | |
| 16 | December 16, 1979 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
L 3–0 | |
Standings
| AFC West AFC West The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:... |
||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers 1979 San Diego Chargers season The 1979 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record in 1978. They made the playoffs for the first time in 14 years... |
12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 411 | 246 |
| Denver Broncos 1979 Denver Broncos season The 1979 Denver Broncos season was the team's 20th year in professional football and its 10th with the National Football League.-Schedule:-Standings:-Playoffs:-References:* *... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 289 | 262 |
| Seattle Seahawks 1979 Seattle Seahawks season The 1979 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's fourth season with the National Football League.-1979 NFL draft:-Staff:-Regular season:For the second straight year, the Seahawks missed the playoffs by one game... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 378 | 372 |
| Oakland Raiders 1979 Oakland Raiders season The 1979 Oakland Raiders season was their 10th in the league, and 20th overall. They matched their previous season's output of 9–7.-Season:Oakland started off 1–3, rallied to be 6–4, then following an upset lost to the Kansas City chiefs and were at 6–6... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 365 | 337 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 238 | 262 |