1984 Kansas City Chiefs season
Encyclopedia
The 1984
Kansas City Chiefs
season ended with an 8–8 record, and fourth place finish in the AFC West
.
Pro Bowl safety Gary Barbaro
became the most notable Chiefs player to defect to the rival United States Football League
, signing with the New Jersey Generals
on February 2 after sitting out the entire 1983 campaign in a contract dispute. Barbaro's departure and the trade of cornerback Gary Green
began a youth movement that produced the most vaunted secondary in team history. Cornerbacks Kevin Ross and Albert Lewis
, and safeties Deron Cherry
and Lloyd Burruss
accounted for a combined 13 Pro Bowl
appearances for the Chiefs in the years to come.
All-America defensive tackle Bill Maas
and offensive tackle John Alt
were both selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft
. Maas was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, while Alt eventually became the cornerstone of the club’s offensive line later in the decade. Kansas City’s defense registered a team-record 11.0 sacks in a 10–6 win against Cleveland
on September 30, coming one sack shy of the NFL single-game record.
Quarterback Bill Kenney
suffered a broken thumb during the preseason and was sidelined until the season’s seventh week. Second year back-up QB Todd Blackledge
opened the first six contests of the season and had the club at 3–3. Kenney returned to the starting lineup against the New York Jets
on October 21, but inconsistency marked the rest of the season as the club dropped four of first five contests after his return. However, the team rattled off three consecutive wins to conclude the year at 8–8.
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
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 an 8–8 record, and fourth 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:...
.
Pro Bowl safety Gary Barbaro
Gary Barbaro
Gary Wayne Barbaro is a former defensive back in the National Football League and United States Football League....
became the most notable Chiefs player to defect to the rival United States Football League
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
, signing with the New Jersey Generals
New Jersey Generals
The New Jersey Generals were a franchise of the United States Football League established in 1982 to begin play in the spring and summer of 1983. The team played three seasons from 1983-85, winning 31 regular-season games and losing 25 while going 0-2 in postseason competition...
on February 2 after sitting out the entire 1983 campaign in a contract dispute. Barbaro's departure and the trade of cornerback Gary Green
Gary Green (American football)
Gary Francis Green is a former American football cornerback. A star at Baylor, he played nine professional seasons as a cornerback from 1977-1985 in the National Football League....
began a youth movement that produced the most vaunted secondary in team history. Cornerbacks Kevin Ross and Albert Lewis
Albert Lewis (American football)
Albert Ray Lewis is a former American football player who played in the National Football League for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders...
, and safeties Deron Cherry
Deron Cherry
Deron Leigh Cherry is a retired professional American football strong safety who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1981 to 1991. Deron was a free safety and punter at Rutgers University. In 1979, he was named the team’s MVP. In 1979 and 1980, Cherry earned AP All-East honors...
and Lloyd Burruss
Lloyd Burruss
Lloyd Earl Burruss Jr. is a former American football safety who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1981-1991 in the National Football League. He is the only Chief to ever be the Mack Lee Hill Award winner, the team’s MVP and a member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame.-External links:**...
accounted for a combined 13 Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
appearances for the Chiefs in the years to come.
All-America defensive tackle Bill Maas
Bill Maas
William Thomas Maas , is a former American Football defensive tackle who played for the Kansas City Chiefs , and the Green Bay Packers . Maas was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1986 and 1987. In 1984 Maas was named The NFL Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press...
and offensive tackle John Alt
John Alt
John Michael Alt is a former professional American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. He played his entire NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1984 to 1996. He played his college years at the University of Iowa...
were both selected in the first round of the 1984 NFL Draft
1984 NFL Draft
The 1984 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 1-2, 1984. No teams elected to claim any players in the regular supplemental draft that...
. Maas was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, while Alt eventually became the cornerstone of the club’s offensive line later in the decade. Kansas City’s defense registered a team-record 11.0 sacks in a 10–6 win against Cleveland
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...
on September 30, coming one sack shy of the NFL single-game record.
Quarterback Bill Kenney
Bill Kenney
William Patrick Kenney is a retired quarterback who spent 9 years in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs from 1980 to 1988 and a former politician who spent 8 years as a Missouri State Senator...
suffered a broken thumb during the preseason and was sidelined until the season’s seventh week. Second year back-up QB Todd Blackledge
Todd Blackledge
Todd Alan Blackledge was an American football quarterback in both the NCAA and National Football League. In college, he led the Penn State Nittany Lions to a national championship; and, as a pro, he played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers...
opened the first six contests of the season and had the club at 3–3. Kenney returned to the starting lineup against the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on October 21, but inconsistency marked the rest of the season as the club dropped four of first five contests after his return. However, the team rattled off three consecutive wins to conclude the year at 8–8.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2, 1984 | at 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... |
W 37–27 | |
| 2 | September 9, 1984 | 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 27–22 | |
| 3 | September 16, 1984 | Los Angeles Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,... |
L 22–20 | |
| 4 | September 23, 1984 | 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 21–0 | |
| 5 | September 30, 1984 | 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... |
W 10–6 | |
| 6 | October 7, 1984 | New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 17–16 | |
| 7 | October 14, 1984 | 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... |
W 31–13 | |
| 8 | October 21, 1984 | at New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 28–7 | |
| 9 | October 28, 1984 | 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... |
W 24–20 | |
| 10 | November 4, 1984 | 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... |
L 45–0 | |
| 11 | November 11, 1984 | 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 17–16 | |
| 12 | November 18, 1984 | at Los Angeles 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... |
L 17–7 | |
| 13 | November 25, 1984 | at 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 28–27 | |
| 14 | December 2, 1984 | 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... |
W 16–13 | |
| 15 | December 9, 1984 | 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 34–7 | |
| 16 | December 16, 1984 | 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... |
W 42–21 | |
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:... |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Denver Broncos 1984 Denver Broncos season The 1984 Denver Broncos season was the team's 25th year in professional football and its 15th with the National Football League. The team finished with its then franchise best record of thirteen wins and three losses and were champions of the AFC West... |
13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 353 | 241 | W-2 |
| Seattle Seahawks 1984 Seattle Seahawks season The 1984 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's ninth season with the National Football League.-1984 NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-Playoffs:-External links:* *... |
12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 418 | 282 | L-2 |
| Los Angeles Raiders 1984 Los Angeles Raiders season The 1984 Los Angeles Raiders season was their 25th in the league. They failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eleven games. Despite finishing third in their division, the team qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive... |
11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 368 | 278 | L-1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 314 | 324 | W-3 |
| San Diego Chargers 1984 San Diego Chargers season The 1984 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record in 1983.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*1984 NFL season... |
7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 394 | 413 | L-2 |