1991 Kansas City Chiefs season
Encyclopedia
The 1991
Kansas City Chiefs
season ended with a 10–6 record and Wild Card
spot in the 1992 playoffs
. The Chiefs defeated their division rival, the Los Angeles Raiders
in the Wild Card round, resulting in the franchise's first playoff victory since Super Bowl IV
in 1970. The next week, the Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills
in the divisional playoffs.
The season began on July 27 when Jan Stenerud
, the hero of Super Bowl IV was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
.
After a 1–1 start, on September 16 the Chiefs lost to the Houston Oilers 17–7 before a Monday Night Football
television audience.
But the Chiefs rebounded to win 4 straight games, including an October 7 game in which the Chiefs trounced the Buffalo Bills 33–6. It was the Chiefs' first home Monday Night Football game since 1983 and on October 13, The Chiefs blasted the Miami Dolphins
42–7 as Christian Okoye
ran for 153 yards.
After a loss to the Denver Broncos
, the Chiefs came from behind a week later to beat the Los Angeles Raiders 24–21 on Monday Night Football. The Chiefs' record was then 6–3.
But despite a good start, the Chiefs passing game wasn't as good as their 1990 campaign
as Steve DeBerg
consistency dropped. The running game made up for lost time as Christian Okoye ran for 1,031 yards for the season, and Barry Word
was productive, and rookie Harvey Williams was outstanding in limited playing time.
The defense was again led by Derrick Thomas
, and he was joined by Neil Smith on the Pro Bowl
team.
The Chiefs continued to play playoff football and on December 22 Christmas
came early for the Chiefs and their fans. By playing brilliantly and holding off the Raiders in the end, they left Los Angeles
with a 27–21 win. The victory gave the Chiefs a home playoff game against the Raiders. A loss would have meant playing in Los Angeles again the following week. It was the first playoff game in Kansas City
in 20 years.
The offense was superb as quarterback Steve DeBerg completed 14 of 20 passes for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns. Barry Word rushed for 152 yards, and J. J. Birden caught 8 passes for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. Even more impressive was that the Chiefs didn't have to punt in the game. Kansas City held the ball for almost 40 minutes.
The Chiefs led 17–7 at the half, and after the Raiders scored with just under 4 minutes left in the game to pull within 27–21, the Chiefs ran out the clock to secure the win.
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
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 10–6 record and Wild Card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
spot in the 1992 playoffs
NFL playoffs, 1991-92
The NFL playoffs following the 1991 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXVI.-Bracket:-AFC: Kansas City Chiefs 10, Los Angeles Raiders 6:Chiefs Quarterback Steve DeBerg completed a play-action 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Fred Jones in the second quarter, which was the difference in K.C.'s...
. The Chiefs defeated their division rival, the 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...
in the Wild Card round, resulting in the franchise's first playoff victory since Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
in 1970. The next week, the Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the divisional playoffs.
The season began on July 27 when Jan Stenerud
Jan Stenerud
Jan Stenerud is a former professional football player for the American Football League's Kansas City Chiefs , and the NFL's Chiefs , Green Bay Packers , and Minnesota Vikings .-Background:...
, the hero of Super Bowl IV was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
.
After a 1–1 start, on September 16 the Chiefs lost to the Houston Oilers 17–7 before a Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
television audience.
But the Chiefs rebounded to win 4 straight games, including an October 7 game in which the Chiefs trounced the Buffalo Bills 33–6. It was the Chiefs' first home Monday Night Football game since 1983 and on October 13, The Chiefs blasted the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
42–7 as Christian Okoye
Christian Okoye
Christian Emeka Okoye , is a Nigerian-American former American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1987 to 1992. Nicknamed "The Nigerian Nightmare," Okoye was known for his powerful running style and ability to break tackles. Okoye's six seasons in the NFL saw a league rushing...
ran for 153 yards.
After a loss to the 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...
, the Chiefs came from behind a week later to beat the Los Angeles Raiders 24–21 on Monday Night Football. The Chiefs' record was then 6–3.
But despite a good start, the Chiefs passing game wasn't as good as their 1990 campaign
1990 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1990 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with an 11–5 record and Wild Card spot in the 1991 playoffs. In Marty Schottenheimer's first playoff appearance with the Chiefs, the lost to the Miami Dolphins 16–17 in the Wild Card round. Starting with the home opener, the Chiefs began an NFL-record...
as Steve DeBerg
Steve DeBerg
Steven Leroy DeBerg had a long career as an American Football quarterback. His career spanned 21 years over 3 decades. Despite the fact that large portions of his career were spent as a backup, DeBerg ultimately accumulated some impressive NFL statistics, particularly during the early 1990s, when...
consistency dropped. The running game made up for lost time as Christian Okoye ran for 1,031 yards for the season, and Barry Word
Barry Word
Barry Quentin Word is a former American football running back for the National Football League.-College:...
was productive, and rookie Harvey Williams was outstanding in limited playing time.
The defense was again led by Derrick Thomas
Derrick Thomas
Derrick Vincent Thomas , nicknamed D.T., was an American football linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League . He played his entire 11-year career for the Chiefs after being drafted fourth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft...
, and he was joined by Neil Smith on the 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...
team.
The Chiefs continued to play playoff football and on December 22 Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
came early for the Chiefs and their fans. By playing brilliantly and holding off the Raiders in the end, they left Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with a 27–21 win. The victory gave the Chiefs a home playoff game against the Raiders. A loss would have meant playing in Los Angeles again the following week. It was the first playoff game in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
in 20 years.
The offense was superb as quarterback Steve DeBerg completed 14 of 20 passes for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns. Barry Word rushed for 152 yards, and J. J. Birden caught 8 passes for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns. Even more impressive was that the Chiefs didn't have to punt in the game. Kansas City held the ball for almost 40 minutes.
The Chiefs led 17–7 at the half, and after the Raiders scored with just under 4 minutes left in the game to pull within 27–21, the Chiefs ran out the clock to secure the win.
Staff
| 1991 Kansas City Chiefs staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
|
|||||
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 1, 1991 | Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 14–3 | |
| 2 | September 8, 1991 | New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
L 17–10 | |
| 3 | September 16, 1991 | 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 17–7 | |
| 4 | September 22, 1991 | 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 20–13 | |
| 5 | September 29, 1991 | 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 14–13 | |
| 6 | October 7, 1991 | Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 33–6 | |
| 7 | October 13, 1991 | Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 42–7 | |
| 8 | October 20, 1991 | 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 19–16 | |
| 9 | October 28, 1991 | 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... |
W 24–21 | |
| 10 | Bye | |||
| 11 | November 10, 1991 | at 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,... |
W 27–20 | |
| 12 | November 17, 1991 | 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 24–20 | |
| 13 | November 24, 1991 | at 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 20–15 | |
| 14 | December 1, 1991 | 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 19–6 | |
| 15 | December 8, 1991 | 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 20–17 | |
| 16 | December 14, 1991 | at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
L 28–14 | |
| 17 | December 22, 1991 | 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... |
W 27–21 | |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcard | December 28, 1991 | 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... |
W 10–6 | |
| Division | January 5, 1992 | at Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 37–14 | |