1984 Kansas City Chiefs season

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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.^[1] 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^[1] 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.^[1]

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.^[1]

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