1991 Kansas City Chiefs season

1991 Kansas City Chiefs season
Head coach Marty Schottenheimer
Home field Arrowhead Stadium
Results
Record 10–6
Division place 2nd AFC West
Playoff finish Won AFC Wild Card round (L.A. Raiders)
Lost AFC Divisional Playoffs (Bills)
Pro Bowlers FB Christian Okoye
DE Neil Smith
LB Derrick Thomas
Timeline
Previous season Next season
< 1990 1992 >

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's 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 and 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.

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 1991 NFL draft
1991 Kansas City Chiefs draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 21 Harvey Williams  Running back LSU
2 50 Joe Valerio  Center Pennsylvania
3 77 Tim Barnett  Wide receiver Jackson State
5 133 Charles Mincy  Defensive back Washington
6 162 Darrell Malone  Defensive back Jacksonville State
7 189 Bernard Ellison  Defensive back Nevada
8 218 Tom Dohring  Offensive tackle Michigan
9 244 Robbie Keen  Placekicker California
10 273 Eric Ramsey  Defensive back Auburn
11 300 Bobby Olive  Wide receiver Ohio State
12 329 Ron Shipley  Guard New Mexico
      Made roster  

[1]

Personnel

Staff

colspan="7" style="background: #C60C30; color:white; border: 2px solid #FFB612" text-align: center;" | 1991 Kansas City Chiefs staff
Front office
  • Founder – Lamar Hunt
  • Chairman of the Board – Jack Steadman
  • President/General Manager/Chief Executive Officer – Carl Peterson
  • Assistant General Manager – Dennis Thum
  • Director of Player Personnel – Whitey Dovell
  • Director of Pro Personnel – Mark Hatley

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers – Bill Cowher
  • Defensive Line – Tom Pratt
  • Defensive Backs – Tony Dungy
  • Special Assistant/Quality Control – Darvin Wallis

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

[2]

Roster

colspan="10" style="background: #C60C30; color:white; border:2px solid #FFB612" text-align:center;" | 1991 Kansas City Chiefs roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

 Tight ends

Offensive linemen

 Defensive linemen

Linebackers

 Defensive backs

Special teams


Rookies in italics

[3]

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 1, 1991 Atlanta Falcons W 14–3
74,246
2 September 8, 1991 New Orleans Saints L 17–10
74,816
3 September 16, 1991 at Houston Oilers L 17–7
61,058
4 September 22, 1991 Seattle Seahawks W 20–13
71,789
5 September 29, 1991 at San Diego Chargers W 14–13
44,907
6 October 7, 1991 Buffalo Bills W 33–6
76,120
7 October 13, 1991 Miami Dolphins W 42–7
76,021
8 October 20, 1991 at Denver Broncos L 19–16
75,866
9 October 28, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders W 24–21
77,111
10 Bye
11 November 10, 1991 at Los Angeles Rams W 27–20
52,511
12 November 17, 1991 Denver Broncos L 24–20
74,661
13 November 24, 1991 at Cleveland Browns L 20–15
63,991
14 December 1, 1991 at Seattle Seahawks W 19–6
57,248
15 December 8, 1991 San Diego Chargers W 20–17
73,330
16 December 14, 1991 at San Francisco 49ers L 28–14
62,672
17 December 22, 1991 at Los Angeles Raiders W 27–21
65,144

Standings

AFC West
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(2) Denver Broncos 12 4 0 .750 304 235 W4
(4) Kansas City Chiefs 10 6 0 .625 322 252 W1
(5) Los Angeles Raiders 9 7 0 .563 298 297 L3
Seattle Seahawks 7 9 0 .438 276 261 W1
San Diego Chargers 4 12 0 .250 274 342 L1

Playoffs

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
Wildcard December 28, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders W 10–6
75,827
Division January 5, 1992 at Buffalo Bills L 37–14
80,182

References

  1. ↑ "1991 Kansas City Chiefs draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  2. ↑ Kansas City Chiefs 1991 Media Guide. pp. 4–21.
  3. ↑ "1991 Kansas City Chiefs starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.