The 1991 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 22nd season in the National Football League and 32nd overall. They failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1990 and finished with a 10–6 record. Compared to the Chiefs' 1990 campaign, Steve DeBerg’s consistency had dropped. The running game made up for lost time as Christian Okoye ran for 1,031 yards for the season, Barry Word was productive, and rookie Harvey Williams was outstanding in limited playing time. 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.
1991 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
---|---|
Owner | Lamar Hunt |
General manager | Carl Peterson |
Head coach | Marty Schottenheimer |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 10–6 |
Division place | 2nd AFC West |
Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Raiders) 10–6 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Bills) 14–37 |
Pro Bowlers | 3 |
AP All-Pros | 1
|
The season began on July 27 when Jan Stenerud, the hero of Super Bowl IV, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But the Chiefs rebounded to win four 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. On October 13, The Chiefs blasted the Miami Dolphins 42–7 as Christian Okoye ran for 153 yards.
On December 22, the Chiefs won 27–21 against the Raiders. The victory gave the Chiefs a home playoff game against the team; 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 Chiefs 10–6 victory over the Raiders in the playoffs was the franchise's first postseason victory since the merger.
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. During the game, the Chiefs didn't have to punt and held the ball for almost 40 minutes.
Offseason
editDraft
edit1991 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 |
Personnel
editStaff
edit
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
editPreseason
editWeek | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 3 | Dallas Cowboys | L 14–24 | 0–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 56,038 | Recap |
2 | August 10 | vs. New York Jets | W 19–10 | 1–1 | Busch Memorial Stadium (St. Louis, MO) | 52,935 | Recap |
3 | August 17 | Detroit Lions | W 38–14 | 2–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 57,320 | Recap |
4 | August 23 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 7–20 | 2–2 | Tampa Stadium | 33,996 | Recap |
Regular season
editSchedule
editWeek | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 1 | Atlanta Falcons | W 14–3 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 74,246 | Recap |
2 | September 8 | New Orleans Saints | L 10–17 | 1–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 74,816 | Recap |
3 | September 16 | at Houston Oilers | L 7–17 | 1–2 | Houston Astrodome | 61,058 | Recap |
4 | September 22 | Seattle Seahawks | W 20–13 | 2–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 71,789 | Recap |
5 | September 29 | at San Diego Chargers | W 14–13 | 3–2 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 44,907 | Recap |
6 | October 7 | Buffalo Bills | W 33–6 | 4–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 76,120 | Recap |
7 | October 13 | Miami Dolphins | W 42–7 | 5–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 76,021 | Recap |
8 | October 20 | at Denver Broncos | L 16–19 | 5–3 | Mile High Stadium | 75,866 | Recap |
9 | October 28 | Los Angeles Raiders | W 24–21 | 6–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 77,111 | Recap |
10 | Bye | ||||||
11 | November 10 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 27–20 | 7–3 | Anaheim Stadium | 52,511 | Recap |
12 | November 17 | Denver Broncos | L 20–24 | 7–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | 74,661 | Recap |
13 | November 24 | at Cleveland Browns | L 15–20 | 7–5 | Cleveland Stadium | 63,991 | Recap |
14 | December 1 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 19–6 | 8–5 | Kingdome | 57,248 | Recap |
15 | December 8 | San Diego Chargers | W 20–17 (OT) | 9–5 | Arrowhead Stadium | 73,330 | Recap |
16 | December 14 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 14–28 | 9–6 | Candlestick Park | 62,672 | Recap |
17 | December 22 | at Los Angeles Raiders | W 27–21 | 10–6 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 65,144 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
Game summaries
editWeek 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: September 1
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Overcast, 76 °F (24 °C)
- Game attendance: 74,246
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- TV announcers (CBS): James Brown and Randy Cross
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 2: vs. New Orleans Saints
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: September 8
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C)
- Game attendance: 74,816
- Referee: Red Cashion
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz and Hank Stram
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 3: at Houston Oilers
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Oilers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
- Date: September 16
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
- Game attendance: 61,058
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 4: vs. Seattle Seahawks
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 13 |
Chiefs | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: September 22
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Overcast, 62 °F (17 °C)
- Game attendance: 71,789
- Referee: Dale Hamer
- TV announcers (NBC): Jim Donovan and Beasley Reece
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 5: at San Diego Chargers
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Chargers | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
- Date: September 29
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT/1:00 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: Fair and Warm, 77 °F (25 °C)
- Game attendance: 44,907
- Referee: Howard Roe
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 6: vs. Buffalo Bills
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Chiefs | 3 | 10 | 17 | 3 | 33 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: October 7
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Clear, 70 °F (21 °C)
- Game attendance: 76,120
- Referee: Gerry Austin
- TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 7: vs. Miami Dolphins
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Chiefs | 14 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 42 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: October 13
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Partly Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
- Game attendance: 76,021
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 8: at Denver Broncos
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 16 |
Broncos | 0 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 19 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Date: October 20
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT/2:00 p.m. MDT
- Game weather: Sunny, 64 °F (18 °C)
- Game attendance: 75,866
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (NBC): Joel Meyers and Dan Hampton
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 9: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 11 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 11: at Los Angeles Rams
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
Rams | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California
- Date: November 10
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. PST
- Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 73 °F (23 °C)
- Game attendance: 52,511
- Referee: Johnny Grier
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Todd Christensen
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 12: vs. Denver Broncos
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
Chiefs | 0 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: November 17
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Mostly Cloudy, 59 °F (15 °C)
- Game attendance: 74,661
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- TV announcers (NBC): Joel Meyers and Dan Hampton
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 13: at Cleveland Browns
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 15 |
Browns | 0 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: November 24
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C)
- Game attendance: 63,991
- Referee: Larry Nemmers
- TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Joe Namath
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 14: at Seattle Seahawks
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
Seahawks | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 15: vs. San Diego Chargers
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 16: at San Francisco 49ers
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
49ers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Week 17: at Los Angeles Raiders
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
Raiders | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Standings
editAFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(2) Denver Broncos | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–3 | 10–4 | 304 | 235 | W4 |
(4) Kansas City Chiefs | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 316 | 252 | W1 |
(5) Los Angeles Raiders | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 298 | 297 | L3 |
Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–6 | 6–6 | 276 | 261 | W1 |
San Diego Chargers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 274 | 342 | L1 |
Postseason
editSchedule
editRound | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card | December 28 | Los Angeles Raiders (5) | W 10–6 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 75,827 | Recap |
Divisional | January 5, 1992 | at Buffalo Bills (1) | L 14–37 | 1–1 | Rich Stadium | 80,182 | Recap |
Game summaries
editAFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Los Angeles Raiders
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
- Date: December 28
- Game time: 11:30 a.m. CST
- Game weather: Overcast with Fog, 38 °F (3 °C)
- Game attendance: 75,827
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger, Dick Vermeil and Lynn Swann
- Recap, Game Book
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (1) Buffalo Bills
editPeriod | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
Bills | 7 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 37 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
References
edit- ^ "1991 Kansas City Chiefs draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
- ^ Kansas City Chiefs 1991 Media Guide. pp. 4–21.
- ^ "1991 Kansas City Chiefs starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2014.