1968 Kansas City Chiefs season

The 1968 Kansas City Chiefs season was the 9th season for the Kansas City Chiefs as a professional AFL franchise; They finished with a 12–2 record, resulting in a tie for first place in the AFL Western Division with the Oakland Raiders, before the Raiders won the championship in a tiebreaker playoff, defeating the Chiefs 41–6.

1968 Kansas City Chiefs season
Head coachHank Stram
Home fieldMunicipal Stadium
Results
Record12–2
Division place2nd AFL Western
Playoff finishLost Western Division playoff game (at Raiders) 6–41
AFL All-StarsQB Len Dawson
G Ed Budde
DT Buck Buchanan
DE Jerry Mays
LB Jim Lynch
LB Willie Lanier
LB Bobby Bell
CB Emmitt Thomas
S Johnny Robinson
K Jan Stenerud

The 1968 Chiefs boasted one of the finest defenses ever assembled by the club, allowing an AFL record (and still franchise-low) 170 points, or 12.1 points per game. The nucleus of the defensive unit was clearly in its prime, producing six AFL All-Stars, including all three of the squad's linebackers.

Offensively, quarterback Len Dawson led the AFL in passing for the fourth time. Guard Ed Budde won the AFL Offensive Player of the Week award for the October 20 game against the Raiders. It was the first time the award was given to an interior lineman.

The Chiefs began the season with a 7–1 record and rattled off five straight victories to close the regular season at 12–2, sharing the division crown with the Raiders and setting up their playoff on December 22, in which the Raiders advanced to the AFL Championship Game against the New York Jets.[1] The loss to Oakland was a major event in the Chiefs' rivalry with the Raiders, one of the NFL's most storied feuds.

Roster
1968 Kansas City Chiefs roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Regular season
Main article: 1968 American Football League season

Season schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 9 at Houston Oilers W 26–21 1–0 Houston Astrodome 45,083 Recap
2 September 15 New York Jets L 19–20 1–1 Municipal Stadium 48,871 Recap
3 September 22 Denver Broncos W 34–2 2–1 Municipal Stadium 45,821 Recap
4 September 28 at Miami Dolphins W 48–3 3–1 Miami Orange Bowl 28,501 Recap
5 October 5 at Buffalo Bills W 18–7 4–1 War Memorial Stadium 40,748 Recap
6 October 13 Cincinnati Bengals W 13–3 5–1 Municipal Stadium 47,096 Recap
7 October 20 Oakland Raiders W 24–10 6–1 Municipal Stadium 50,015 Recap
8 October 27 San Diego Chargers W 27–20 7–1 Municipal Stadium 50,344 Recap
9 November 3 at Oakland Raiders L 21–38 7–2 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum 53,357 Recap
10 November 10 at Cincinnati Bengals W 16–9 8–2 Nippert Stadium 25,537 Recap
11 November 17 Boston Patriots W 31–17 9–2 Municipal Stadium 48,271 Recap
12 Bye
13 November 28 Houston Oilers W 24–10 10–2 Municipal Stadium 48,493 Recap
14 December 8 at San Diego Chargers W 40–3 11–2 San Diego Stadium 51,174 Recap
15 December 14 at Denver Broncos W 30–7 12–2 Mile High Stadium 38,463 Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings
AFL Western Division
W L T PCT DIV PF PA STK
Oakland Raiders 1220.8576–2453233W8
Kansas City Chiefs 1220.8577–1371170W5
San Diego Chargers 950.6435–3382310L2
Denver Broncos 590.3571–7275404L3
Cincinnati Bengals 3110.2141–7215329L3

Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.

Postseason
Further information: 1968 American Football League playoffs
A tie in the Western Division standings necessitated an unscheduled playoff game

Western Division playoff
1 2 3 4 Total
Chiefs 0 6 0 0 6
Raiders 21 7 0 13 41

Oakland Raiders 41, Kansas City Chiefs 6

December 22, 1968, at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California

Scoring

  • OAK – Biletnikoff 24 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
  • OAK – Wells 23 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
  • OAK – Biletnikoff 44 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
  • KC – Field goal Stenerud 10
  • KC – Field goal Stenerud 8
  • OAK – Biletnikoff 54 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
  • OAK – Wells 35 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
  • OAK – Field goal Blanda 41
  • OAK – Field goal Blanda 40

References
  1. "Kansas City Chiefs History 1960's". Archived from the original on October 18, 2004. Retrieved July 30, 2007.
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