1979 Kansas City Chiefs season

The 1979 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 10th season in the National Football League, the 17th as the Kansas City Chiefs, and the 20th overall. They improved on their 4-12 record from 1978 to a 7–9 record, but a last-place finish in the AFC West. The Chiefs missed the playoffs for the eighth straight year due to the four other teams ahead of them in their division all finishing with winning records.

1979 Kansas City Chiefs season
Head coachMarv Levy
Home fieldArrowhead Stadium
Results
Record7–9
Division place5th AFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersP Bob Grupp

Kansas City owned a pair of picks in the first round of the 1979 Draft, selecting defensive end Mike Bell and quarterback Steve Fuller. By the season's third game, Fuller had supplanted Mike Livingston as the club's starter.[1]

With Fuller at the helm, the Chiefs owned a 4–2 record after six games, but a five-game midseason losing streak ended the attempt. Despite finishing fifth in the AFC West for a second straight season, Kansas City's 7–9 record was a notable accomplishment considering the fact that the division's other four clubs all posted winning records for a second consecutive season.[1]

The Chiefs closed the season by dropping a 3–0 decision at Tampa Bay on December 16 in one of the most water-logged contests in franchise annals. As both clubs struggled to move the ball under monsoon-like conditions (Kansas City was held to 80 total yards), a field goal late in the fourth quarter by the Buccaneers' Neil O'Donoghue averted the NFL's first scoreless tie since 1943, allowing Tampa Bay to win the NFC Central division championship after a three-game losing streak.[1]

The Chiefs set a dubious NFL record for the season, with the fewest passing yards (1,660, 103.8 per game) in a 16-game season.[2]

Offseason

NFL Draft
Main article: 1979 NFL Draft
Round Pick Player Position School/Club Team

Roster
1979 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

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 2, 1979 Baltimore Colts W 14–0
50,442
2 September 9, 1979 Cleveland Browns L 27–24
42,181
3 September 16, 1979 at Houston Oilers L 20–6
45,684
4 September 23, 1979 Oakland Raiders W 35–7
67,821
5 September 30, 1979 at Seattle Seahawks W 24–6
61,169
6 October 7, 1979 at Cincinnati Bengals W 10–7
40,041
7 October 14, 1979 Denver Broncos L 24–10
74,292
8 October 21, 1979 New York Giants L 21–17
44,362
9 October 28, 1979 at Denver Broncos L 20–3
74,908
10 November 4, 1979 San Diego Chargers L 20–14
59,353
11 November 11, 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers L 30–3
70,132
12 November 18, 1979 at Oakland Raiders W 24–21
53,596
13 November 25, 1979 at San Diego Chargers L 28–7
50,078
14 December 2, 1979 Seattle Seahawks W 37–21
42,160
15 December 9, 1979 at Baltimore Colts W 10–7
25,684
16 December 16, 1979 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 3–0
63,624

Standings
AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
San Diego Chargers(1) 12 4 0 .750 6–2 9–3 411 246 W2
Denver Broncos(5) 10 6 0 .625 4–4 7–5 289 262 L2
Seattle Seahawks 9 7 0 .563 3–5 6–6 378 372 W2
Oakland Raiders 9 7 0 .563 3–5 5–7 365 337 L1
Kansas City Chiefs 7 9 0 .438 4–4 7–7 238 262 L1

Awards and records
  • Bob Grupp, NFL Leader, Punting, 43.6 average yards per punt[3]

References
  1. "Kansas City Chiefs History 1970's". kcchiefs.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  2. "Team Game Finder Query Results - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  3. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 454
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