1998 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1998 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League, and the 29th overall.
| 1998 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head coach | Marty Schottenheimer |
| Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 4th AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | G Will Shields |
The season began with the team hoping to not only improve on their 13–3 campaign the previous season, but to also avenge their loss in the 1998 playoffs against the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. However, instead the Chiefs failed to succeed in the highly competitive AFC West.
The team finished with a 7–9 record and 4th place in the AFC West. The biggest low point of the season was during a week 11 matchup against their division rival Denver Broncos, in which the Chiefs defense were penalized five times on the same drive, including three penalties by linebacker Derrick Thomas, topping off an embarrassing 30–7 loss. Following the season, head coach Marty Schottenheimer announced his intention to resign after ten seasons with the team, and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham assumed coaching duties for 1999.
This was the first time Derrick Thomas was not named to the Pro Bowl roster.
Offseason
On April 9, Marcus Allen announced his retirement.
NFL draft
| 1998 Kansas City Chiefs draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Victor Riley | Offensive tackle | Auburn | |
| 3 | 88 | Rashaan Shehee | Running back | Washington | |
| 4 | 120 | Greg Favors | Linebacker | Mississippi State | |
| 5 | 128 | Robert Williams | Defensive back | North Carolina | |
| 6 | 181 | Derrick Ransom | Defensive tackle | Cincinnati | |
| 7 | 216 | Eric Warfield | Defensive back | Nebraska | |
| 7 | 224 | Ernest Blackwell | Running back | Missouri | |
| Made roster | |||||
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
{{{reserve_lists}}}
| ||||||
Regular season
The Chiefs began the season well on September 6 with an impressive performance and easily defeated the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead 28–8. Kansas City sacked the Raiders quarterbacks 10 times, with Derrick Thomas collecting 6 by himself.
On September 13, Kansas City fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road, 21–16.
On September 27, the Chiefs visited the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time in franchise history.
On October 4, Kansas City conquered the Seattle Seahawks and the rain at Arrowhead, 17–6. Rich Gannon hit Andre Rison for an 80-yard touchdown pass after a 54-minute rain delay caused by a violent storm. The two teams combined for nine turnovers, five by Kansas City. The win improved the Chiefs' record to 4–1.
On November 16, against the Denver Broncos, the Chiefs defense was penalized five times on one drive, three of the penalties coming from legendary linebacker Derrick Thomas. The game is known now by Chiefs fans as the "Monday Night Meltdown". After that it was all downhill as the Chiefs suffered their first losing season since 1988.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6, 1998 | Oakland Raiders | W 28–8 | 1-0 | |
| 2 | September 13, 1998 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 21–16 | 1-1 | |
| 3 | September 20, 1998 | San Diego Chargers | W 23–7 | 2-1 | |
| 4 | September 27, 1998 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 24–21 | 3-1 | |
| 5 | October 4, 1998 | Seattle Seahawks | W 17–6 | 4-1 | |
| 6 | October 11, 1998 | at New England Patriots | L 40–10 | 4-2 | |
| 7 | Bye | ||||
| 8 | October 26, 1998 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 20–13 | 4-3 | |
| 9 | November 1, 1998 | New York Jets | L 20–17 | 4-4 | |
| 10 | November 8, 1998 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 24–12 | 4-5 | |
| 11 | November 16, 1998 | Denver Broncos | L 30–7 | 4-6 | |
| 12 | November 22, 1998 | at San Diego Chargers | L 38–37 | 4-7 | |
| 13 | November 29, 1998 | Arizona Cardinals | W 34–24 | 5-7 | |
| 14 | December 6, 1998 | at Denver Broncos | L 35–31 | 5-8 | |
| 15 | December 13, 1998 | Dallas Cowboys | W 20–17 | 6-8 | |
| 16 | December 20, 1998 | at New York Giants | L 28–7 | 6-9 | |
| 17 | December 26, 1998 | at Oakland Raiders | W 31–24 | 7-9 | |
Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
| (1) Denver Broncos | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 501 | 309 | W1 | ||
| Oakland Raiders | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 288 | 356 | L1 | ||
| Seattle Seahawks | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 372 | 310 | L1 | ||
| Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 327 | 363 | W1 | ||
| San Diego Chargers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 241 | 342 | L5 | ||
Awards and records
The team was penalized 158 times for 1,304 yards. An NFL record that stood until the Oakland Raiders surpassed it in 2011.[2]
References
- "1998 Kansas City Chiefs draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
- http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=311224012