2015 Kansas City Chiefs season

The 2015 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League, the 56th overall and the third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Andy Reid and John Dorsey. The Chiefs went through a poor start in their first 6 games as they were 1–5, and lost their star running back, Jamaal Charles due to a torn ACL in his right knee during an 18–17 Week 5 loss at home against the Chicago Bears. In week 16, after their 9th consecutive victory and the Baltimore Ravens defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chiefs clinched a playoff berth, their 2nd in 3 years.[1] They are the first team since the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals to start the season 1–5 and qualify for the playoffs.[2] They also set the franchise record for the most consecutive victories, winning 10 in a row. In their Wild Card matchup, the Chiefs were set up to play against the Houston Texans. The Chiefs shutout the Texans 30–0 to earn their first playoff win in 22 years. The following week, they were defeated by the New England Patriots in the Divisional round by a score of 27–20.

2015 Kansas City Chiefs season
OwnerThe Hunt family
Head coachAndy Reid
General managerJohn Dorsey
Home fieldArrowhead Stadium
Results
Record11–5
Division place2nd AFC West
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs (at Texans) 30–0
Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Patriots) 20–27
Pro BowlersS Eric Berry
LB Tamba Hali
LB Justin Houston
TE Travis Kelce
CB Marcus Peters
LB Derrick Johnson
Team MVPAlex Smith & Eric Berry
Team ROYMarcus Peters
Uniform

Two Chiefs took home awards at the 5th Annual NFL Honors honoring performances from the 2015 season. Cornerback Marcus Peters won Defensive Rookie of the Year after leading the NFL in interceptions. Safety Eric Berry won Comeback Player of the Year after a Pro Bowl season the year after having his season cut short due to a lymphoma diagnosis.

Roster changes

Reserve/future free agent contracts

PlayerPosition
Brandon BardenTE
Armon BinnsWR
Hebron FangupoDT
Curtis FeightT
Brandon HartsonLS
Ricky HenryG
Aaron HesterCB
Deji Olatoye
Jarrod PughsleyT
Da'Rick RogersWR
Adam SchiltzTE
Derek SherrodT
Spencer WareRB
Fred WilliamsWR
Jerel WorthyDT

Cuts

PositionPlayer2015 team
LBJoe MaysNew York Jets
DTVance WalkerDenver Broncos
TEAnthony FasanoTennessee Titans
WRDonnie AveryNone
WRA. J. JenkinsDallas Cowboys
WRDwayne BoweCleveland Browns
GMike McGlynnNew Orleans Saints

Trades

PositionPlayer/pick
received
TeamCompensation
GBen GrubbsNew Orleans Saints5th round pick,
2015 NFL draft
FSKelcie McCraySeattle Seahawks5th round pick,
2016 NFL draft

Free agents

PositionPlayerStatus*2014 team(s)2015 team
WRJason AvantUFAKansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
STyvon BranchUFAOakland RaidersKansas City Chiefs
FSKurt ColemanUFAKansas City ChiefsCarolina Panthers
LSThomas GaffordUFAKansas City ChiefsChicago Bears
TERichard GordonUFAKansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
WRFrankie HammondERFAKansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
TEDemetrius HarrisERFAKansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
TRyan HarrisUFAKansas City ChiefsDenver Broncos
WRJunior HemingwayERFAKansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
LBJustin HoustonUFAKansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
CRodney HudsonUFAKansas City ChiefsOakland Raiders
GJeff LinkenbachUFAKansas City ChiefsMiami Dolphins
WRJeremy MaclinUFAPhiladelphia EaglesKansas City Chiefs
LBJosh MartinERFAKansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
LBJosh MaugaUFAKansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
FSKelcie McCrayRFAKansas City ChiefsSeattle Seahawks
RBJoe McKnightUFAKansas City ChiefsNone
CBChris OwensUFAKansas City ChiefsNew Orleans Saints
CBRon ParkerUFAKansas City ChiefsKansas City Chiefs
DEKevin VickersonUFAKansas City ChiefsNew York Jets
*RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent, Franchise: Franchise tag

2015 draft class

2015 Kansas City Chiefs draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
118 Marcus PetersCornerbackWashington
249 Mitch MorseGuardMissouri
376 Chris ConleyWide ReceiverGeorgia
98 Steven NelsonCornerbackOregon State
4118 Ramik WilsonLinebackerGeorgia
5172 D. J. AlexanderLinebackerOregon State
173 James O'ShaughnessyTight EndIllinois State
6217 Rakeem Nuñez-RochesDefensive TackleSouthern Mississippi
7233 Da'Ron BrownWide ReceiverNorthern Illinois
Compensatory selection

Notes

  • The Chiefs traded their fifth-round selection (No. 154 overall) to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for guard Ben Grubbs.
  • The Chiefs traded their 3rd round pick (80th overall) and their 6th round pick (193rd overall) to the Minnesota Vikings for their 3rd round pick (76th overall)

Cuts

Suspensions served

PositionPlayerLengthReasonWeeks
served
CBSean Smith4 gamesViolation of personal
conduct policy
1–4

Signings

PositionPlayerPrevious team
TEBrian ParkerSan Diego Chargers
RBSpencer WareKansas City Chiefs*
DLDavid KingSeattle Seahawks
TJah ReidBaltimore Ravens
TJarrod PughsleyKansas City Chiefs*

Players involved in multiple transactions

This list is for players who were involved in more than one transaction during the season

PositionPlayerFinal status
LBDezman MosesChiefs active roster
WRFrankie HammondChiefs active roster
WRSaalim HakimFree agent
OLDaniel MunyerChiefs active roster

*Indicates player was signed off the practice squad of the team listed

Staff

2015 Kansas City Chiefs staff
Front office

Head coaches

  • Head Coach – Andy Reid
  • Assistant Head Coach/Wide Receivers – David Culley
  • Senior Assistant to the Head Coach – Kyle Childress

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Barry Rubin
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Travis Crittenden
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Brent Salazar

Final roster

2015 Kansas City Chiefs final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 8 inactive, 10 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
1 August 15 at Arizona Cardinals W 34–19 1–0 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap
2 August 21 Seattle Seahawks W 14–13 2–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
3 August 28 Tennessee Titans W 34–10 3–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
4 September 3 at St. Louis Rams W 24–17 4–0 Edward Jones Dome Recap

Regular season

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
1 September 13 at Houston Texans W 27–20 1–0 NRG Stadium Recap
2 September 17 Denver Broncos L 24–31 1–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
3 September 28 at Green Bay Packers L 28–38 1–2 Lambeau Field Recap
4 October 4 at Cincinnati Bengals L 21–36 1–3 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
5 October 11 Chicago Bears L 17–18 1–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
6 October 18 at Minnesota Vikings L 10–16 1–5 TCF Bank Stadium Recap
7 October 25 Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–13 2–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
8 November 1 Detroit Lions W 45–10 3–5 Wembley Stadium (London) Recap
9 Bye
10 November 15 at Denver Broncos W 29–13 4–5 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap
11 November 22 at San Diego Chargers W 33–3 5–5 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
12 November 29 Buffalo Bills W 30–22 6–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
13 December 6 at Oakland Raiders W 34–20 7–5 O.co Coliseum Recap
14 December 13 San Diego Chargers W 10–3 8–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
15 December 20 at Baltimore Ravens W 34–14 9–5 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
16 December 27 Cleveland Browns W 17–13 10–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
17 January 3 Oakland Raiders W 23–17 11–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Postseason

Playoff roundDateOpponent (seed)ResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
Wild Card January 9, 2016 at Houston Texans (4) W 30–0 1–0 NRG Stadium Recap
Divisional January 16, 2016 at New England Patriots (2) L 20–27 1–1 Gillette Stadium Recap

Game summaries

Week 1: at Houston Texans

Week One: Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 14 13 0027
Texans 6 3 01120

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

With the win, the Chiefs started their 2015 campaign at 1–0.

Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos

Week Two: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 14 31431
Chiefs 0 14 3724

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

The Broncos would score 2 touchdowns in the final minute to steal the win from the Chiefs. The second touchdown was a critical fumble by running back Jamaal Charles.

With the heartbreaking and stunning loss, the Chiefs fell to 1–1, and picked up their 7th straight loss to Denver.

Week 3: at Green Bay Packers

Week Three: Kansas City Chiefs at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 7 71428
Packers 14 10 7738

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Game information

In a rematch of the 2011 game, the Chiefs fell to 1–2.

Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Four: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 9 3621
Bengals 14 0 15736

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Game information

Cairo Santos would kick 7 field goals in this game, setting a new franchise record for most field goals in one game by a Kansas City kicker. The 7 kicks also tied an NFL record. However, the 7 field goals by Santos were not enough to beat the Bengals, as the Chiefs fell to 1–3.

Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears

Week Five: Chicago Bears at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bears 3 0 31218
Chiefs 7 10 0017

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

The Chiefs would build a 17–3 lead at one point, but Chicago would pull off a miraculous comeback to win 18–17. The Chiefs tried a 66-yard field goal, but Santos kick went wide right and missed everything near the goalposts. During this game, the Bears fans at times outnumbered the Chiefs fans, as Chicago fans are best known for good travel.

With the loss, Kansas City fell to 1–4. They would also lose Jamaal Charles for the season, as he tore his ACL in this game.

Week 6: at Minnesota Vikings

Week Six: Kansas City Chiefs at Minnesota Vikings  – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 0 0 01010
Vikings 3 7 3316

at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

With their 5th straight loss, the Chiefs fell to 1–5.

Week 7: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Seven: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Steelers 3 0 7313
Chiefs 3 6 7723

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: October 25
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 76,365
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Stacey Dales
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Ben Roethlisberger would not play in this game for the Steelers, so backup quarterback Landry Jones led the way for the Steelers. In his first career start, the Chiefs defense would force 3 turnovers, 2 of them interceptions, and the Chiefs would hold on to win 23–13.

With the win, the Chiefs improved to 2–5.

Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions

NFL International Series

Week 8: Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Lions 3 0 0710
Chiefs 7 17 71445

at Wembley Stadium, London, England

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 2:30 p.m. GMT/8:30 a.m. CST
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 83,624
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

In their first ever game in London, the Chiefs routed the crestfallen 1–6 Detroit Lions. With the win, Kansas City improved to 3–5.

Week 10: at Denver Broncos

Week Ten: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 10 9 3729
Broncos 0 0 01313

at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST/2:25 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), mostly sunny
  • Game attendance: 76,973
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning would set the all-time record for most passing yards in NFL history in this game, but the Chiefs defense would have themselves a day, picking off Bronco quarterbacks 5 times, 4 by Manning, 1 by Brock Osweiler, and the Chiefs routed the Broncos, 29–13.

With the win, the Chiefs went to 4–5, and snapped their 7-game losing streak against the Broncos.

Week 11: at San Diego Chargers

Week Eleven: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 6 6 71433
Chargers 0 3 003

at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 65,837
  • Referee: Carl Cheffers
  • TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the huge win, Kansas City went to 5–5, and climbed back into playoff contention.

Week 12: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week Twelve: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Bills 10 6 6022
Chiefs 0 14 10630

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 29
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C), cloudy and rainy
  • Game attendance: 72,493
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the win, Kansas City went to 6–5.

Week 13: at Oakland Raiders

Week Thirteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 0 72034
Raiders 7 7 6020

at O.co Coliseum, Oakland, California

  • Date: December 6
  • Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), overcast
  • Game attendance: 55,010
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With the win, the Chiefs went to 7–5.

Week 14: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week Fourteen: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chargers 0 0 303
Chiefs 0 10 0010

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

With the low-scoring win, the Chiefs went to 8–5 and swept the Chargers for the second straight season.

Week 15: at Baltimore Ravens

Week Fifteen: Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 14 10 01034
Ravens 7 7 0014

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: December 20
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 70,791
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Chris Fischer
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Rookie Marcus Peters would put the dagger into the Ravens, as he returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown. With the win, the Chiefs went to 9–5.

Week 16: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Sixteen: Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Browns 0 3 7313
Chiefs 10 7 0017

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 27
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 69,115
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Browns, led by Johnny Manziel, attempted a comeback to put a stop to Kansas City's playoff hopes, but Cleveland did not have any timeouts remaining, and they ultimately ran out of time when Manziel couldn't advance the ball down the field fast enough.

With the win, the Chiefs went to 10–5 and clinched a playoff spot.

Week 17: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Seventeen: Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Raiders 0 10 0717
Chiefs 14 0 9023

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: January 3, 2016
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 37 °F (3 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 76,114
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

With their 10th straight win, the Chiefs ended their season at 11–5. They were the first team to end a season with 10 or more consecutive wins since the 2012 Broncos won 11 in a row to end their season.

Postseason

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) Houston Texans

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (5) Kansas City Chiefs at (4) Houston Texans – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 7 6 71030
Texans 0 0 000

at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

The Texans, who won the AFC South division with a 9–7 record, were completely crushed by the Chiefs. The Chiefs made postseason history as the first ever team to score a kick return touchdown in the opening play of the playoffs, when Knile Davis returned the opening kick 106 yards for a touchdown. After that, the game started to slow down, 3 and out Texans, 3 & out Chiefs, followed by a string of turnovers, Eric Berry's interception of Brian Hoyer, Brian Cushing's interception of Alex Smith two plays later, and a Hoyer fumble recovered by Dontari Poe on the ensuing drive. The Chiefs made a field goal on the drive, and although the team was able to get to the 2 yard line, a negative run by J. J. Watt and another interception by Hoyer ended the Texans' closest chance at scoring in the entire game. Although the Texans' defense forced a 3-and-out, Hoyer threw his third interception to Marcus Peters on the second play of their drive.

AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) New England Patriots

AFC Divisional Playoffs: (5) Kansas City Chiefs at (2) New England Patriots  – Game summary
1 2 34Total
Chiefs 3 3 7720
Patriots 7 7 7627

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Game information

The Chiefs, who had won 11 straight, travelled to Gillete Stadium to face the Patriots, who had advanced to the AFC Championship for the last 5 years. The Patriots scored first blood with a Rob Gronkowski touchdown catch, followed by a Cairo Santos field goal for Kansas City. The pattern was duplicated in the 2nd quarter, with Tom Brady rushing for a score before Santos kicked another field goal. In the 3rd quarter, after Gronkowski scored his second TD, Alex Smith threw his first to Albert Wilson. The Patriots responded with 2 fourth quarter field goals to make the score 27–13 with 10:20 left. Although the Chiefs engineered a touchdown drive late in the game, the drive took up over 5 minutes, and the Chiefs had to force a 3 and out (with 3 timeouts) to have a chance. On 2nd down, when Brady threw the ball instead of running it to waste time, the ball was batted and miraculously caught by Julian Edelman for a 1st down, ending the game.

Standings

Division

AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(1) Denver Broncos 12 4 0 .750 4–2 8–4 355 296 W2
(5) Kansas City Chiefs 11 5 0 .688 5–1 10–2 405 287 W10
Oakland Raiders 7 9 0 .438 3–3 7–5 359 399 L1
San Diego Chargers 4 12 0 .250 0–6 3–9 320 398 L2

Conference

# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division Leaders
1[lower-alpha 1] Denver Broncos West 12 4 0 .750 4–2 8–4 .500 .479 W2
2[lower-alpha 1] New England Patriots East 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .473 .448 L2
3[lower-alpha 1] Cincinnati Bengals North 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 .477 .406 W1
4 Houston Texans South 9 7 0 .563 5–1 7–5 .496 .410 W3
Wild Cards
5 Kansas City Chiefs West 11 5 0 .688 5–1 10–2 .496 .432 W10
6[lower-alpha 2] Pittsburgh Steelers North 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .504 .463 W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[lower-alpha 2] New York Jets East 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .441 .388 L1
8[lower-alpha 3] Buffalo Bills East 8 8 0 .500 4–2 7–5 .508 .438 W2
9[lower-alpha 3] Indianapolis Colts South 8 8 0 .500 4–2 6–6 .500 .406 W2
10 Oakland Raiders West 7 9 0 .438 3–3 7–5 .512 .366 L1
11 Miami Dolphins East 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 .469 .469 W2
12[lower-alpha 4] Jacksonville Jaguars South 5 11 0 .313 2–4 5–7 .473 .375 L3
13[lower-alpha 4] Baltimore Ravens North 5 11 0 .313 3–3 4–8 .508 .425 L1
14 San Diego Chargers West 4 12 0 .250 0–6 3–9 .527 .328 L2
15[lower-alpha 5] Cleveland Browns North 3 13 0 .188 1–5 2–10 .531 .271 L3
16[lower-alpha 5] Tennessee Titans South 3 13 0 .188 1–5 1–11 .492 .375 L4
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 6]
  1. Denver finished ahead of New England and Cincinnati for the No. 1 seed based on head-to-head sweep. New England finished ahead of Cincinnati for the No. 2 seed based
    on record vs. common opponents — New England's cumulative record against Buffalo, Denver, Houston and Pittsburgh was 4–1, while Cincinnati's cumulative record against
    the same four teams was 2–3.
  2. Pittsburgh finished ahead of the New York Jets for the No. 6 seed and qualified for the last playoff spot based on record vs. common opponents — Pittsburgh's cumulative
    record against Cleveland, Indianapolis, New England and Oakland was 4–1, while the Jets' cumulative record against the same four teams was 3–2.
  3. Buffalo finished ahead of Indianapolis based on head-to-head victory.
  4. Jacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based on head-to-head victory.
  5. Cleveland finished ahead of Tennessee based on head-to-head victory.
  6. When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division.

References

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