1978 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 1978 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 9th season in the National Football League, the 16th as the Kansas City Chiefs, and the 19th overall. It began when the chiefs the hiring of new head coach Marv Levy, formerly of the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes. With the NFL expanding its schedule to 16 games, the Chiefs finished with a 4–12 record and fifth place in the AFC West.
1978 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Marv Levy |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 4–12 |
Division place | 5th AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | None |
Coach Levy's systematic restocking of a relatively barren defensive roster began with a 1978 draft class that included a pair of future Chiefs franchise hall of famers in defensive end Art Still and linebacker Gary Spani. Running back Ed Podolak, who was the club's all-time leading rusher at the time, retired in the offseason on June 15.[1]
Perhaps Levy's most unconventional tactic in rebuilding the Chiefs was installing the Wing-T offense. "It was a situation where we took over a team that had the worst defensive record in the history of the National Football League," Levy explained.[1] "We wanted to keep that defense off the field, so we ran the ball 60 times a game."[1] The 1978 Chiefs team ran and ran often, posting franchise records with 663 rushing attempts and 2,986 ground yards.[1] Levy's squad ran the ball a staggering 69 times in a 24–23 Opening Day win at Cincinnati on September 3, the most rushing attempts in an NFL contest since 1948.[1] Five different players had 100-yard rushing games during the year, including running back Tony Reed, who finished the season with 1,053 yards to become the team's first 1,000-yard back since 1967.[1] Despite the squad's Opening Day success, the club lost 10 of its next 11 games, including a pair of overtime decisions. However, the team showed signs of improvement with the defense recording a 23–0 shutout against San Diego on November 26 as the club concluded its first 16-game schedule with a 4–12 mark.[1]
Offseason
NFL Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School/Club Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
|
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 3, 1978 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 24–23 | |
2 | September 10, 1978 | Houston Oilers | L 20–17 | |
3 | September 17, 1978 | at New York Giants | L 26–10 | |
4 | September 24, 1978 | Denver Broncos | L 23–17 | |
5 | October 1, 1978 | at Buffalo Bills | L 28–13 | |
6 | October 8, 1978 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 30–13 | |
7 | October 15, 1978 | at Oakland Raiders | L 28–6 | |
8 | October 22, 1978 | Cleveland Browns | W 17–3 | |
9 | October 29, 1978 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 27–24 | |
10 | November 5, 1978 | Oakland Raiders | L 20–10 | |
11 | November 12, 1978 | at San Diego Chargers | L 29–23 | |
12 | November 19, 1978 | Seattle Seahawks | L 13–10 | |
13 | November 26, 1978 | San Diego Chargers | W 23–0 | |
14 | December 3, 1978 | Buffalo Bills | W 14–10 | |
15 | December 10, 1978 | at Denver Broncos | L 24–3 | |
16 | December 17, 1978 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 23–19 |
Standings
AFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Denver Broncos(3) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 7–1 | 8–4 | 282 | 198 | L1 |
Oakland Raiders | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 311 | 283 | W1 |
Seattle Seahawks | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–4 | 6–6 | 345 | 358 | W1 |
San Diego Chargers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 355 | 309 | W3 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–7 | 4–10 | 243 | 327 | L2 |
References
- "Kansas City Chiefs History 1970's". Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.