2017 Chiefs Offense: The Signature Season

No one needs to remind me that the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs won the Suer Bowl. Yes, that was a wonderful “total” team effort and no one should ever question if that was the best Chiefs team ever. I won’t either. However, this group of offensive performers may be the best group to ever pull on a Chiefs jersey all in the same season.

In 1993 Joe Montana led the Chiefs to a Conference Championship game only to lose their chance at playing in the Super Bowl by a score of 30-13 to the Buffalo Bills. That year the Chiefs key performers (QB, RB, WR, and TE) had the following stats:

• QB Joe Montana – 2,144 yards passing – 60.7% completion rate*
• RB Marcus Allen – 764 Rushing yards
• WR Willie Davis – 909 receiving yards
• TE Jonathan Hayes – 331 receiving yards

*Note: While Montana started 11 games, Dave Krieg started 5 games with 1,238 yards passing.

I had season tickets that year and it was a great season inside Arrowhead Stadium.

I mentioned the Chiefs 1969 Super Bowl season earlier. So, what were the stats for their key offensive contributors?

• QB Len Dawson – 1,323 passing yards – 59% completion percentage (in 7 games started)
• QB Mike Livingston – 1,123 passing yards – 52.2 completion percentage rate (in 6 games started)
• RB Mike Garrett – 732 rushing yards
• WR Otis Taylor – 796 receiving yards
• TE Fred Arbanas – 258 receiving yards

Although the 2003 Kansas City Chiefs never even made it to the conference championship game, they remain one of my all time favorite teams. It will be hard for any coach to compile an offensive line that housed two future Hall of Fame linemen but Wille Roaf and Will Smith gave the offense a special pop that no other Chiefs team has ever experienced. They set the bar and that bar is sky high. Here’s what they helped create with their four key performers:

• QB Trent Green – 4,039 passing yards – 63.1% completion percentage 
• RB Preist Holmes – 1,420 rushing yards
• WR Eddie Kennison – 853 receiving yards
• TE Tony Gonzales – 916 receiving yards

Priest Holmes remains my favorite Chiefs running back ever so it doesn’t surprise me at all to see that he’s the one key offensive performer who has outdone this years RB stats. However, it’s clear that this season represents the collection of stats from the QB to the RB to the WR to the TE. Alex Smith has had a career year and that includes his 67.5% completion percentage this season. Whether you believe in the direct or indirect influence by the mere presence of a QBOTF on the roster it is ever evident that, for whatever reason, Alex Smith has played with a burr in his shorts. Although Travis Kelce had a better 2016 campaign he only had 87 more yards receiving when he played one more game in 2016. In any event, Kelce has continue his same level of excellence. This being Tyreek Hill’s second season, he has become the clear-cut number one receiver in Andy Reid scheme. In the last four games of the season — since Matt Nagy has taken over the play calling — Hill has 457 yards receiving which represents 39% of his total production for the season. 

While in recent years the defense has taken a few steps backward, it’s clear that the offense is now carrying this team. If the Chiefs get in a shoot-out with the Titans this weekend, it bodes well for the Chiefs.

Here are some of my favorite plays from this season. First up is Travis Kelce’s Olympic Long Jump leap over the Eagles landing in the end zone.

Here’s Tyreek Hill vs. the Cowboys just before half, on a play I have never seen anyone make before this moment. I love seeing all the red in the stands there that day and the moment Hill scores… the crowd goes wild (sounded like a Chiefs crowd to me).

Highlight videos are fun but they usually don’t show the gambit of a performers day vs any given team. With that in mind, here’s Kareem Hunt’s whole day vs the Patriots in week one. I love it all and especially appreciate that Andy Reid called almost the exact same play for Hunt after he fumbled it on his first NFL carry.

Alright, if you’re an Alex Smith fan like I am, then you’re really going to enjoy this video composite. It a Monday Night Game vs Washington and Jon Gruden does his pre-game hype focusing on Smith then it gets into the game action. Also, it was good to see Chris Conley involved in the action here prior to his injury. Can’t wait to see his return in 2018. Enjoy!

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