1988 Kansas City Chiefs season
| 1988 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Lamar Hunt |
| Head coach | Frank Gansz |
| General manager | Jim Schaaf (fired Dec. 8) Carl Peterson (after Dec. 19) |
| Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–11–1 |
| Division place | 5th AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Dino Hackett CB Albert Lewis S Deron Cherry |
The 1988 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 19th season in the National Football League and the 29th overall.
Bill Kenney opened the team's initial two games at quarterback, but was replaced by Steve DeBerg for the second half against Seattle.[1] DeBerg guided the team to a 20–13 win against Denver in his initial start as a member of the Chiefs. However, six losses, and a tie followed as Kenney and DeBerg jostled for the starting job.
As the season drew to a close, it became apparent the winds of change were blowing across the organization. President Jack Steadman resigned on December 8, while general manager Jim Schaaf was relieved of his duties the same day.[1] Steadman was later named chairman of the board. On the field, the Chiefs finished the year at 4–11–1 as questions swirled regarding head coach Frank Gansz's future and who would fill the club's leadership void. One day after the season's conclusion, former Philadelphia Eagles and United States Football League executive Carl Peterson was named the club's president/general manager and chief operating officer on December 19.
Offseason[]
The spring was marked by several notable trades as the club jockeyed to improve on its 4–11 finish in 1987. Todd Blackledge was traded to Pittsburgh on March 29 and 12-year veteran quarterback Steve DeBerg was acquired from Tampa Bay on March 31. The Chiefs moved up one spot in the first round of the draft to select defensive end Neil Smith with the second overall pick.
NFL draft[]
| 1988 Kansas City Chiefs draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Neil Smith * | Defensive end | Nebraska | |
| 3 | 59 | Kevin Porter | Defensive back | Auburn | |
| 4 | 96 | Johnny Ray Ambrose | Wide receiver | Mississippi | |
| 6 | 139 | James Saxon | Running back | San Jose State | |
| 7 | 170 | Troy Stedman | Linebacker | Washburn | |
| 8 | 197 | Alfredo Roberts | Tight end | Miami (FL) | |
| 9 | 224 | Azizuddin Abdur-Ra'oof | Wide receiver | Maryland | |
| 10 | 251 | Kenny Gamble | Running back | Colgate | |
| 11 | 282 | Danny McManus | Quarterback | Florida State | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
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
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Reserve lists
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Regular season[]
Schedule[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4 | Cleveland Browns | L 3–6 | 0–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 55,654 | Recap |
| 2 | September 11 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 10–31 | 0–2 | Kingdome | 61,512 | Recap |
| 3 | September 18 | Denver Broncos | W 20–13 | 1–2 | Arrowhead Stadium | 63,268 | Recap |
| 4 | September 25 | San Diego Chargers | L 23–24 | 1–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 45,498 | Recap |
| 5 | October 2 | at New York Jets | T 17–17 (OT) | 1–3–1 | Giants Stadium | 66,110 | Recap |
| 6 | October 9 | at Houston Oilers | L 6–7 | 1–4–1 | Houston Astrodome | 39,134 | Recap |
| 7 | October 16 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 17–27 | 1–5–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 77,078 | Recap |
| 8 | October 23 | Detroit Lions | L 6–7 | 1–6–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 66,926 | Recap |
| 9 | October 30 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 10–17 | 1–7–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 36,103 | Recap |
| 10 | November 6 | at Denver Broncos | L 11–17 | 1–8–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,227 | Recap |
| 11 | November 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 31–28 | 2–8–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 34,614 | Recap |
| 12 | November 20 | Seattle Seahawks | W 27–24 | 3–8–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 33,152 | Recap |
| 13 | November 27 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 10–16 | 3–9–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | 42,057 | Recap |
| 14 | December 4 | New York Jets | W 38–34 | 4–9–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 30,059 | Recap |
| 15 | December 11 | at New York Giants | L 12–28 | 4–10–1 | Giants Stadium | 69,807 | Recap |
| 16 | December 18 | at San Diego Chargers | L 13–24 | 4–11–1 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 26,339 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries[]
Week 16: at San Diego Chargers[]
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Chargers | 10 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Both coaches, Kansas City's Frank Gansz and San Diego's Al Saunders, were fired shortly after this game. It was also the last time the Chiefs wore the red pants introduced by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Hank Stram in 1968 until 2000.
Standings[]
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Seattle Seahawks(3) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 339 | 329 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–5 | 5–7 | 327 | 352 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 6–2 | 6–6 | 325 | 369 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–5 | 4–8 | 231 | 332 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 2–6 | 4–9–1 | 254 | 320 | L2 |
References[]
- ^ a b "Kansas City Chiefs History 1980's". Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
- ^ "1988 Kansas City Chiefs draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
External links[]
- 1988 National Football League season by team
- Kansas City Chiefs seasons
- 1988 in sports in Missouri