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1979 Kansas City Chiefs season
Head Coach Marv Levy
Home Field Arrowhead Stadium
Results
Record 7–9
Place 5th AFC West
Playoff Finish did not qualify
Timeline
Previous season Next season
1978 1980

The 1979 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 7–9 record and fifth place finish in the AFC West. The Chiefs missed the playoffs due to the four other teams ahead of them in their division all finishing with winning records.

Kansas City owned a pair of picks in the first round of the 1979 Draft, selecting defensive end Mike Bell and quarterback Steve Fuller. By the season’s third game, Fuller had supplanted Mike Livingston as the club’s starter.[1]

With Fuller at the helm, the Chiefs owned a 4–2 record after six games, but a five-game mid-season losing stretch sullied that effort. Despite finishing fifth in the AFC West for a second straight season, Kansas City’s 7–9 record was a notable accomplishment considering the fact that the division’s other four clubs all posted winning records for a second consecutive season.[1]

The Chiefs closed the season by dropping a 3–0 decision at Tampa Bay on December 16 in one of the most water-logged contests in franchise annals. As both clubs struggled to move the ball under monsoon-like conditions (Kansas City was held to 80 total yards), a field goal late in the fourth quarter by the Buccaneers' Neil O'Donoghue averted the NFL’s first scoreless tie since 1943, allowing Tampa Bay to win the NFC Central division championship after a three-game losing streak.[1]

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

Round Pick Player Position School/Club Team

Regular season[]

Schedule[]

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 2, 1979 Baltimore Colts W 14–0
50,442
2 September 9, 1979 Cleveland Browns L 27–24
42,181
3 September 16, 1979 at Houston Oilers L 20–6
45,684
4 September 23, 1979 Oakland Raiders W 35–7
67,821
5 September 30, 1979 at Seattle Seahawks W 24–6
61,169
6 October 7, 1979 at Cincinnati Bengals W 10–7
40,041
7 October 14, 1979 Denver Broncos L 24–10
74,292
8 October 21, 1979 New York Giants L 21–17
44,362
9 October 28, 1979 at Denver Broncos L 20–3
74,908
10 November 4, 1979 San Diego Chargers L 20–14
59,353
11 November 11, 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers L 30–3
70,132
12 November 18, 1979 at Oakland Raiders W 24–21
53,596
13 November 25, 1979 at San Diego Chargers L 28–7
50,078
14 December 2, 1979 Seattle Seahawks W 37–21
42,160
15 December 9, 1979 at Baltimore Colts W 10–7
25,684
16 December 16, 1979 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 3–0
63,624

Standings[]

AFC West
Team W L T PCT PF PA
San Diego Chargers 12 4 0 .750 411 246
Denver Broncos 10 6 0 .625 289 262
Seattle Seahawks 9 7 0 .563 378 372
Oakland Raiders 9 7 0 .563 365 337
Kansas City Chiefs 7 9 0 .438 238 262

Awards and records[]

  • Bob Grupp, NFL Leader, Punting, 43.6 average yards per punt[2]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kansas City Chiefs History 1970's
  2. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 454
AFC East Central West East Central West NFC
Baltimore Cincinnati Denver Dallas Chicago Atlanta
Buffalo Cleveland Kansas City NY Giants Detroit Los Angeles
Miami Houston Oakland Philadelphia Green Bay New Orleans
New England Pittsburgh San Diego St. Louis Minnesota San Francisco
NY Jets Seattle Washington Tampa Bay
1979 NFL DraftNFL PlayoffsPro BowlSuper Bowl XIV
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