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NFL team season From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1983 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League and the 24th overall. They matched on their 6–10 record and last place finish in the AFC West.
1983 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
---|---|
Owner | Lamar Hunt |
General manager | Jim Schaaf |
Head coach | John Mackovic |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 6–10 |
Division place | 5th AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | 4 |
AP All-Pros | 1
|
After the conclusion of the 1982 season on January 4, the Chiefs fired head coach Marv Levy. Levy had compiled a 31–42 record in Kansas City. Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach John Mackovic was named the fifth head coach in team history on February 2. The 39-year-old Mackovic became the youngest individual ever to hold that post for the club.[1] The Chiefs held the seventh overall pick in the 1983 NFL draft and selected quarterback Todd Blackledge. The Chiefs would not draft another quarterback in the first round until the 2017 NFL draft when they drafted Patrick Mahomes.
Tragedy struck the Chiefs on June 29 when Joe Delaney drowned while attempting to save the lives of three children in Monroe, Louisiana. Delaney was posthumously awarded the Presidential Citizen's Medal by Ronald Reagan on July 13.[1] Linebacker Bobby Bell became the first Chiefs player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on July 30,[1] providing some solace for the mourning Chiefs fan base following Joe Delaney's death.
With Bill Kenney and Todd Blackledge both on the roster, starting quarterback Steve Fuller was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on August 19. Kenney earned a Pro Bowl berth after racking up a franchise-record 4,348 passing yards, while wide receiver Carlos Carson hauled in 80 passes for 1,351 yards.[1] Despite the team's high-flying passing game, Mackovic had trouble finding a suitable replacement for Joe Delaney and the running back position. The highest scoring contest in franchise history took place as the Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks combined for 99 points in a wild, 51–48 overtime loss at the Kingdome. A meager crowd of 11,377 braved near-zero degree temperatures to attend the club's season-ending 48–17 win against Denver on December 18, the smallest attendance figure ever for a Chiefs game at Arrowhead as the club finished the year at 6–10.[1] The win did ensure Denver would not host the Wild Card Game the following week, as the Seahawks would take advantage of the Kingdome in a blowout win.
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 7 | Todd Blackledge | Quarterback | Penn State |
2 | 34 | Dave Lutz | Guard | Georgia Tech |
3 | 61 | Albert Lewis | Cornerback | Grambling State |
4 | 92 | Ron Wetzel | Tight end | Arizona State |
5 | 119 | Jim Arnold | Punter | Vanderbilt |
6 | 146 | Ellis Gardner | Tackle | Georgia Tech |
7 | 173 | Ken Thomas | Running back | San Jose State |
7 | 179 | Daryl Posey | Running back | Mississippi College |
8 | 204 | Irv Eatman | Tackle | UCLA |
9 | 231 | Adam Lingner | Center | Illinois |
10 | 257 | Mark Shumate | Defensive tackle | Wisconsin |
11 | 284 | Dwayne Jackson | Defensive end | South Carolina State |
12 | 315 | Ken Jones | Tackle | Tennessee |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 6 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 24–7 | 1–0 | Riverfront Stadium | 42,662 | Recap |
2 | August 13 | Detroit Lions | L 13–17 | 1–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 32,885 | Recap |
3 | August 20 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 17–16 | 2–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 34,070 | Recap |
4 | August 27 | at Chicago Bears | L 17–20 (OT) | 2–2 | Soldier Field | 56,311 | Recap |
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 4 | Seattle Seahawks | W 17–13 | 1–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 42,531 | Recap |
2 | September 12 | San Diego Chargers | L 14–17 | 1–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 62,150 | Recap |
3 | September 18 | at Washington Redskins | L 12–27 | 1–2 | RFK Stadium | 52,610 | Recap |
4 | September 25 | at Miami Dolphins | L 6–14 | 1–3 | Miami Orange Bowl | 50,785 | Recap |
5 | October 2 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 38–14 | 2–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 58,975 | Recap |
6 | October 9 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 20–21 | 2–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 40,492 | Recap |
7 | October 16 | New York Giants | W 38–17 | 3–4 | Arrowhead Stadium | 55,449 | Recap |
8 | October 23 | at Houston Oilers | W 13–10 (OT) | 4–4 | Houston Astrodome | 39,462 | Recap |
9 | October 30 | at Denver Broncos | L 24–27 | 4–5 | Mile High Stadium | 74,640 | Recap |
10 | November 6 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 20–28 | 4–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 75,497 | Recap |
11 | November 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–15 | 5–6 | Arrowhead Stadium | 44,711 | Recap |
12 | November 20 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 21–41 | 5–7 | Texas Stadium | 64,103 | Recap |
13 | November 27 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 48–51 (OT) | 5–8 | Kingdome | 56,793 | Recap |
14 | December 4 | Buffalo Bills | L 9–14 | 5–9 | Arrowhead Stadium | 27,104 | Recap |
15 | December 11 | at San Diego Chargers | L 38–41 | 5–10 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 35,510 | Recap |
16 | December 18 | Denver Broncos | W 48–17 | 6–10 | Arrowhead Stadium | 11,377 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Seahawks | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
Chiefs | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
Game information | ||
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|
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chargers | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Chiefs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Redskins | 0 | 0 | 17 | 10 | 27 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Miami Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Chiefs | 14 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 38 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 14 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 20 |
Raiders | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 0 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Chiefs | 0 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 38 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
Oilers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
Game information | ||
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|
at Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
Broncos | 0 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Raiders | 7 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
Chiefs | 0 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 3 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
Chiefs | 3 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
Cowboys | 10 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 41 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 21 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 48 |
Seahawks | 7 | 7 | 17 | 17 | 3 | 51 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
Chiefs | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
Chargers | 10 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 41 |
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
Chiefs | 21 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 48 |
Game information | ||
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|
AFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Los Angeles Raiders(1) | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 442 | 338 | W1 |
Seattle Seahawks(4) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 403 | 397 | W2 |
Denver Broncos(5) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–5 | 9–5 | 302 | 327 | L1 |
San Diego Chargers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4–4 | 4–8 | 358 | 462 | L1 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 386 | 367 | W1 |