1987_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season

1987 Kansas City Chiefs season

1987 Kansas City Chiefs season

NFL team season


The 1987 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 18th season in the National Football League and the 28th overall. Under new head coach Frank Gansz, the Chiefs split their first two games, 1-1. The 1987 NFL season featured games predominantly played by replacement players, as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) players went on strike from weeks four to six with week three being cancelled across the league. The replacement players went 0–3. After the regulars returned, the Chiefs continued to struggle. They lost their next five games to stand at 1–9 and finished the season with a 4–11 record a year after making the playoffs in 1986.

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Offseason

One of the most tumultuous weeks in franchise history took place following the club's playoff loss against the Jets in the 1986 playoffs. Assistant head coach and special teams coach Frank Gansz, resigned his position on January 7 in order to pursue opportunities as an NFL offensive coordinator.[1] The following day, the Chiefs announced in an impromptu press conference that John Mackovic was relieved of his duties as head coach on January 8. A popular figure among Chiefs players, Gansz was reinstated on January 10 and was named the sixth head coach in franchise history.[1]

Former quarterback Len Dawson became the third Chiefs player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 8,[1] while injuries forced the retirement of the club's all-time leading tackler Gary Spani.

NFL draft

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[2]

Personnel

Staff

1987 Kansas City Chiefs staff

Front office

  • Founder – Lamar Hunt
  • President – Jack Steadman
  • Vice president/general manager – Jim Schaaf
  • Director of pro personnel – Whitey Dovell
  • Director of college scouting – Les Miller
  • Coordinator of college scouting – Greg Mohns

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator/linebackers – John Paul Young
  • Defensive line – Don Lawrence
  • Defensive backs – Dave Brazil
  • Defensive quality control/linebackers – Mark Hatley

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning coordinator – CT Hewgley

Replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

1987 Kansas City Chiefs replacement roster

Quarterbacks

Running backs

  • 21 Ralph Stockemer
  • 39 Steve Griffin
  • 40 Ken Lacy
  • 41 Woodie Pippens
  • 42 Lloyd Murray
  • 43 Robert Parker
  • 47 Chris Smith

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Roster

1987 Kansas City Chiefs roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Season summary

A duo of rookies made a splash in a 20–13 win on Opening Day against San Diego as running back Paul Palmer returned a kickoff for a TD and Christian Okoye dashed for 105 yards.[1] A 24-day players strike began on September 22, canceling the club's contest against Minnesota.[1] Replacement players participated in games for the next three weeks. Much like Marv Levy five years earlier, Gansz's grip on the club's coaching reins was crippled by the labor unrest.[1]

Kansas City's replacement squad consisted primarily of players cut in training camp. One of the few bright spots among the players was running back Jitter Fields, who remained on the active roster following the strike.[1] The Chiefs strike squad received an ominous welcome in Los Angeles when in the early morning hours of October 4, the day prior to a contest against the Raiders, an earthquake rattled Southern California. The shaken Chiefs lost a 35–17 decision later that day. The low point of the year came the following week at Miami in the first regular season game played at what then was known as Joe Robbie Stadium. Chiefs replacement QB Matt Stevens was injured early in the contest, forcing into duty backup quarterback Alex Espinoza, who had never taken an NFL snap. The result was a 42–0 Dolphins victory, setting the stage for an 0–3 performance by Kansas City's replacement unit, giving the Chiefs a 1–4 record before the club's regular roster returned at San Diego on October 25.[1] Five straight losses followed, giving the Chiefs a team-record nine-game losing skid. For the only time in team history, five different players started games at quarterback for the club.[1] Behind Kenney, Kansas City won two of its last three games to conclude the strike-shortened 4–11 campaign.

Preseason

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Regular season

Schedule

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Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers

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Week 1: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Week 2: at Seattle Seahawks

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Week 2: Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

at Kingdome, Seattle, Washington

Week 4: at Los Angeles Raiders

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Week 4: Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

Week 5: at Miami Dolphins

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Week 5: Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins – Game summary

at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida

  • Date: October 11
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
  • Game attendance: 25,867
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
  • Recap, Game Book

Week 6: vs. Denver Broncos

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Week 6: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Week 7: at San Diego Chargers

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Week 7: Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California

  • Date: October 25
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 72 °F (22 °C)
  • Game attendance: 47,972
  • Referee: Bob Frederic
  • TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Dave Casper
  • Recap, Game Book

Week 8: at Chicago Bears

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Week 8: Kansas City Chiefs at Chicago Bears – Game summary

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: November 1
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Fog, 62 °F (17 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,498
  • Referee: Tom Dooley
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Paul Maguire
  • Recap, Game Book

Week 9: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Week 9: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Week 10: vs. New York Jets

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Week 10: New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: November 15
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 40,718
  • Referee: Fred Silva
  • TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Paul Maguire
  • Recap, Game Book

Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers

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Week 11: Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Week 12: at Detroit Lions

Thanksgiving Day games

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Week 12: Kansas City Chiefs at Detroit Lions – Game summary

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: November 26
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
  • Game attendance: 43,820
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
  • Recap

Week 13: at Cincinnati Bengals

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Week 13: Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

at Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: December 6
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Overcast, 38 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 46,489
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • TV announcers (NBC): Mel Proctor and Reggie Rucker
  • Recap

Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Raiders

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Week 14: Los Angeles Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 13
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 41 °F (5 °C)
  • Game attendance: 63,834
  • Referee: Gene Barth
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Jimmy Cefalo
  • Recap, Game Book

Week 15: at Denver Broncos

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Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST/2:00 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 35 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 75,053
  • Referee: Dick Jorgensen
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Jimmy Cefalo
  • Recap, Game Book

Week 16: vs. Seattle Seahawks

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Week 16: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

  • Date: December 27
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Overcast and Drizzle, 35 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 20,370
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (NBC): Gayle Sierens and Dave Rowe
  • Recap, Game Book

Standings

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References

  1. "Kansas City Chiefs History 1980's". Archived from the original on August 6, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2007.
  2. "1987 Kansas City Chiefs draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.

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