1985 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
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Head coach |
John Mackovic (3rd season) |
General manager |
Jim Schaaf (Since 1976) |
Owner |
Lamar Hunt (Since 1959) |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 6–10 |
Division place | 5th AFC West |
Playoff finish | did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | S Deron Cherry |
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Scoring summary | ||||
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1 | KC | Stephone Paige 56 yard pass from Todd Blackledge (Nick Lowery kick) | Chiefs 7–0 | |
1 | SD | Bob Thomas 24 yard field goal | Chiefs 7–3 | |
2 | KC | Herman Heard 7 yard run (Nick Lowery kick) | Chiefs 14–3 | |
2 | KC | Mike Pruitt 1 yard run (Nick Lowery kick) | Chiefs 21–3 | |
2 | KC | Stephone Paige 84 yard pass from Bill Kenney (Nick Lowery kick) | Chiefs 28–3 | |
2 | KC | Jonathan Hayes 6 yard pass from Bill Kenney (Nick Lowery kick) | Chiefs 35–3 | |
2 | SD | Bob Thomas 26 yard field goal | Chiefs 35–6 | |
3 | SD | Wes Chandler 5 yard pass from Mark Herrmann (Bob Thomas kick) | Chiefs 35–13 | |
3 | KC | Nick Lowery 34 yard field goal | Chiefs 38–13 | |
4 | SD | Tim Spencer 2 yard run (Bob Thomas kick) | Chiefs 38–20 | |
4 | SD | Lionel James 8 yard pass from Mark Herrmann (Bob Thomas kick) | Chiefs 38–27 | |
4 | SD | Trumaine Johnson 20 yard pass from Mark Herrmann (Bob Thomas kick) | Chiefs 38–34 |
The 1985 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 6–10 record, and last place finish in the AFC West.
The Chiefs got off to a flying start in 1985 with a 47–27 win at New Orleans, while safety Deron Cherry tied an NFL record by registering four interceptions in a 28–7 win against Seattle on September 29 as the club boasted a 3–1 record four games into the season. The club was then confronted with a seven-game losing streak (amidst, nonetheless, the neighboring Kansas City Royals's World Series run) that wasn’t snapped until quarterback Todd Blackledge was installed as the starter against Indianapolis on November 24. The team rebounded to win three of its final five contests of the year with Blackledge under center, further inflaming a quarterback controversy that continued into the 1986 season.
Among these wins was the first time since 1972 that the Chiefs played the Atlanta Falcons, and merely the second in team history. The reason for this is that before the admission of the Texans in 2002, NFL scheduling formulas for games outside a team's division were much more influenced by table position during the previous season.
One of the few remaining bright spots in a disappointing 6–10 season came in the regular season finale against San Diego when wide receiver Stephone Paige set an NFL record with 309 receiving yards in a 38–34 win, breaking the previous mark of 303 yards set by Cleveland's Jim Benton in 1945. Paige's mark was subsequently surpassed by a 336-yard effort by Flipper Anderson (Los Angeles Rams) in 1989.