Record 7–9 Playoff finish did not qualify Head coach Marty Schottenheimer Home field Arrowhead Stadium | Division place 4th AFC West Pro Bowlers G Will Shields Start date 1998 | |
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The 1998 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 39th season in the National Football League, and the 29th overall.
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The season began with the team avenging the loss in the 1998 playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, but instead the Chiefs failed to succeed in the highly competitive AFC West.
The team finished with a 7–9 record and 4th place in the AFC West. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer announced his resignation following the season after ten seasons with the team and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham assumed coaching duties for 1999.
Offseason
On April 9, Marcus Allen announced his retirement.
Regular season
The Chiefs began the season well on September 6 with an impressive performance and easily defeated the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead 28–8. Kansas City sacked the Raiders quarterbacks 10 times, with Derrick Thomas collecting 6 by himself.
On September 13, Kansas City fell to the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road, 21–16.
On October 4, Kansas City conquered the Seattle Seahawks and the rain at Arrowhead, 17–6. Rich Gannon hit Andre Rison for an 80-yard touchdown pass after a 54-minute rain delay caused by a violent storm. The two teams combined for nine turnovers, five by Kansas City. The win improved the Chiefs' record to 4–1.
On November 16, against the Denver Broncos, the Chiefs defense was penalized five times on one drive, three of the penalties coming from legendary linebacker Derrick Thomas. The game is known now by Chiefs fans as the "Monday Night Meltdown". After that it was all downhill as the Chiefs suffered their first losing season since 1988.
Awards and records
The team was penalized 158 times for 1,304 yards. An NFL record that stood until the Oakland Raiders surpassed it in 2011.