The 2006 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 37th in the National Football League (NFL), their 47th overall, their 44th in Kansas City, and their first under head coach Herm Edwards. Despite failing to improve on their 10–6 record from 2005, they finished 9-7 and made a wild card playoff spot, unlike the previous year.
The team endured many setbacks during the 2006 season, including the loss of starting quarterback Trent Green in the first game, the readjustment of a record-breaking offense, and the death of owner and founder Lamar Hunt on December 13, 2006. Despite these setbacks, the team gained momentum and finished second in the AFC West with a 4–2 divisional record.
The Chiefs entered Week 17 of the season a long shot to make the playoffs, needing a win and a loss from the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans. In an unlikely clinching scenario, the Chiefs defeated the Jaguars 35–30, the Titans, Bengals and the Broncos lost, allowing the Chiefs to clinch the sixth seed in the 2006–07 playoffs and clinching their first playoff berth since the 2003 season. The Chiefs lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs 23–8 to their playoff rival and eventual Super Bowl champions, the Indianapolis Colts.
Staff
Offseason Dick Vermeil, head coach, retired after the Chiefs' 2005 campaign. On Monday, January 9, 2006, the Chiefs made their first step throughout the 2006 offseason when they hired Herman Edwards from the New York Jets as the new head coach.
Draft
Note: The Chiefs exchanged their fourth round draft pick to the New York Jets in order to acquire coach Herman Edwards.
2006 Kansas City Chiefs draft Round Selection Player Position College120Tamba HaliDefensive endPenn State254Bernard PollardStrong safetyPurdue385Brodie CroyleQuarterbackAlabama5154Marcus MaxeyCornerbackMiami6186Tre' StallingsGuardOle Miss6190Jeff WebbWide receiverSan Diego State7228Jarrad PageStrong safetyUCLA
Roster moves Just before training camp, Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law was added to Kansas City's lineup to strengthen the defense. To help the offense, Left tackle Kyle Turley made his first appearance post-two-year absence from the NFL, and Running back Michael Bennett was acquired to back up Larry Johnson. The Chiefs signed quarterback Casey Printers, who had success in the Canadian Football League, to their practice squad.
Key losses to the team included the heart and soul of the team's offense; Pro Bowl tackles Willie Roaf and John Welbourn announcing their retirements (Welbourn later returned to the team in week eight following a suspension served after his reinstatement), and Fullback Tony Richardson was signed by the Minnesota Vikings.
Final roster
Training camp & Pre-season The Chiefs held training camp at the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. The team reported July 28 and broke camp on August 18. On August 4, the Chiefs scrimmaged the Minnesota Vikings in Mankato, Minnesota.
In the preseason, the Chiefs lost to the Houston Texans on August 12 and the New York Giants on August 17. For their preseason home games, the Chiefs defeated the St. Louis Rams and retained the Missouri Governor's Cup on August 26 and also defeated the New Orleans Saints on August 31.
Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 at Houston Texans L 14–24 0–1 Reliant Stadium Recap 2 at New York Giants L 0–17 0–2 Giants Stadium Recap 3 St. Louis Rams W 16–12 1–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 4 New Orleans Saints W 10–9 2–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
Game summaries Week 1: at Houston Texans
Week 2: at New York Giants
Week 3: vs. St. Louis Rams
Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 10 Cincinnati Bengals L 10–23 0–1 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 2 September 17 at Denver Broncos L 6–9 0–2 Invesco Field at Mile High Recap 3Bye 4 October 1 San Francisco 49ers W 41–0 1–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 5 October 8 at Arizona Cardinals W 23–20 2–2 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 6 October 15 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 7–45 2–3 Heinz Field Recap 7 October 22 San Diego Chargers W 30–27 3–3 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 8 October 29 Seattle Seahawks W 35–28 4–3 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 9 November 5 at St. Louis Rams W 31–17 5–3 Edward Jones Dome Recap 10 November 12 at Miami Dolphins L 10–13 5–4 Dolphin Stadium Recap 11 November 19 Oakland Raiders W 17–13 6–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 12 November 23 Denver Broncos W 19–10 7–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 13 December 3 at Cleveland Browns L 28–31 7–5 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap 14 December 10 Baltimore Ravens L 10–20 7–6 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 15 December 17 at San Diego Chargers L 9–20 7–7 Qualcomm Stadium Recap 16 at Oakland Raiders W 20–9 8–7 McAfee Coliseum Recap 17 December 31 Jacksonville Jaguars W 35–30 9–7 Arrowhead Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The Chiefs opened the regular season at home against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 10. The game was broadcast on CBS at noon Kansas City time.
The Chiefs' offense began at a slow pace, while their defense initially held the Bengals to a field goal within the first few minutes. The Bengals began to rip through the Chiefs' defense with the help of Rudi Johnson, who would later go on to rush for 96 yards and a touchdown.
In the third quarter, quarterback Trent Green received a concussion when he slid past the first-down marker and was hit by Robert Geathers' shoulder.Merrill, Elizabeth. QB's injury caps dark day for shell-shocked Chiefs Kansas City Star, September 11, 2006. Green laid motionless for eleven minutes until he was taken off the field by a stretcher. The mood of the game changed instantly when the Chiefs lost their leader, and many fans began to leave Arrowhead Stadium due to heavy rain and the dwindling score.
Back-up quarterback Damon Huard came into the game and completed 12 of 20 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, and was sacked four times. Tight end Tony Gonzalez caught his first touchdown pass of the season and helped bring the score to 20–10. The Bengals left with their first win of the 2006 season as the Chiefs began their season 0–1.
Week 2: at Denver Broncos
Heading into their second game of the season and first on the road, the Chiefs looked to backup quarterback Damon Huard to lead their first win of the season. The game marked the first time the Herman Edwards regime played against the Denver Broncos, as Kansas City had not won in Denver since 2000. The game was broadcast on CBS at 2:15pm Denver time.
The game was the first time the Chiefs and Broncos played with no touchdowns scored by either team. The Kansas City defense held the Broncos scoreless in the first half, and to only nine points by the end of the game; the fewest the Chiefs have permitted at Denver since registering a 21–7 win on October 22, 1995. It also marked the fewest points Denver scored at INVESCO Field since it opened in 2001.Moris, Pete. Chiefs-Broncos Postgame Notes KCChiefs.com, September 18, 2006.
Punter Dustin Colquitt tied a career-high with six punts and established a career-high with 281 punting yards. Two costly fumbles by Damon Huard and one by Larry Johnson in the red zone resulted in the tied game going into overtime. The Broncos won the toss and set up for the game winning kick by Jason Elam.
With the loss, the Chiefs entered their bye week 0–2.
Week 3: Bye Week The Chiefs took a week off, using the time to help Trent Green recover from his injury and developing Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle familiarity with their offensive playbook.
Week 4: vs. San Francisco 49ers
On October 1, the Chiefs hosted the San Francisco 49ers at Arrowhead Stadium. Coach Herman Edwards confirmed Trent Green would not play in the game.Chiefs QB Green ruled out of 49ers game Associated Press, September 25, 2006 The game was broadcast on Fox at noon Kansas City time.
The Chiefs defense shut out the 49ers high scoring offense, forcing two interceptions and three forced fumbles. Quarterback Alex Smith was held to 92 yards passing and the 49ers to 93 yards rushing. In their first three games, the 49ers had given up only four sacks,Tucker, Doug. Chiefs Crush 49ers 41–0 Associated Press, October 2, 2006. but against the Chiefs, they allowed five total sacks.
Quarterback Damon Huard completed 18 of 23 passes for 208 yards and two passing touchdowns. While compiling a 133.3 passer rating – 158.3 is perfect – Huard was hardly ever touched or even hurried by a San Francisco defense which had rung up 12 sacks in its first three games. The game marked the first shutout for the Chiefs defense since December 1, 2002, and the 49ers their first shutout since 2004 and only their second since 1977.
With the win, the Chiefs improved to 1–2.
Week 5: at Arizona Cardinals
On October 8, the Chiefs traveled to Glendale, Arizona for their first game in the University of Phoenix Stadium to face the Arizona Cardinals. Trent Green was still recovering from his concussion, and Arizona's rookie quarterback Matt Leinart made his career start. The game was broadcast on CBS 1:05pm Arizona time.
The game began with Arizona's offense dominating and catching the Chiefs' defense off-guard with a 49-yard touchdown pass to Wide receiver Anquan Boldin, putting the Cardinals on the scoreboard within three minutes of the game.Teicher, Adam. Cardinals' two quick hits get defense's attention Kansas City Star, October 9, 2006.
On the opening kickoff, Dante Hall was injured and left the game,Teicher, Adam. Chiefs vs. Cardinals: How they scored Kansas City Star, October 9, 2006. leaving rookie Jeff Webb to return the kicks for the rest of the game, including a 56-yard punt return. Samie Parker caught a 15-yard touchdown pass, leaving the Chiefs within three points of the Cardinals (17–20). The play was officially reviewed as the referees initially thought Parker caught the ball out of bounds, but the referees decided it was caught in the endzone.
Damon Huard threw Larry Johnson a 78-yard screen pass that would be stopped short of a touchdown when Antrel Rolle twisted Johnson's neck by grabbing his facemask, sending him to the turf motionless for 2 minutes. Johnson recovered and received a standing ovation. The NFL fined Rolle $12,500 for his penalty. It was the second time in the 2006 season in which Rolle had been fined for an illegal tackle.NFL fines Cardinals CB Rolle $12,500 for facemask penalty Sports Ticker, October 14, 2006. The play set up Lawrence Tynes’ eventual game-winning field goal, leaving the Chiefs with the 23–20 lead.
Neil Rackers set up for a kick with less than 15 seconds to play in order to send the 23–20 contest into overtime. Rackers missed the uprights by a foot with seconds left in the game.
With the win, the Chiefs improved to 2–2.
Week 6: at Pittsburgh Steelers
On October 15, the Chiefs traveled to Heinz Field to battle the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The Chiefs entered the game 2–2 for the season, while the Steelers were 1–3 with a three-game losing streak. The game was broadcast on CBS 4:15 p.m. Pittsburgh time.
Trent Green would sit out for the fourth straight week. Damon Huard would make his fourth consecutive start as he entered the game ranked second in the NFL in quarterback ratings,Merrill, Elizabeth. Huard is getting more than passing grades Kansas City Star, October 9, 2006. while the Chiefs defense ranked in the top five in the NFL. Larry Johnson recovered from his facemask tackle from Antrel Rolle and started as running back.Chief concerns: Hall uncertain, L.J. OK, but Green out Associated Press, October 9, 2006.