The 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.
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. 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.
Former quarterback Len Dawson became the third Chiefs player inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on August 8, while injuries forced the retirement of the club's all-time leading tackler Gary Spani.
NFL draft
Personnel Staff
Replacement players After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:
1987 Kansas City Chiefs replacement rosterQuarterbacks Matt Stevens Doug Hudson Sandy Osiecki Alex Espinoza
Running backs Ralph Stockemer Steve Griffin Ken Lacy Woodie Pippens Lloyd Murray Robert Parker Chris Smith
Wide receivers Nate Blanks John Trahan Richard Estell Kenny Nash Eric Brown David Montagne Eric Hodges
Tight ends Stein Koss Rod Jones Riley Walton Offensive linemen John Aimonetti Arland Thompson James Boyd James Harvey Kevin Adkins Dan Doubiago Mark Nelson Lee Getz Steve Rogers Doug Hoppock
Defensive linemen Chris Lindstrom Terry Summers James Black Jeff Faulkner Lloyd Mumphrey Keith Guthrie John WalkerLinebackers Gary Moten Bob Harris Bruce Holmes Gary Spann Randy Frazier Fred Jones Tony Holloway
Defensive backs Kevin Wyatt Jack Epps Cornelius Dozier Blane Smith Carlton Thomas Jitter Fields Chris Evans Trent Bryant Jeff Colter Garcia Lane Teddy Nelson
Special teams Kelly Goodburn P Paul Woodside K James Hamrick K
Final roster
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. A 24-day players strike began on September 22, canceling the club's contest against Minnesota. 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.
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. 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. 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. Behind Kenney, Kansas City won two of its last three games to conclude the strike-shortened 4–11 campaign.
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap HOF vs. San Francisco 49ers L 7–20 0–1 Fawcett Stadium 23,826 Recap 1 at Houston Oilers W 32–20 1–1 Houston Astrodome 30,147 Recap 2 Atlanta Falcons W 13–10 2–1 Arrowhead Stadium 39,164 Recap 3 Buffalo Bills W 34–14 3–1 Arrowhead Stadium 43,887 Recap 4 September 6 vs. St. Louis Cardinals W 13–10 4–1 Liberty Bowl 62,353 Recap
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 13 San Diego Chargers W 20–13 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium 56,940 Recap 2 September 20 at Seattle Seahawks L 14–43 1–1 Kingdome 61,667 Recap 3 September 27 Minnesota VikingsCancelled due to players' strike 4 October 4 at Los Angeles Raiders L 17–35 1–2 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 10,708 Recap 5 October 11 at Miami Dolphins L 0–42 1–3 Joe Robbie Stadium 25,867 Recap 6 October 18 Denver Broncos L 17–26 1–4 Arrowhead Stadium 20,296 Recap 7 October 25 at San Diego Chargers L 21–42 1–5 Jack Murphy Stadium 47,972 Recap 8 November 1 at Chicago Bears L 28–31 1–6 Soldier Field 63,498 Recap 9 November 8 Pittsburgh Steelers L 16–17 1–7 Arrowhead Stadium 45,249 Recap 10 November 15 New York Jets L 9–16 1–8 Arrowhead Stadium 40,718 Recap 11 November 22 Green Bay Packers L 3–23 1–9 Arrowhead Stadium 34,611 Recap 12 November 26 at Detroit Lions W 27–20 2–9 Pontiac Silverdome 43,820 Recap 13 December 6 at Cincinnati Bengals L 27–30 2–10 Riverfront Stadium 46,489 Recap 14 December 13 Los Angeles Raiders W 16–10 3–10 Arrowhead Stadium 63,834 Recap 15 at Denver Broncos L 17–20 3–11 Mile High Stadium 75,053 Recap 16 December 27 Seattle Seahawks W 41–20 4–11 Arrowhead Stadium 20,370 Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers
Week 2: at Seattle Seahawks
Week 4: at Los Angeles Raiders
Week 5: at Miami Dolphins
Week 6: vs. Denver Broncos
Week 7: at San Diego Chargers
Week 8: at Chicago Bears
Week 9: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 10: vs. New York Jets
Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers
Week 12: at Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day games
Week 13: at Cincinnati Bengals
Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Raiders
Week 15: at Denver Broncos
Week 16: vs. Seattle Seahawks
Standings
References
External links 1987 Kansas City Chiefs at Pro-Football-Reference.com