The 2010 season was the Kansas City Chiefs' 41st in the National Football League (NFL), their 51st overall and their second under the head coach/general manager tandem of Todd Haley and Scott Pioli. The team improved on its 4–12 record from 2009, won their first AFC West division title since 2003, and made the playoffs for the first time since 2006. In 2010, the Chiefs moved training camp to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri after spending the previous 19 summers in River Falls, Wisconsin. Until the 2025 Chicago Bears, the 2010 Chiefs were the only NFL team since 2002 to win its division with a losing division record. In addition, the team had one of the easiest schedules since league realignment in 2002, as its strength of schedule was .414 and only three of its 16 opponents had winning records (being the San Diego Chargers twice and Indianapolis Colts, who finished 9–7 and 10–6 respectively).
Offseason
Coaching changes The Chiefs added former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis as their offensive coordinator, and former Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel as their defensive coordinator. Both worked in their respective positions while Scott Pioli was the Vice President of Player Personnel with the New England Patriots. They also brought in former Arizona Cardinals coach Richie Anderson to be the team's wide receivers coach, former Notre Dame coach Bernie Parmalee to be the team's tight ends coach, former New England Patriots defensive lineman Anthony Pleasant to be the team's defensive line coach, former Kansas City Chiefs great Emmitt Thomas to be the team's defensive backs coach, Cincinnati Bengals' Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer's son Adam Zimmer to be the team's assistant linebackers coach, former New York Jets and New England Patriots defensive back Otis Smith to be the team's defensive quality control coach, and well-respected and longtime trainer Mike Clark to be the team's head strength and conditioning coach.
Free Agency +Kansas City Chiefs Free Agency Position Player Status* 2009 team 2010 team OG Andy Alleman UFA Kansas City Chiefs Indianapolis Colts RB Jackie Battle RFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs S Mike Brown UFA Kansas City Chiefs TBD WR Chris Chambers UFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs WR Terrance Copper UFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs FB Mike Cox EFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs QB Brodie Croyle RFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs WR Devard Darling UFA Kansas City Chiefs TBD WR David Grimes UFA Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson RFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs RB Thomas Jones UFA New York Jets Kansas City Chiefs CB Maurice Leggett EFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs OG Ryan Lilja UFA Indianapolis Colts Kansas City Chiefs LB Corey Mays RFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs OT Ikechuku Ndukwe RFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs C Rudy Niswanger RFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs OT Ryan O'Callaghan RFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs S Jarrad Page RFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs OT Barry Richardson EFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs TE Sean Ryan UFA Kansas City Chiefs Washington Redskins RB Dantrell Savage UFA Kansas City Chiefs Carolina Panthers NT Shaun Smith UFA Cincinnati Bengals Kansas City Chiefs OG Wade Smith UFA Kansas City Chiefs Houston Texans LB Andy Studebaker EFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs WR Jerheme Urban RFA Arizona Cardinals Kansas City Chiefs LB Mike Vrabel UFA Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs WR Bobby Wade UFA Kansas City Chiefs Washington Redskins C Casey Wiegmann UFA Denver Broncos Kansas City Chiefs *RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent, Franchise: Franchise tag
Draft
The Chiefs had the fifth pick in the draft after finishing the 2009 season 4–12. They had an additional second round pick from the Atlanta Falcons in a trade that sent tight end Tony Gonzalez to the Falcons and two additional fifth round picks, one of them coming from the Carolina Panthers in a trade that sent defensive end Tank Tyler to the Panthers, and the other coming from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for quarterback Tyler Thigpen. The Chiefs traded their sixth round pick to the Dolphins for Guard Andy Alleman and tackle Ikechuku Ndukwe and their seventh round pick to the Dolphins for a sixth round pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
2010 Kansas City Chiefs draft Round Selection Player Position College 1 5 Eric Berry Safety Tennessee2 36 Dexter McCluster Running back Ole Miss50 Javier Arenas Cornerback Alabama3 68 Jon Asamoah Guard Illinois93 Tony Moeaki Tight end Iowa5 136 Kendrick Lewis Safety Ole Miss142 Cameron Sheffield Defensive end Troy
Roster
Staff 2010 Kansas City Chiefs staff Front office Chairman/CEO – Clark Hunt General manager – Scott Pioli Assistant general manager – Joel Collier Director of pro personnel – Ray Farmer Director of college scouting – Phil Emery Director of football administration – Trip MacCracken Manager of football operations – Mike Borgonzi
Head coaches Head coach – Todd Haley Assistant head coach – Maurice Carthon
Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Charlie Weis Wide receivers – Richie Anderson Tight ends – Bernie Parmalee Offensive line – Bill Muir Assistant offensive line – Pat Perles Offensive quality control – Nick Sirianni Defensive coaches Defensive coordinator – Romeo Crennel Defensive line – Anthony Pleasant Linebackers – Gary Gibbs Defensive backs – Emmitt Thomas Defensive assistant/assistant linebackers – Adam Zimmer Defensive quality control – Otis Smith Pass rush – Joe Kim
Special teams coaches Special teams – Steve Hoffman
Strength and conditioning Strength and conditioning – Mike Clark Assistant strength and conditioning – Brent Salazar
Preseason Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 at Atlanta Falcons L 10–20 0–1 Georgia Dome Recap 2 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 15–20 0–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap 3 Philadelphia Eagles L 17–20 0–3 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 4 Green Bay Packers W 17–13 1–3 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
Game summaries Week 1: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 3: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 4: vs. Green Bay Packers
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 San Diego Chargers W 21–14 1–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 2 September 19 at Cleveland Browns W 16–14 2–0 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap 3 September 26 San Francisco 49ers W 31–10 3–0 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 4Bye 5 October 10 at Indianapolis Colts L 9–19 3–1 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap 6 October 17 at Houston Texans L 31–35 3–2 Reliant Stadium Recap 7 October 24 Jacksonville Jaguars W 42–20 4–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 8 October 31 Buffalo Bills W 13–10 5–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 9 November 7 at Oakland Raiders L 20–23 5–3 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Recap 10 November 14 at Denver Broncos L 29–49 5–4 Invesco Field at Mile High Recap 11 November 21 Arizona Cardinals W 31–13 6–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 12 November 28 at Seattle Seahawks W 42–24 7–4 Qwest Field Recap 13 December 5 Denver Broncos W 10–6 8–4 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 14 December 12 at San Diego Chargers L 0–31 8–5 Qualcomm Stadium Recap 15 December 19 at St. Louis Rams W 27–13 9–5 Edward Jones Dome Recap 16 December 26 Tennessee Titans W 34–14 10–5 Arrowhead Stadium Recap 17 January 2 Oakland Raiders L 10–31 10–6 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers
The Chiefs began their season at home for a division rivalry match against the San Diego Chargers. In the first quarter the Chiefs trailed early as QB Philip Rivers completed a 3-yard TD pass to TE Antonio Gates. The Chiefs replied when RB Jamaal Charles made a 56-yard TD run. In the 2nd quarter the Chiefs took the lead with QB Matt Cassel completing a 2-yard TD pass to TE Tony Moeaki. This was followed by WR Dexter McCluster returning a punt 94 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. In the third quarter the Chargers cut the lead when QB Philip Rivers threw a 59-yard TD pass to WR Legedu Naanee. In the 4th quarter the Chiefs defense prevented any more scoring giving themselves a win.
With the win, the Chiefs began at 1–0.
Week 2: at Cleveland Browns
Hoping to increase their winning streak the Chiefs flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for an AFC duel with the Browns. In the first quarter the Chiefs took the early lead when kicker Ryan Succop nailed a 35-yard field goal. The Chiefs fell behind in the 2nd quarter when RB Peyton Hillis completed a 1-yard TD run, but got back in the game when CB Brandon Flowers returned an interception 33 yards to the endzone for a touchdown. The Chiefs trailed again as QB Seneca Wallace made a 65-yard TD pass to WR Josh Cribbs. The Chiefs cut the lead in the 3rd quarter when Ryan Succop made a 26-yard field goal and then a 23-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, giving Kansas City the win.
With the win, the Chiefs improved to 2–0.
Week 3: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Hoping to increase their winning streak the Chiefs played at home ground for an interconference duel with the 49ers. In the 2nd quarter, the Chiefs scored first when QB Matt Cassel made a 31-yard TD pass to WR Dexter McCluster. The lead was narrowed when kicker Joe Nedney hit a 51-yard field goal. But the Chiefs started to rally with kicker Ryan Succop getting a 32-yard field goal, followed by Cassel making a 45-yard TD pass to WR Dwayne Bowe. Then Cassel made an 18-yard TD pass to TE Tony Moeaki. This was followed in the 4th quarter by RB Thomas Jones making a 3-yard TD run. After that, the Niners replied with QB Alex Smith making a 12-yard TD pass to WR Josh Morgan.
With the win, not only did Kansas City enter its bye week at 3–0, but it also marked their first 3–0 start since 2003. With losses by both the Chicago Bears and the Pittsburgh Steelers the following week, the Kansas City Chiefs are left as the last undefeated team.
Week 5: at Indianapolis Colts
Coming out of their bye week the Chiefs flew to Lucas Oil Stadium for an AFC duel with the Colts. In the first quarter the Chiefs trailed early as kicker Adam Vinatieri made a 20-yard field goal, followed by a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter. The Chiefs replied with kicker Ryan Succop nailing a 45-yard field goal. In the third quarter the Colts increased their lead with Vinatieri's 47-yard field goal, followed by Succop's 35 and 43-yard field goals to tie the game. In the fourth quarter the Chiefs trailed slightly with Vinatieri getting a 42-yard field goal. After that, the Chiefs defense was finally broken down with RB Mike Hart getting an 11-yard TD run.
With the loss, the Chiefs fell to 3–1 and it also marked the first time since 1970 where no teams start out 4–0.
Week 6: at Houston Texans
Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Colts The Chiefs flew to Reliant Stadium for an AFC duel against the Texans. In the first quarter the Chiefs took the early lead with QB Matt Cassel getting a 2-yard TD pass to OLB Mike Vrabel. The Texans responded and tied the game with QB Matt Schaub making a 5-yard TD pass to TE Joel Dreessen. The Chiefs rallied with Cassel making a 17 and a 42-yard TD pass to WR Dwayne Bowe in the 3rd quarter. The Texans replied with RB Derrick Ward getting a 38-yard TD run. Then kicker Ryan Succop made a 24-yard field goal to put the Chiefs up 24–14. In the fourth quarter the Texans closed the gap with RB Arian Foster making a 2-yard TD run, but the Chiefs tried to pull away with RB Thomas Jones getting an 11-yard TD run. However, the Texans replied and eventually snatched the win with Foster making a 1-yard TD run, and then with Schaub finding WR Andre Johnson on an 11-yard TD pass.
With the loss, the Chiefs fell to 3–2.
Week 7: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars