2012 Kansas City Chiefs season | |
---|---|
Owner | The Hunt family |
Head coach | Romeo Crennel |
General manager | Scott Pioli |
Home field | Arrowhead Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 2-14 |
Division place | 4th AFC West |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | RB Jamaal Charles LB Tamba Hali LB Justin Houston LB Derrick Johnson S Eric Berry P Dustin Colquitt |
Team MVP | Jamaal Charles |
Team ROY | Dontari Poe |
Uniform | |
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The 2012 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League, the 53rd overall and the first and only full season under head coach Romeo Crennel, who served as the interim head coach for the final three games of the 2011 season following Todd Haley's termination. The Chiefs failed to rebound from their 7-9 record in 2011, and were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 12. Although sharing the same 2-14 record as the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst record of the season, the Chiefs were statistically the worst team overall, and thereby "earned" the right to the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Perhaps the only bright moment for the Chiefs this season was rallying from a big 24-6 deficit against the New Orleans Saints during their season. The Chiefs went 0-12 against AFC opponents in 2012 and their only wins of the season were against NFC teams, against Carolina and New Orleans. In 2017, ESPN.com named the 2012 season the Chiefs worst season in franchise history.[1]
The 2012 team tied the 1977 (2-12) and 2008 (2-14) teams for the franchise worst seasons in terms of fewest wins.
They tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the NFL's worst record. The Chiefs had the #1 pick in the 2013 National Football League Draft based on strength of schedule.[2] It is the 2nd time in franchise history the Chiefs have had the #1 pick.[3]
Kansas City suffered from quarterback controversy all season and tied with the Arizona Cardinals for most interceptions (20) with Matt Cassel throwing 12 and his late season replacement Brady Quinn throwing 8.[4] The Chiefs had the worst record in the NFL in offensive passing.[5]
The Chiefs also lost 17 fumbles giving them 37 giveaways - tied for worst in the NFL with the New York Jets and Philadelphia[6] and tying with Philadelphia for the NFL's worst giveaway/takeaway differential with -24.[7]
Season low points included:
Highlights of the season included:
Position | Player | Status* | 2011 Team | 2012 Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
CB | Mikail Baker | UFA | St. Louis Rams | Kansas City Chiefs |
RB | Jackie Battle | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | San Diego Chargers |
TE | Anthony Becht | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | None |
LB | Jovan Belcher | RFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Chiefs |
TE | Kevin Boss | UFA | Oakland Raiders | Kansas City Chiefs |
WR | Dwayne Bowe | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Chiefs |
CB | Brandon Carr | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Dallas Cowboys |
CB | Travis Daniels | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Chiefs |
DE | Wallace Gilberry | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
NT | Amon Gordon | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Chiefs |
NT | Kelly Gregg | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | None |
LB | Cory Greenwood | ERFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Chiefs |
RB | Peyton Hillis | UFA | Cleveland Browns | Kansas City Chiefs |
RB | Thomas Jones | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | None |
S | Reshard Langford | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Detroit Lions |
FB | LeRon McClain | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | San Diego Chargers |
S | Jon McGraw | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | None |
OT | Ryan O'Callaghan | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | None |
TE | Jake O'Connell | RFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Kansas City Chiefs |
QB | Kyle Orton | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Dallas Cowboys |
QB | Tyler Palko | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | None |
S | Sabby Piscitelli | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | None |
DE | Ropati Pitoitua | UFA | New York Jets | Kansas City Chiefs |
TE | Leonard Pope | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | Pittsburgh Steelers |
QB | Brady Quinn | UFA | Denver Broncos | Kansas City Chiefs |
CB | Jacques Reeves | UFA | Free Agent | Kansas City Chiefs |
OT | Barry Richardson | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | St. Louis Rams |
CB | Stanford Routt | UFA | Oakland Raiders | Kansas City Chiefs |
WR | Jerheme Urban | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | None |
C | Casey Wiegmann | UFA | Kansas City Chiefs | None |
OT | Eric Winston | UFA | Houston Texans | Kansas City Chiefs |
*RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive rights free agent, Franchise: Franchise tag |
2012 Kansas City Chiefs draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 11 | Dontari Poe * | DT | Memphis | |
2 | 44 | Jeff Allen | OT | Illinois | |
3 | 74 | Donald Stephenson | OT | Oklahoma | |
4 | 107 | Devon Wylie | WR | Fresno St | |
5 | 146 | DeQuan Menzie | CB | Alabama | |
6 | 182 | Cyrus Gray | RB | Texas A&M | |
7 | 218 | Jerome Long | DT | San Diego St | |
7 | 238 | Junior Hemingway | WR | Michigan | Pick from NE[a] |
Made roster + Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 10 | Arizona Cardinals | W 27-17 | 1-0 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
2 | August 18 | at St. Louis Rams | L 17-31 | 1-1 | Edward Jones Dome | Recap |
3 | August 24 | Seattle Seahawks | L 14-44 | 1-2 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
4 | August 30 | at Green Bay Packers | L 3-24 | 1-3 | Lambeau Field | Recap |
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 9 | Atlanta Falcons | L 24-40 | 0-1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 16 | at Buffalo Bills | L 17-35 | 0-2 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
3 | September 23 | at New Orleans Saints | W 27-24 (OT) | 1-2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
4 | September 30 | San Diego Chargers | L 20-37 | 1-3 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 7 | Baltimore Ravens | L 6-9 | 1-4 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 14 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 10-38 | 1-5 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
7 | Bye | |||||
8 | October 28 | Oakland Raiders | L 16-26 | 1-6 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 1 | at San Diego Chargers | L 13-31 | 1-7 | Qualcomm Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 12 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 13-16 (OT) | 1-8 | Heinz Field | Recap |
11 | November 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 6-28 | 1-9 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
12 | November 25 | Denver Broncos | L 9-17 | 1-10 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
13 | December 2 | Carolina Panthers | W 27-21 | 2-10 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
14 | December 9 | at Cleveland Browns | L 7-30 | 2-11 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 16 | at Oakland Raiders | L 0-15 | 2-12 | O.co Coliseum | Recap |
16 | December 23 | Indianapolis Colts | L 13-20 | 2-13 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap |
17 | December 30 | at Denver Broncos | L 3-38 | 2-14 | Sports Authority Field at Mile High | Recap |
Against the Atlanta Falcons, the Kansas City Chiefs were behind early in the first quarter when Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Julio Jones to lead 7-0. The Chiefs answered with a 39-yard field goal from Ryan Succop to make it 7-3. The Falcons scored on their next drive with a 34-yard field goal from Matt Bryant to extend their lead 10-3. In the second quarter, Matt Cassel threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss to tie the game at 10-10. Matt Ryan and the Falcons took the lead again with a 14-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Julio Jones to go up 17-10. Matt Cassel scored on a 5-yard rushing touchdown on the Chiefs next possession to make the score tied again at 17-17. The Falcons just managed to extend their lead before halftime with a 21-yard field goal by Matt Bryant to lead 20-17 coming into the half.
In the third quarter, Matt Ryan scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to make it 27-17. Shortly afterward, Matt Ryan tossed a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Gonzalez to further extend their lead 34-17. In the fourth quarter, the Atlanta falcons scored twice on field goals of 30 and 41 yards by Matt Bryant to lead 40-17. Late in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs scored on a 4-yard run by running back Shaun Draughn.[] The final score of this game is 24-40 as the Kansas City Chiefs fall to 0-1
In the first quarter, the Buffalo Bills scored first with a 17-yard rushing touchdown by running back C. J. Spiller to lead 7-0. In the second quarter, the Bills scored again with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by C. J. Spiller to lead 14-0. The Bills continued to extend their lead when quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Scott Chandler to lead 21-0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Chiefs finally scored with a 33-yard field goal by Ryan Succop to make it 3-21. The Bills answered with a 49-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to wide receiver Stevie Johnson to make the score 28-3. The Bills continued to dominate with an 88-yard punt return touchdown by Leodis McKelvin to lead 35-3. In the fourth quarter, the Chiefs finally got going with Matt Cassel throwing a 33-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe to make the score 10-35. The Chiefs managed to score again with Matt Cassel throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.[] The Chiefs fantastic effort in the fourth quarter was not enough, the final score is 17-35 as the Chiefs fall to 0-2.
With the win, the Chiefs improved to 1-2.
With the loss, the Chiefs fell to 1-3.
In a game with all field goals, the heavily favored 3-1 Baltimore Ravens won a surprisingly hard-fought match, and a heartbreaker for Kansas City. With the loss, the Chiefs fell to 1-4.
With the loss, the Chiefs went into their bye week at 1-5.
With the loss, the Chiefs fell to 1-6. The loss made Kansas City the first team since the 1929 Buffalo Bisons team to play seven games without leading in regulation.[24]
With the loss, the Chiefs fell to 1-7 and were swept by the Chargers for the first time since 2009.[] Kansas City now holds the NFL record of not leading at any point during regulation at eight games.[]
The Chiefs led for the first time all season in this game with a first-quarter touchdown which gave them the lead 7-0.[25] After relinquishing the lead, the Chiefs tied the game at 13-13 at the end of regulation to force overtime. However, despite the fact that they got the ball in overtime, QB Matt Cassel was picked off by Lamarr Woodley and the ball was returned to the Chiefs' 5-Yard line setting up the game-winning field goal for the Steelers as the Chiefs lost the game 16-13 and their record dropped to 1-8.[]
This would be the second time all season that the Chiefs would lead a game as they kicked for the first 3 points off of a 34-yard field goal from Ryan Succop.[] However, the Bengals' defense shut the Chiefs down as the Chiefs dropped to 1-9 and 0-5 in home games. The Chiefs who had 31 giveaways on the season would eventually end up with only 6 giveaways for the remainder of the season.
With the loss, the Chiefs dropped to 1-10. Coupled with wins from the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts, the Chiefs were officially eliminated from postseason contention.
Before the game, tragedy struck the Chiefs as linebacker Jovan Belcher committed suicide after the shooting of his girlfriend the day before. Snapping a home losing skid of their own, the Chiefs won at Arrowhead for the first time since they robbed the Green Bay Packers of a perfect regular season during Week 15 of the 2011 season by snapping the latter's 19-game winning streak.[]
The Chiefs improved to 2-10 with the surprising win, ending the possibility of the 2012 Chiefs becoming the first team since the 2007 Miami Dolphins to only win 1 game in overtime and lose the rest of them.
With the loss, the Chiefs fell to 2-11.
The Chiefs fell to 2-12 after being shutout only for the second time against the Raiders in team history. Because the Raiders (4-10) swept the Chiefs, Kansas City clinched fourth-place in the AFC West for the second straight year.
With the loss, the Chiefs finished the season 2-14, tied for worst with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but received the 1st pick in the 2013 NFL Draft due to losing a tiebreaker based on a better conference record.
AFC West | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(1)Denver Broncos | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 6-0 | 10-2 | 481 | 289 | W11 |
San Diego Chargers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4-2 | 7-5 | 350 | 350 | W2 |
Oakland Raiders | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2-4 | 4-8 | 290 | 443 | L2 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 0-6 | 0-12 | 211 | 425 | L4 |