Tag: 2004

Throwback Thursday: Chiefs set NFL record with 8 rushing TDs vs. Falcons in 2004

#TBT to when the #Chiefs were a much different team and set an NFL record for team rushing touchdowns in a single game:

The NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs have changed quite a bit since 2004. Most offenses in the league were predicated on a strong running game, including Kansas City’s offense under former head coach Dick Vermeil.

During Week 7 of that season, the Chiefs stamped their names in the NFL history books when it comes to rushing offense. After the team got wind of some bulletin board material because of its 1-4 start to the season, it changed up the game plan against the Atlanta Falcons.

K.C. would run the ball 49 times for 271 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. Teammates Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock each rushed for four touchdowns to set an NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns by a team in a single game.

“We were getting ready to play the Falcons and they were talking like mad junk,” former Chiefs FB Tony Richardson said, via KC Sports Network’s One-on-One. “And so Vermeil was like, ‘We’re going to run the ball every single down.'”

They had the ability to pound the rock because they had a world-class offensive line featuring Willie Roaf, Brian Waters, Casey Wiegmann, Will Shields and John Welbourn.

The Chiefs took a 35-3 halftime lead and cruised to a 56-10 win. No passing touchdowns were thrown by either team. After the game, Waters became the first offensive lineman to ever be named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Unless the NFL has a vast change in offensive philosophy, the record of eight rushing touchdowns may stand the test of time.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

Throwback Thursday: Chiefs defeat Ravens on ‘Monday Night Football’ in 2004

A look back at the last time the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Baltimore Ravens on “Monday Night Football.”

The date was Oct. 4, 2004. The Kansas City Chiefs were off to a horrid start to the season, falling to 0-3 after facing the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans. Hope was bleak because up next the Dick Vermeil-led Chiefs faced a daunting task. They had to travel to M&T Bank Stadium for “Monday Night Football” to face a Baltimore Ravens squad that was 2-1.

The Ravens defense featured some players, maybe you’ve heard of them: Ed Reed, Chris McAlister, Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis. The Chiefs, of course, had the weapons to match the intensity of the accomplished Ravens defense with Will Shields, Priest Holmes and Tony Gonzalez.

The matchup of the evening, however, was between Lewis and Shields.

The plan was to feed the ground game for Kansas City and it worked. The two teams battled, exchanging blows throughout the game. Every time the Chiefs would jump out to a lead, the Ravens would battle back to tie the game. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter when the Chiefs pulled away with a two-score lead. The defining play came down to a 1-on-1 matchup between Lewis and Shields.

Kansas City took up the end of the third quarter, marching down the field on a 13-play drive that landed them at the 1-yard line. On third-and-1, Shields pulled to the left to block Lewis in a 1-on-1 situation. Trent Green handed the ball off to Holmes who followed the patch cleared by Shields, extending their lead to 10 points. The Chiefs would ultimately go on to win 27-24 at the end of regulation.

Later, well after his Hall of Fame induction and retirement, Lewis would praise the Chiefs’ offensive line for their toughness, smarts and chemistry in an interview with Colin Cowherd. You can bet that particular matchup stuck in his mind during that interview.

As these two storied franchises get ready to meet once again on “Monday Night Football” on Sept. 28, there’s a lot to look forward to. A clash of two former league MVPs, thriving ground games, incredible offensive weapons and defenses filled with confident playmakers. It should make for a matchup for the ages, just like the one played between these two teams back in 2004.

[vertical-gallery id=77258]