Before we look back at the Kansas City Chiefs’ 1971 season, let’s review the Chief’s history, going back to 1960, when they were one of only eight teams in the newly formed American Football League. The Chiefs started their franchise as the Dallas Texans, and in 1962, they won the AFL Championship.
After moving to Kansas City in 1963, the team struggled, posting a 19–19–4 record over the next three seasons. But in 1966 the Chiefs won another AFL title, and in 1969 they won their third AFL title and the Superbowl.
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1971 Kansas City Chiefs
The 1971 season didn’t get off to a good start. After taking a 14–0 lead at halftime, the Chiefs’ pass defense struggled in the second half, giving up some big plays and allowing three touchdowns. The offense played poorly and the Chargers won 21–14.
In a week two game at the Houston Astrodome, the Chiefs took an early 10–0 lead but the tide turned quickly when defensive back Ken Houston returned a fumble 67 yards for a touchdown. By the fourth quarter, the Oilers had taken a 16–13 lead. A Warren McVie touchdown in the fourth quarter gave KC a 20–16 victory.
Quarterback Len Dawson played a solid game completing 14 of 24 passes for 207 yards while receiver Otis Taylor caught six passes for 97 yards. The Chiefs defense gave up only 26 yards rushing.


The Chiefs offense did little in a week three game against Denver, gaining only 159 yards but their defense allowed only a field goal. Defensive end Aaron Brown intercepted a pass and ran it 68 yards for a touchdown to top off a 16–3 victory for KC.
In week four the Chiefs fell behind early to the Chargers 10–0 before scoring 31 unanswered points. Wendell Hayes gained 80 yards on only 11 carries, while Ed Podolak gained 72 yards on 14 carries with one touchdown. Receiver Otis Taylor caught six passes for 97 yards and one touchdown. Defensively the Chiefs held San Diego to just 179 total yards.
On Monday Night Football, the Chiefs again fell behind early, trailing the Steelers 9–0 going into the second quarter but from then on, it was all Chiefs. Cornerback Emmitt Thomas put an exclamation point on the Chiefs’ victory with a 32-yard interception return for a touchdown to make the final score KC 38, Pittsburgh 16.
Neither team put together much of a running game but Len Dawson and Otis Taylor lit up the Steelers defense with an explosive passing attack. Dawson completed 14 of 26 passes for 290 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception. Taylor caught six passes for 190 yards and scored two touchdowns.
Their 4–1 record wasn’t overly impressive considering they hadn’t played a good team yet. But that would change in week six when the 5–0 Washington Redskins came to town. The Chiefs trailed 17–6 at halftime, but Dawson connected with Otis Taylor in the third quarter for a 25-yard touchdown strike to tighten the gap to just four points. In the fourth quarter, the Redskins kicked a field goal to increase their lead to 20–13, but Dawson threw two touchdown passes, one to Taylor and one to Elmo Wright to give KC a 27–20 victory.
Although the Chiefs defense had a tough time containing receiver Charley Taylor (as most teams did) they held the Redskins ground game to only 100 yards. Otis Taylor had another big game catching five passes for 105 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Ed Podolack also had a good game, rushing for 110 yards on 24 carries.

Half-Way Thru Season
The Chiefs traveled to Oakland in a week seven game against the division rival Raiders. The two teams entered the game tied for first place. KC held a 20–10 lead in the fourth quarter when Raiders backup quarterback George Blanda replaced starting quarterback Daryle Lamonica. It had been a long day for Lamonica as the KC defense sacked him four times, forced two interceptions, and held him to 122 yards passing.
Blanda threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Fred Biletnikoff and later kicked a field goal to make the final score 20–20. Biletnikoff, a future Hall of Famer, had a big day against the Chiefs’ defense, catching seven passes for 128 yards and one touchdown. The Chiefs’ offense kept the ball on the ground, rushing for 161 yards and throwing the ball only 13 times.
The Chiefs suffered a letdown in a week eight game against the 2–5 New York Jets. Without the injured Joe Namath, the Jets threw the ball only nine times for 19 yards. But the Chiefs offense was equally unproductive, gaining only 190 yards on the day and committing three turnovers. The final score was New York 13 Kansas City 10.
The Chiefs played the playoff-bound Cleveland Browns in week nine. The Chiefs defense allowed 247 passing yards but held the Browns’ running attack to only 45 yards. Offensively Len Dawson had a good game, completing 15 of 24 passes for 234 yards with one touchdown. The final score was KC 13 Cleveland 7.
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Next up for the Chiefs were the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs’ defense had a tough time stopping Broncos receiver Jerry Simmons who caught 6 passes for 153 yards but they harassed quarterback Steve Ramsey into throwing three interceptions and sacked him three times. Len Dawson had another good game, completing 11 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Morris Shroud caught three passes for 93 yards and scored one touchdown. Elmo Wright caught a 69-yard touchdown pass. KC won easily 28–10.
The win against the Broncos upped their record to 7–2–1 but they needed to keep winning to keep pace with the 7–1–2 Raiders for the division title. On Thanksgiving Day they would face the 6–3–1 Detroit Lions at Tiger Stadium. The Chiefs’ offense never got on track in this game and by the third quarter they were behind 29–7. They scored two more touchdowns but lost 32–21. Thankfully for the Chiefs, the Raiders also lost.
Things didn’t get any easier for the Chiefs in week 11 as they faced the 7–4 SF 49ers on Monday Night Football at newly built Candlestick Park. With the game tied 3–3 in the second quarter, Otis Taylor scored on a 46-yard reception and kicker Jan Stenerud kicked a 54-yard field goal to give KC a 13–3 lead. In the third quarter, Taylor ran a reverse 25 yards for a touchdown and a 23–10 lead.
The Chiefs held on to win 26–17. Dawson passed for 263 yards with one touchdown while Ed Podolak ran for 75 yards on 17 carries. The Chiefs defense held All-Pro receiver Gene Washington to 3 receptions for 73 yards.
In the next to last game of the season, the 8–3–1 Chiefs would play the 7–3–2 Raiders, who had lost their last two games. A win in this game would clinch the division title for the Chiefs. The Dawson to Taylor combo struck early with a 29-yard touchdown strike in the first quarter. Taylor had another great game catching eight passes for 113 yards with one touchdown. Wendell Hayes ran for 77 yards on 19 carries. Defensively the Chiefs held the Raiders to 207 yards. The final score was KC 16 Oakland 14.

Division Clinched
With the division title clinched, Coach Hank Stram gave Len Dawson the week off. In the final game of the regular season, backup quarterback Mike Livingston got the start against the Buffalo Bills. The game was a field goal fest except for a 26-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Bobby Bell. The Chiefs defense forced three turnovers and sacked quarterback Dennis Shaw four times en route to a 22–9 victory.
Len Dawson, Otis Taylor, tackle Jim Tyrer, guard Ed Budde, defensive tackles Curley Culp and Buck Buchanan, linebackers Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier, cornerback Emmitt Thomas, and kicker Jan Stenerud made the Pro Bowl. Otis Taylor and Willie Lanier also made All-Pro.


1971 NFL Playoffs
On Christmas Day the Chiefs would play the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. The game went into the 6th quarter before a 37-yard Garo Yepremian field goal gave Miami a 27–24 victory. The Chiefs’ defense stopped the Dolphins’ potent running attack, holding them to 144 yards on 43 carries.
But they had a tough time stopping receiver Paul Warfield, as most defenses did. Warfield caught seven passes for 140 yards. Chiefs receiver Elmo Wright caught 3 passes for 104 yards, and Wendell Hayes gained 100 yards rushing on 22 carries. Ed Podolak had the best game of his career, gaining 85 yards rushing, 110 yards receiving, 154 yards on kickoff returns, and scoring one touchdown. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Chiefs, but it was a season they could be proud of.
For more on this epic game, go to this link.
The Chiefs never recovered from the loss. The following season they went 8–6 and in 1973 they finished 7–5–2. From 1974 to 1988 they had only two winning seasons. From 1986 to 2018 the Chiefs appeared in 21 post-season games and lost 16 times.
But long-suffering Chiefs fans have had much to celebrate in the last five years, as the team has won four AFC Championships and three Super Bowls.
Mark Morthier is the host of Yesterday’s Sports, a podcast dedicated to reliving memorable sports moments from his childhood days and beyond. He grew up in New Jersey just across from New York City, so many of his episodes revolve around the great sport’s teams of the 70s for the New York area.
He is also an author of No Nonsense, Old School Weight Training (Second Edition): A Guide for People with Limited Time and Running Wild: (Growing Up in the 1970s)

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