Path Of Primetime

The Chiefs are back in the primetime spotlight with four nationally-televised games set for 2011. It’s the most for the team since playing in front of a national audience three times in 2006. Overall, the Chiefs own a 47-26 (.644) record in primetime matchups.

Let’s take a look at the history of primetime football and the Kansas City Chiefs.

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Record: 9-4 (.692)

NBC Sunday Night Football will make its first visit to Kansas City on November 27^th when the Chiefs host the Steelers. Though the ratings-rich edition of NBC’s broadcast has yet to show the Arrowhead turf, the Chiefs have still hosted six Sunday night meetings and, in total, taken part in 13 Sunday night games.

The last such home contest came in 2003 when Buffalo visited Arrowhead (10/26) and was promptly disposed of 38-5. The Chiefs were playing in front of a primetime audience for the second week in a row and ran their record to a perfect 8-0 with the victory.

Date	Opponent	Result	Score
10/25/1992	PITTSBURGH	L	3-27
11/22/1992	at Seattle	W	24-14
12/26/1993	at Minnesota	L	10-30
9/18/1994	at Atlanta	W	30-10
11/6/1994	L.A. RAIDERS	W	13-3
11/19/1995	HOUSTON	W	20-13
9/6/1998	OAKLAND	W	28-8
10/4/1998	SEATTLE	W	17-6
10/26/2003	BUFFALO	W	38-5
9/12/2004	at Denver	L	24-34
9/18/2005	at Oakland	W	23-17
11/20/2005	at Houston	W	45-17
12/17/2006	at San Diego	L	9-20

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Record: 21-15 (.583)

Monday Night Football returns to Kansas City in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1995-98. This year’s Halloween rematch with the San Diego Chargers represents Kansas City’s first primetime slot of the regular season and will no doubt create an electric atmosphere.

Kansas City’s history on MNF runs deep. The second-ever regular season telecast of ABC’s Monday Night Football featured the defending World Champion Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore (9/28/70). QB Len Dawson tossed four TDs as the Chiefs would go on to defeat the eventual Super Bowl V Champion Colts 44-24.

Date	Opponent	Result	Score	Date	Opponent	Result	Score
9/28/1970	at Baltimore	W	44-24	10/17/1994	at Denver	W	31-28
10/18/1971	PITTSBURGH	W	38-16	12/12/1994	at Miami	L	28-45
12/6/1971	at San Francisco	W	26-17	10/9/1995	SAN DIEGO	W	29-23 (OT)
9/25/1972	at New Orleans	W	20-17	12/11/1995	at Miami	L	6-13
10/29/1973	at Buffalo	L	14-23	10/7/1996	PITTSBURGH	L	7-17
11/12/1973	CHICAGO	W	19-7	12/9/1996	at Oakland	L	7-26
11/18/1974	at Denver	W	42-34	9/8/1997	at Oakland	W	28-27
11/10/1975	at Dallas	W	34-31	11/3/1997	PITTSBURGH	W	13-10
9/20/1976	OAKLAND	L	21-24	10/26/1998	PITTSBURGH	L	13-20
10/3/1977	OAKLAND	L	28-37	11/16/1998	DENVER	L	7-30
9/12/1983	SAN DIEGO	L	14-17	10/2/2000	SEATTLE	W	24-17
9/17/1990	at Denver	L	23-24	12/4/2000	at New England	L	24-30
9/16/1991	at Houston	L	7-17	10/20/2003	at Oakland	W	17-10
10/7/1991	BUFFALO	W	33-6	10/4/2004	at Baltimore	W	27-24
10/28/1991	L.A. RAIDERS	W	24-21	11/22/2004	NEW ENGLAND	L	19-27
9/28/1992	L.A. RAIDERS	W	27-7	12/13/2004	at Tennessee	W	49-38
9/20/1993	DENVER	W	15-7	9/26/2005	at Denver	L	10-30
11/8/1993	GREEN BAY	W	26-16	9/13/2010	SAN DIEGO	W	21-14

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Record: 5-2 (.714)

Lamar Hunt’s longtime efforts to secure a Thanksgiving Day game at Arrowhead Stadium became a reality when the Chiefs defeated Denver 19-10 in Arrowhead’s first-ever Thanksgiving game (11/23/06).

The holiday matchup between two longtime AFC West rivals also marked the NFL Network’s first live regular season game broadcast and, at the time, drew the fifth-largest crowd in Arrowhead history (79,484).

Previously, the Chiefs hosted a trio of Thanksgiving Day games when the club played at Municipal Stadium. In one of those contests, Pro Football Hall of Fame LB Bobby Bell returned an onside kick for a 53-yard TD to help the Chiefs defeat the Broncos 31-17 (11/27/69).

Date	Opponent	Result	Score
9/12/1985	L.A. RAIDERS	W	36-20
10/17/1996	SEATTLE	W	34-16
10/16/1997	SAN DIEGO	W	31-3
10/21/1999	at Baltimore	W	35-8
10/25/2001	INDIANAPOLIS	L	28-35
11/29/2001	PHILADELPHIA	L	10-23
11/23/2006	DENVER	W	19-10

FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Record: 3-4 (.429)

In 2005, Hurricane Wilma forced the Chiefs to play their first regular season Friday night game since 1964 (10/21). The game was originally scheduled for October 23^rd, but Mother Nature had other plans for the meeting.

The Chiefs actually flew to Miami on the day of the game and defeated the Dolphins 30-20.

Date	Opponent	Result	Score
9/16/1960	at Oakland	W	34-16
11/18/1960	at Boston	L	14-42
11/3/1961	at Boston	L	21-28
10/12/1962	at Boston	W	27-7
11/8/1963	OAKLAND	L	7-22
10/23/1964	at Boston	L	7-24
10/21/2005	at Miami	W	30-20

SATURDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

Record: 9-1 (.900)

Recent memories of Saturday Night Football come with a heavy heart. The Chiefs last played in a Saturday primetime slot during the 2006 season, just four days following memorial services for the late Lamar Hunt.

After originally being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1998, Hunt bravely underwent many treatments and surgeries in the ensuing years without complaint. On December 13, 2006, Hunt peacefully passed away in Dallas, surrounded by his family. Local memorial services were held in Independence at the Community of Christ Auditorium on December 19^th.

A mourning Chiefs team would return to the field to capture a 20-9 win in Oakland (12/23) that kept the club’s playoff hopes alive.

Date	Opponent	Result	Score
9/10/1960	at L.A. Chargers	L	20-21
9/8/1962	BOSTON	W	42-28
9/7/1963	at Denver	W	59-7
12/14/1963	BOSTON	W	35-3
9/18/1965	at N.Y. Jets	W	14-10
10/8/1966	DENVER	W	37-10
9/9/1967	at Houston	W	25-20
9/28/1968	at Miami	W	48-3
10/5/1968	at Buffalo	W	18-7
12/23/2006	at Oakland	W	20-9

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Path Of Primetime

The Chiefs history in primetime contests