Are the Kansas City Chiefs building the best offense in team history?

The 2004 Kansas City Chiefs Offense

To say that the 2004 Kansas City Chiefs offense was loaded with talent would be an understatement. With Dick Vermeil as the head coach and Al Saunders as offensive coordinator they were already in good hands. The team was lead on the field by Trent Green at quarterback and the skill positions included Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson at running back, Tony Richardson at fullback, Tony Gonzalez at tight end, and Eddie Kennison and Johnnie Morton at wide receiver. That group alone would be capable of putting up good numbers with just an average offensive line but when you add one of the best offensive lines in the history of football (Willie Roaf, Brian Waters, Casey Wiegmann, Will Shields, and John Welbourn) you get an offense that was almost unstoppable. The numbers they put up on the season were amazing.

6,695 yards (418.4 yards per game)
6.1 yards per play
58 offensive touchdowns (30.2 points per game)

Here are the numbers of several key players.

Trent Green:
66.4% completions
4,591 yards
8.3 yards per attempt
27 TDs and 17 INTs

The running back production was actually split between three backs with Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, and Derrick Blaylock all putting up respectable numbers.

Priest Holmes:
892 yards rushing
4.6 yards/carry
14 rushing TDs
19 receptions
187 yards receiving
1 receiving TD

Larry Johnson:
581 yards rushing
4.8 yards/carry
9 rushing touchdowns
22 receptions
278 yards receiving
2 receiving TDs

Derrick Blaylock:
539 yards rushing
4.6 yards/carry
8 rushing touchdowns
25 receptions
246 yards receiving
1 receiving TD

Then there were the three main receiving targets.

Tony Gonzalez:
102 receptions
1,258 yards receiving
12.3 yards/reception
7 receiving TDs

Eddie Kennison:
62 receptions
1,086 yards receiving
17.5 yards/reception
8 receiving TDs

Johnnie Morton:
55 receptions
795 yards receiving
14.5 yards/reception
3 receiving TDs

In terms of sheer offensive production it is going to be hard for any group to beat this team. The 418.4 yards per game and 58 offensive touchdowns is really impressive. Perhaps the most impressive stat they put up is the 31 rushing touchdowns. THIRTY. ONE. That’s more than the Chiefs have put up the last two seasons combined (27) and speaks to just how good their backs were and maybe more importantly how dominant that offensive line was up front.

Next let’s look at the most prolific year of the Joe Montana lead Chiefs offense.