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

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HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 30: The Vince Lombardi Trophy is seen onstage during Super Bowl 51 Opening Night at Minute Maid Park on January 30, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

The 1966 Kansas City Chiefs Offense

There is no questioning the greatness of the 1966 Kansas City Chiefs offense. Comparing the style of offense to those of the modern era becomes a little tricky but when you look at the actual overall numbers they hold up remarkably well with those of the modern era. The Chiefs were lead by Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson and a collection of skill players that included Mike Garrett, Curtis McClinton, and Bert Coan at running back, Otis Taylor and Chris Burford at wide receiver, and Fred Arbanas at tight end. When looking at their numbers, keep in mind that these guys only played 14 game seasons back then. This was the year that the Chiefs went to and lost the first ever Super Bowl and many of these same offensive players will still there when they won the Chiefs only Super Bowl just a few years later. Here are the numbers of their prolific 1966 season.

5,114 yards (365.3 yards per game)
6.0 yards per play
50 offensive touchdowns (32.0 points per game)

The key players stats were…

Len Dawson:
56.0% completions
2,527 yards
8.9 yards per attempt
26 TDs and 10 INTs

Mike Garrett:
801 yards rushing
5.4 yards/carry
6 rushing TDs
15 receptions
175 yards receiving
1 receiving TD

Curtis McClinton:
540 yards rushing
3.9 yards/carry
4 rushing TDs
19 receptions
285 yards receiving
5 receiving TDs

Bert Coan:
521 yards rushing
5.4 yards/carry
7 rushing TDs
18 receptions
131 yards receiving
2 receiving TDs

Otis Taylor:
58 receptions
1,297 yards receiving
22.4 yards/reception
8 receiving TDs

Chris Burford:
58 receptions
758 yards receiving
13.1 yards/reception
8 receiving TDs

Fred Arbanas:
22 receptions
305 yards receiving
13.9 yards/reception
4 receiving TDs

So while the style of play may not of mirrored today’s NFL, the 1966 Chiefs offense put up 365.3 yards per game and an even 32 points per game to go with it. That is every bit as impressive as the 418.4 yards per game and 30.2 points per game put up in the Dick Vermeil era some thirty years later.

So could the future of this Kansas City Chiefs offense rival these all time great offenses?

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