Kansas City Chiefs · Franchise era 3 of 6
Martyball restores Arrowhead: the Kansas City Chiefs story
Franchise era
1989—1998
Martyball restores Arrowhead
Kansas City Chiefs
The story in one sentence
Marty Schottenheimer and Thomas produced seven playoff appearances and one of football's loudest home advantages, though no Super Bowl trip followed.
Defense and power make the Chiefs a fixture
Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith and Marcus Allen gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for great offenses, painful januarys.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1989
What came before
Kansas City made the playoffs only once in nineteen seasons as the original stars aged and the offense struggled to find direction.
1994-01-08
Wild Card: Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs
1994-01-16
Divisional Round: Kansas City Chiefs vs Houston Oilers
1994-01-23
Conference Championship: Kansas City Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills
After 1998
What came next
Kansas City built record-setting offenses but remained unable to win a playoff game, then bottomed out before a transformative coaching hire.
The core