2009 Kansas City Chiefs season The 2009 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise ' s 50th season , and first with head coach Todd Haley at the helm . It was also the first season with Scott Pioli as the team ' s general manager . The Chiefs attempted to improve on their 2 – 14 record from 2008 with the third overall selection in the 2009 NFL Draft . In 2009 , the Chiefs also honored the induction of Derrick Thomas , the team ' s former linebacker from 1989 to 1999 , into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . Thomas ' jersey number 58 was officially retired by the franchise after having been unissued since Thomas ' death in 2000 . The fate of head coach Herman Edwards and his staff remained uncertain after the end of the 2008 season in which the Chiefs finished with a franchise - worst 2 – 14 record . The team was 6 – 26 in the past two years under Edwards , who had one year left on a four - year , $ 12 million contract and was lobbying to be allowed another year to get his rebuilding movement off the ground . Team owner Clark Hunt voiced his support of Edwards , but he had also said the new general manager Scott Pioli would have " significant input " into the decision on whether to retain him . On January 23 , the Chiefs fired Edwards , and on February 5 , Todd Haley was hired as the 11th head coach in Chiefs franchise history and signed a four - year contract . For the 2009 season under the Pioli / Haley regime , the Chiefs switched from a 4 – 3 defense to a 3 – 4 defensive strategy . Although finishing the regular season last in the AFC West with a record of 4 – 12 , the Chiefs doubled their win record from the previous season . Offseason . AFL anniversary season . In select games , the Chiefs , as well as the other founding teams of the American Football League , will wear " throwback " uniforms to celebrate the AFL ' s 50th anniversary and the 1962 Dallas Texans team that won the AFL Championship . The Chiefs " throwback " look will feature helmets with gray facemasks and a Texas - shaped decal with a gold star showing the location of the city of Dallas , Texas . From 1960 to 1962 , the team was known as the Dallas Texans and played at the Cotton Bowl alongside the NFL ' s Dallas Cowboys . Jerseys for the club ’ s " throwback " games will include a patch that honors the AFL ’ s 50th anniversary . Kansas City will wear these replica uniforms when they host the Dallas Cowboys at Arrowhead Stadium and against two AFC West opponents yet to be determined ( one home date and one away date ) . The team ' s decision to wear the Texans ' helmets started a controversy with some Chiefs fans who believed the team needed to honor the franchise ' s years in Kansas City , not Dallas . A petition by Sports Radio 810 WHB in Kansas City states that " the Chiefs have a responsibility to help promote the state and region that have supported them financially through stadium taxes , ticket sales , parking fees , concessions and merchandise sales for 47 years . " General manager search . Following the resignation of Carl Peterson , the Chiefs ' general manager , chief executive officer , and team president , a search for the team ' s new general manager began . Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said he intended to split the three jobs that Peterson held for nearly 20 years , looking for " a shrewd evaluator of football talent " at the general manager ' s position . Possible candidates included former Chiefs head coach Marty Schottenheimer , Indianapolis Colts vice president of football operations Chris Polian , Tampa Bay Buccaneers director of pro personnel Mark Dominik , former Denver Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist , former Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese , San Diego Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye III , Baltimore Ravens director of college scouting Eric DeCosta , and New England Patriots vice president of football operations Scott Pioli . Hunt said he would hire a new person to overlook football operations and a second person to be in charge of the team ' s business operations . That job , team president , was given to longtime team executive vice president Denny Thum . Pioli reportedly sought " total control " of an organization and was also pursued by the Cleveland Browns to be their new general manager . Pioli ' s supposed intentions of " total control " could have possibly eliminated him from the Chiefs ' job . Hunt had kept his search almost entirely leak - proof , instructing subordinates that only he is to speak to the situation . Hunt also intended to be thorough and patient in his search for the Chiefs ' new general manager . Pioli was reportedly the Chiefs ' number one candidate and on January 13 the Chiefs hired Pioli as general manager . The official statement from the Chiefs said that Pioli would " have final say over all football operations and report directly to ( Clark ) Hunt . " The Chiefs introduced Pioli the following day at team headquarters in Kansas City . Coaching changes . Hiring Todd Haley . The decision to hire Scott Pioli as general manager likely meant that head coach Herman Edwards would not return for a fourth season as Chiefs head coach . The " Kansas City Star " reported that according to two coaches , Edwards and his staff could have been dismissed as soon as Wednesday , January 14 , the day when Pioli was introduced in Kansas City . At his press conference , Pioli did not rule out Edwards being retained as the team ' s head coach . Hunt said publicly that he wanted Edwards to return in 2009 , but Pioli would have " significant input " in the final decision . Several candidates were mentioned as possible replacements for Edwards even before he had been fired . The most notable names mentioned were Todd Haley , the offensive coordinator of the 2008 NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals , New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo , and Mike Shanahan , the former head coach of the Chiefs ' rival Raiders and Broncos franchises . Other possible candidates included Jon Gruden , Leslie Frazier , Winston Moss , Kirk Ferentz , Jason Garrett , and even Scott Pioli ' s father - in - law , Bill Parcells . Edwards was fired on January 23 , and ESPN ' s Chris Mortensen reported later that evening that the Chiefs were targeting Mike Shanahan to become the next head coach . Mortensen initially reported that the Chiefs were negotiating on a contract with Shanahan . The report was later denied by Shanahan himself . After a long period in which Haley was considered the front - runner for the head coaching position , there was concern as to whether the Chiefs would violate the Rooney Rule by immediately hiring Haley . The Rooney Rule , named after Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney , specifies that NFL teams must give fair interviews to minority candidates whenever a head coaching position comes open . Some minority coaches were reportedly turning down offers from the Chiefs since Haley was the presumed target for the coaching vacancy . The Chiefs negotiated with Haley following the Cardinals ' loss in Super Bowl XLIII , and Haley accepted the coaching position on February 5 . Haley was introduced as head coach the following day . Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham was hired by the Detroit Lions for the same position . Cunningham had been the defensive coordinator for the Chiefs from 1995 to 1998 and 2004 to 2008 . He also served as the team ' s head coach from 1999 to 2000 . The Chiefs also lost secondary coach David Gibbs to the Houston Texans and Mike Priefer to the Denver Broncos . Once Todd Haley was hired , the Chiefs fired tight ends coach Jon Embree , defensive assistant / assistant linebacker coach Michael Ketchum , running backs coach Curtis Modkins , offensive assistant / quality control coach Kevin Patullo , and wide receivers coach Eric Price . Assistant coaches and administration . For Haley ' s new coaching staff , the Chiefs hired Joel Collier , Gary Gibbs ( linebackers ) , Steve Hoffman ( special teams ) , Bill Muir ( offensive line ) , Clancy Pendergast ( defensive coordinator ) , Pat Perles , Dedric Ward ( wide receivers ) , Ronnie Bradford ( defensive assistant ) , Nick Sirianni ( offensive quality control coach ) , and Maurice Carthon ( assistant head coach ) . From Herman Edwards ' staff , Chan Gailey was retained as offensive coordinator , and Bob Bicknell switched from offensive line to tight ends coach , and Joe D ' Alessandris was retained as assistant offensive line coach . The Chiefs also relieved duties of several scouts and player personnel assistants once the 2009 NFL Draft concluded . Initially there were doubts as to whether Chan Gailey would retained under Todd Haley ' s coaching staff , being that Haley had just concluded a successful stint as offensive coordinator at Arizona . After the Chiefs lost their first three pre - season games , Gailey was relieved of duties and Haley is expected to assume offensive playcalling duties . Roster changes and trade demands . Immediately following the Chiefs ' 2008 season finale loss to the Cincinnati Bengals , RB Larry Johnson voiced his intention to seek a trade in the offseason . Johnson was involved in legal troubles in 2008 and his production on the field declined . As a result of his legal troubles , in March 2009 Johnson pleaded guilty to the two incidents that occurred in 2008 and was sentenced to two years probation . Johnson served suspensions from the NFL in 2008 and is not expected to receive further punishment from the charges . OL Brian Waters had issues with Todd Haley shortly after Haley ' s hiring , saying the coach had been disrespectful of him during a meeting , then that new general manager Scott Pioli refused to meet with him privately . Waters later told the " Kansas City Star " that he wanted to be traded and did not attend any of the team ' s voluntary offseason workouts . Newly acquired LB Mike Vrabel also did not attend offseason workouts citing his rights with the league ' s collective bargaining agreement . TE Tony Gonzalez reiterated his intentions for a trade in March 2009 after a failed attempt in October 2008 . He was eventually traded in April to the Atlanta Falcons . Gonzalez lobbied for the Chiefs to keep Tyler Thigpen as the team ' s starting quarterback when Gonzalez was still with the team and when Matt Cassel was not yet on the Chiefs roster . Though he appeared to be the Chiefs ' lone quarterback who would remain in their plans for 2009 , especially after Damon Huard was released Thigpen was not considered a lock for the starting job . Thigpen competed with Matt Cassel for the starting quarterback position . Departures . In February , the Chiefs released LB Donnie Edwards , QB Damon Huard , TE Michael Merritt , and CB Patrick Surtain . In March , QB Quinn Gray was released . and in April WR Will Franklin , OT Andrew Carnahan , LB Curtis Gatewood , and WR Kevin Robinson were released . On April 23 the Chiefs traded TE Tony Gonzalez to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a second round draft pick in the 2010 NFL Draft . In 2008 Gonzalez asked Chiefs management for a trade but negotiations failed and new general manager Scott Pioli reitereated that Gonzalez was initially not offered in trades for the 2009 season but agreed when the Falcons offered a second - round pick . Gonzalez had sought a trade in the 2008 season but several attempts failed . At the conclusion of the preseason , the Chiefs released 13 players to reach the 53 - player limit . Permanently released were S Bernard Pollard , WR Ashley Lelie , WR Taurus Johnson , DT Derek Lokey , S Ricky Price , and LB Zach Thomas . CB Jackie Bates , TE Tom Crabtree , DE Dion Gales , DE Bobby Greenwood , G Darryl Harris , RB Javarris Williams and WR Rodney Wright were added to the practice squad . After the first regular season game , the Chiefs waived LB Turk McBride . After the third game , the Chiefs traded QB Tyler Thigpen to the Miami Dolphins for an undisclosed draft pick . Additions . Despite having several needs to be addressed and nearly $ 35 million in salary cap room , the Chiefs were criticized for being " quiet " in free - agency after the Cassel / Vrabel trade , primarily adding back - up players for depth . In March , the Chiefs signed LB Darrell Robertson , WR C . J . Jones , CB Travis Daniels , LB Corey Mays , WR Bobby Engram , LB Monty Beisel , WR Terrance Copper . and OL Mike Goff . In April , the Chiefs signed WR Rodney Wright , LS Tanner Purdum , LB Zach Thomas , TE Sean Ryan , TE Tony Curtis , and C Eric Ghiaciuc . In June , the Chiefs signed FS Mike Brown . In August , the Chiefs signed WR Amani Toomer but he was later released at the end of the pre - season . In September , the Chiefs signed WR Bobby Wade . In November , the Chiefs signed WR Chris Chambers . Cassel / Vrabel trade . On the first day of free agency ( February 27 ) , the Chiefs acquired LB Mike Vrabel from the Patriots for an undisclosed draft pick . The " Boston Globe " speculated that it would be part of a bigger trade involving QB Matt Cassel . The next day , the Chiefs confirmed the acquisition of both Vrabel and Cassel from New England in exchange for their second round draft selection in the 2009 NFL Draft ( # 34 overall ) . Reactions to the trade were mixed and it was called " monumentally lopsided " with the Chiefs " clearly ( getting ) the better end of the deal . " Don Banks of " Sports Illustrated " called the Chiefs the " big winners " of the first weekend of NFL free agency and the Patriots ' compensation " laughably low , " but the best they could get in return . The trade was done mainly because the Patriots could not keep two quarterbacks on their roster that took up $ 29 . 2 million of salary cap space , so it was not a matter of if the Patriots would trade Cassel , but when . The Patriots also have Tom Brady under contract , who is recovering from a knee - injury sufffered in a 2008 game against the Chiefs . On July 15 the Chiefs signed Cassel to six - year contract extension worth a total of $ 63 million . 2009 NFL Draft . The Chiefs selected third overall in the 2009 NFL Draft . After selecting a league - high 13 players in the 2008 Draft , the Chiefs were scheduled to make their standard seven selections pending trades prior to trading away their second round draft pick to New England for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel , leaving them with just six choices . The Chiefs were later awarded the 256th and final selection in the 2009 NFL Draft , making them effectively choose " Mr . Irrelevant . " The player chosen was K Ryan Succop , who was the Chiefs ' first " Mr . Irrelevant " since the 1970 NFL Draft when DB Rayford Jenkins was chosen by the team from Alcorn A & M . The Chiefs selected defensive end Tyson Jackson third overall . Jackson was the third consecutive first round pick by the Chiefs to have played collegiately for the LSU Tigers . All terms of the contracts for the 2009 draft picks were undisclosed , but ESPN reported that Jackson signed a five - year contract worth $ 57 million , with $ 31 million guaranteed . Notes : Preseason . The Chiefs conducted training camp at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls for the 19th and final consecutive year . The team will move training camp to St . Joseph , Missouri in 2010 . They lost all four games in the preseason to the Houston Texans , Minnesota Vikings , Seattle Seahawks , and St . Louis Rams ( for the Missouri Governor ' s Cup ) . In the Chiefs ' game against the Seahawks , QB Matt Cassel suffered a sprained Medial collateral ligament ( MCL ) , leaving his status as starting quarterback for opening day in doubt . The offense for the Chiefs struggled in all four games , scoring only 42 points in four games and the offensive line suffered numerous breakdowns which led to Cassel ' s injury . The offensive struggles led to offensive coordinator Chan Gailey ' s firing and head coach Todd Haley assuming playcalling duties . Regular season results . Week 1 : at Baltimore Ravens . The Chiefs began their season at M & T Bank Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens . Due to his injured knee , quarterback Matt Cassel was unable to play , so Brodie Croyle got the start . Despite completing 16 - of - 24 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns , the Chiefs lost to the Ravens 38 – 24 , and Croyle fell to 0 – 9 as a starter . Kansas City trailed in the first quarter as Ravens kicker Steven Hauschka got a 44 - yard field goal , followed by quarterback Joe Flacco completing a 3 - yard touchdown pass to running back Willis McGahee . In the second quarter , the Chiefs got on the board as safety Jon McGraw recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown . In the third quarter , Kansas City took the lead as Croyle completed a 2 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe , yet Baltimore answered with Flacco completing a 9 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Todd Heap . What followed was a back - and - forth battle in the fourth quarter . Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop got a 53 - yard field goal , but the Ravens replied with fullback Le ' Ron McClain getting a 1 - yard touchdown run . Kansas City would stay close as Croyle completed a 10 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Sean Ryan , but Baltimore would pull away as Flacco completed a 31 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Clayton and McGahee getting a 1 - yard touchdown run . With the loss , the Chiefs began their season at 0 – 1 . Week 2 : vs . Oakland Raiders . Hoping to rebound from their tough road loss to the Ravens , the Chiefs played their Week 2 home opener against their AFC West foe , the Oakland Raiders . Kansas City would score in the first quarter as rookie kicker Ryan Succop got a 23 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Raiders tied the game as kicker Sebastian Janikowski made a 48 - yard field goal . Oakland would take the lead in the third quarter as Janikowski nailed a 54 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Chiefs would retake the lead as quarterback Matt Cassel completed a 29 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe . However , the Raiders sealed the win as running back Darren McFadden got a 5 - yard touchdown run . With the loss , Kansas City fell to 0 – 2 . Week 3 : at Philadelphia Eagles . Still searching for their first win of the season , the Chiefs flew to Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 3 interconference duel with the Philadelphia Eagles . Kansas City would trail early in the first quarter as Eagles running back LeSean McCoy got a 5 - yard touchdown run and quarterback Kevin Kolb got a 1 - yard touchdown run . The Chiefs would get on the board with quarterback Matt Cassel ' s 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Bradley , but Philadelphia came right back with Kolb ' s 64 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson and kicker David Akers ' 29 - yard field goal . Kansas City ' s deficit would increase as Akers nailed a 38 - yard field goal in the third quarter . In the fourth quarter , the Eagles would put the game away with Kolb ' s 35 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Brent Celek . Afterwards , the Chiefs would end the game with Cassel ' s 9 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bobby Wade . With the loss , Kansas City fell to 0 – 3 . Week 4 : vs . New York Giants . After a brutal road loss to the Eagles , the Chiefs went home for a Week 4 interconference duel with the New York Giants . Kansas City would trail in the first quarter with quarterback Eli Manning completing a 3 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Smith . Afterwards , the Chiefs would get on the board with rookie kicker Ryan Succop ' s 34 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , New York would answer with Manning hooking up with Smith again on a 25 - yard touchdown pass . Then , the Giants would close out the half with former Chiefs kicker Lawrence Tynes making a 25 - yard field goal . After Tynes ' 40 - yard field goal in the third quarter , New York would finish their scoring in the fourth quarter with quarterback Eli Manning ' s 54 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks . Kansas City tried to rally with quarterback Matt Cassel completing a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Sean Ryan ( followed by a failed 2 - point conversion ) and a 2 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bobby Wade . With the loss , the Chiefs fell to 0 – 4 . Week 5 : vs . Dallas Cowboys . Still looking to acquire their first win of the year , the Chiefs stayed at home , donned their Dallas Texans throwbacks , and played a Week 5 interconference duel with the Dallas Cowboys . After a scoreless first quarter , Kansas City got out of the gates in the second quarter as kicker Ryan Succop made a 47 - yard field goal and quarterback Matt Cassel completed a 1 - yard touchdown pass to linebacker Mike Vrabel . Afterwards , the Cowboys closed out the opening half with a 22 - yard field goal from kicker Nick Folk . The Chiefs went back to work in the third quarter with Succop booting a 38 - yard field goal , yet Dallas began to rally with a 36 - yard touchdown run from running back Tashard Choice . Dallas would take the lead in the fourth quarter as Folk nailed a 28 - yard field goal and quarterback Tony Romo found wide receiver Miles Austin on a 59 - yard touchdown pass , yet Kansas City would tie the game as Cassel hooked up with wide receiver Dwayne Bowe on a 16 - yard touchdown pass . However , the Cowboys won it in overtime as Romo threw the game - ending 60 - yard touchdown pass to Austin . With the tough loss , the Chiefs fell to 0 – 5 . Week 6 : at Washington Redskins . Following a tough overtime loss to the Cowboys , the Chiefs flew to Fed Ex Field for a Week 6 interconference duel with the Washington Redskins . After a scoreless first quarter , Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop booted a 39 - yard field goal for the only score of the half . In the third quarter , the Redskins took the lead with a 40 - yard and a 28 - yard field goal from kicker Shaun Suisham , but Kansas City tied it up with Succop ' s 46 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Succop gave the Chiefs the lead with a 46 - yard and a 24 - yard field , but it was the defense that closed the game out for Kansas City , as DE / OLB Tamba Hali sacked quarterback Todd Collins in his own end zone for a safety with under a minute to play . With the win , the Chiefs improved to 1 – 5 . Week 7 : vs . San Diego Chargers . Coming off their road win over the Redskins , the Chiefs went home , donned their Dallas Texans throwbacks , and played a Week 7 AFL Legacy game with the San Diego Chargers . Kansas City would find themselves trailing in the first quarter as Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers completed a 3 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Malcom Floyd , followed by a 10 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vincent Jackson . San Diego would add onto their lead in the second quarter with a 20 - yard and a 39 - yard field goal from kicker Nate Kaeding . The Chiefs would get onto the board in the third quarter with quarterback Matt Cassel completing a 7 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dwayne Bowe , but the Chargers kept their momentum going with Rivers finding running back Darren Sproles on a 58 - yard touchdown pass . In the fourth quarter , San Diego sealed the win with Kaeding ' s 19 - yard field goal and fullback Jacob Hester recovering a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown . With the loss , Kansas City went into their bye week at 1 – 6 . Suspension of Larry Johnson . Larry Johnson was suspended for two weeks after he made offensive comments about Todd Haley and made offensive comments about homosexuals on Twitter and in public . Week 9 : at Jacksonville Jaguars . After their bye week , the Chiefs flew to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for an Intraconference Duel with the Jaguars . While the Chiefs got on the board first with Ryan Succop nailing a 45 - yard goal , they fell behind when Rashad Jennings ran from the 28 - yard line to the end zone for a touchdown . In the second quarter Ryan Succop made a 21 - yard field goal , and then the Jaguars scored when David Garrard completed a 61 - yard touchdown pass to Mike Sims - Walker . The only score in the third quarter was when Josh Scobee hit a 27 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter the Chiefs fell further behind when Maurice Jones - Drew got a 10 - yard touchdown run . The Chiefs tried to come back with Matt Cassel completing a 54 - yard and a 5 - yard touchdown pass to Chris Chambers ( Second time round the two - point conversion was made when Matt Cassel passed to Jamaal Charles ) but couldn ' t go any further thanks to the Jaguars ' defense resulting in a loss . With the loss , the Chiefs fell to 1 – 7 . Week 10 : at Oakland Raiders . Trying to snap a two - game losing streak , the Chiefs flew to the Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum , donned their Dallas Texans throwbacks , and played a Week 10 AFC Legacy game with perennial rival , the Oakland Raiders . Kansas City would trail in the first quarter as Raiders running back Justin Fargas got a 1 - yard touchdown run . The Chiefs would get on the board with rookie kicker Ryan Succop getting a 50 - yard field goal , but Oakland would strike back as kicker Sebastian Janikowski got a 50 - yard field goal . Kansas City would take the lead in the second quarter with a 44 - yard touchdown run from running back Jamaal Charles , followed by Succop nailing a 25 - yard field goal . After a scoreless third quarter , Succop would come through for the Chiefs in the fourth quarter with a 31 - yard field goal . With the win , Kansas City improved to 2 – 7 . Week 11 : vs . Pittsburgh Steelers . The Chiefs returned home to host the Steelers in an attempt to create the biggest upset of the week and get their first back - to - back wins since 2007 . Optimism grew quickly as Jamaal Charles ran the opening kick 97 yards for a touchdown , starting the game with a 7 – 0 Chiefs lead . The Steelers dominated the rest of the first half with 20 : 45 time of possession , going into halftime with a 17 – 7 lead . The Chiefs ' defense began to pressure Ben Rothlisberger in the third quarter , forcing two interceptions ( both by Andy Studebaker in his first NFL start ) . By the fourth quarter , the Chiefs tied the game up at 17 – 17 . The fourth quarter resulted in a touchdown each , sending the game into overtime . The Steelers won the toss in overtime , but failed to get within field goal range . Of note , Rothlisberger suffered a knee to the head concussion and was replaced by Charlie Batch . The Chiefs took over at the 20 and , after a 61 yard catch and run by Chris Chambers , Ryan Succop kicked the winning 22 yard field goal . With the win , the Chiefs improved to 3 – 7 and snapped a 10 - game home losing streak , the longest in team history . Week 12 : at San Diego Chargers . Coming off their win against the Steelers , the Chiefs went on the road for an AFC West rivalry match against the San Diego Chargers . In the first quarter the Chiefs trailed early as QB Philip Rivers got a 19 - yard touchdown pass to TE Antonio Gates . The Chiefs would reply to tie the game with QB Matt Cassel making a 7 - yard touchdown pass to WR Chris Chambers , until they fell back again with RB LaDainian Tomlinson getting a 1 - yard touchdown run , then Rivers hooking up with Gates again on a 15 - yard touchdown pass , then DB Paul Oliver returned a fumble 40 yards for a touchdown . In the third quarter the Chiefs ' struggle continued as RB LaDainian Tomlinson got a 3 - yard touchdown run . They tried to come back with RB Jamaal Charles getting a 2 - yard touchdown run , but the Chargers would pull away with kicker Nate Kaeding making a 55 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter the problem got worse when a penalty on Matt Cassel was enforced in the end zone for a safety , giving the Chargers 2 points . The final score was made when Kaeding booted a 23 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Chiefs fell to 3 – 8 . Week 13 : vs . Denver Broncos . The Chiefs defense began the game by demonstrating how unpredictable they have been all season . After giving up three plays of 10 yards or more , Mike Brown intercepted what would likely have been a touchdown pass , giving the Chiefs offense a chance to take the field . After a short run and two incomplete passes , the Chiefs punted back to Denver . The Chiefs defense nearly forced the Broncos to a three - and - out , but the drive was kept going by a Ron Edwards face mask call . The end result was a Kyle Orton to Daniel Graham touchdown pass . The Chiefs offense responded by putting together a relatively long series that began at the KC 31 and lasted 20 plays , ending in a 22 yard Ryan Succop field goal . After a couple possession changes , the Broncos answered with a series that included three Correll Buckhalter rushes for over 10 yards , ending in a Knowshon Moreno rushing touchdown . The Chiefs would respond before the half with another field goal . The second began with the Chiefs failing to convert on fourth down and the Broncos scoring on each of their first three possessions . Before the end of the quarter , Matt Cassel was replaced by Brodie Croyle . After the Chiefs lost a Jamal Charles fumble for a touchdown , they recovered a Kyle Orton fumble and eventually turned it into a Jamal Charles rushing touchdown . The Broncos immediately responded with yet another touchdown . With the loss , the Chiefs fall to 3 – 9 . Week 15 : vs . Cleveland Browns . The game was the first home blackout for the Chiefs since 1990 .