KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt announced on Friday that former tight end and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez will be the organization’s 2018 inductee into the Chiefs Hall of Fame. Gonzalez is the 48th individual and 44th player to earn this coveted honor, which will be celebrated at the 48th annual 101 Awards banquet in downtown Kansas City on February 24. The official enshrinement ceremony into the Chiefs Hall of Fame will be held during Chiefs Alumni Weekend at Arrowhead Stadium this fall.

“Tony Gonzalez is the greatest tight end in the history of the National Football League and one of the greatest Chiefs of all time,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “In his 12 seasons in Kansas City, he revolutionized his position, and his record-breaking performances and commitment to the Kansas City community made him one of the most beloved players in the Chiefs Kingdom. As a family and as an organization, we are excited to have the chance to celebrate Tony and his incredible career in the coming season, and we look forward to adding his name to its rightful place in the Ring of Honor at Arrowhead this fall.”

“I’m so proud to have been a part of the Chiefs for 12 seasons and will always feel like a part of their family,” Gonzalez said. “Kansas City is dear to me and I am honored to be inducted into their Hall of Fame.”

Over 17 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (1997-08) and Atlanta Falcons (2009-13) Gonzalez appeared in 270 regular season games with 254 starts, earning 14 Pro Bowl appearances (1999-08, 2010-13) and 10 first- or second-team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press.

He finished his career with numerous NFL records for tight ends, including most career receptions (1,325), most receiving yards (15,127), most 100-yard receiving games (31) and second-most touchdown receptions (111) behind TE Antonio Gates (114). While first among tight ends, his 1,325 career receptions are second to only Pro Football Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice (1,549) in NFL history.

Gonzalez recorded at least one reception in 211 consecutive games to finish his career, 61 games more than the previous NFL record by a tight end. He became the first tight end in league history to produce 16 consecutive seasons with 50 or more receptions and ended his career with 14 70-catch seasons and 15 consecutive 60-catch campaigns to go with his 16 consecutive 50-catch seasons.

The Huntington Beach, Calif., native, saw duty in 190 regular season games for Kansas City, ranking as the fifth-most appearances by any player in team history. Only G Will Shields (224), K Nick Lowery (212), P Dustin Colquitt (206) and P Jerrel Wilson (203) played in more games. Gonzalez started 174 contests for the Chiefs, ranking second in franchise history for most starts behind only Shields (223).

During his 12 seasons with the Chiefs he set franchise records for receptions (916), receiving yards (10,940), receiving touchdowns (76) and 100-yard games (26). He had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons in Kansas City, becoming the first tight end in NFL history to record four such seasons. He owns the top four spots in team history for receptions in a single season, including a franchise record 102 catches that led the league during the 2004 season. He caught at least one pass in a club-record 131 consecutive games en route to 10 Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pro selections from the Associated Press while in a Chiefs uniform.

He concluded his career in Kansas City with a franchise-record 10,954 yards from scrimmage and ranks second in team annals with 76 total touchdowns behind RB Priest Holmes (83). His 462 career points with the club are the second most by any non-kicker, trailing only Holmes (500). Gonzalez was named the recipient of both Chiefs annual team honors, earning the Derrick Thomas Award as the Chiefs MVP in 2008 and the Mack Lee Hill Award as the club’s top rookie or first-year player in 1997.

A two-sport athlete at the University of California, Gonzalez arrived in Kansas City as the club’s first-round draft choice (13th overall) in 1997. Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons on April 23, 2009.

Gonzalez officially announced his retirement from the game of football on December 30, 2013. Following his playing career he began a broadcasting career with CBS Sports in 2014 and joined FOX Sports prior to the start of the 2017 NFL season.

— Chiefs Communications —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Friday that the club has hired Deland McCullough as Running Backs Coach. McCullough joins the Chiefs from USC where he coached the Trojans running backs.

“Deland has a track record of success teaching young running backs and he’s also played in this league,” Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid said. “I enjoyed the time I spent getting to know him and believe he will be a very good addition to our coaching staff.”

McCullough joins the Chiefs after spending the 2017 season at USC as the Trojans Running Backs/Running Game Coordinator. Prior to his stint at USC he spent six years coaching the running backs at Indiana University. He also served as the Hoosiers’ Special Teams Coordinator-Return Units Coach in 2016.

At Indiana, he mentored three future NFL running backs in Stephen Houston, Tevin Coleman and Jordan Howard. Prior to his stint at Indiana he worked as an offensive and special teams intern with Miami (Ohio) where he played running back as an undergrad. He played in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals (1996-97) and Philadelphia Eagles (1997). He also played professionally with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1998-99) and the XFL’s Chicago Enforcers (2001).

— Chiefs Communications —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Wednesday that quarterback Alex Smith was named the winner of the club’s Derrick Thomas Award and running back Kareem Hunt earned the team’s Mack Lee Hill Award for the 2017 season. This marks Smith’s second Derrick Thomas Award. He earned the team’s MVP honors alongside S Eric Berry following the 2015 season. Both honors were voted on by all Chiefs players and will officially be presented at the 48th annual 101 Awards on Saturday, February 24th. The Derrick Thomas Award serves as the team’s vote for most valuable player and the Mack Lee Hill Award is given to the club’s top rookie performer.

Smith (6-4, 217) appeared in 15 games (15 starts) in 2017. He finished with career highs in passing yards (4,042), touchdowns (26) and passer rating (104.7) with just five interceptions. Smith led the league in passer rating and was tied for second in the league with 13 touchdowns of 20 yards or more. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his Week 1 performance against the Patriots, where he threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns. This season, he was selected as a Pro Bowl alternate and has been selected to two other Pro Bowls in 2013 and 2016.

The 13-year veteran is from La Mesa, California, and was drafted first overall out of Utah in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Smith has compiled 31,888 passing yards, 183 touchdowns and 96 interceptions in his NFL career and has won 50 games as the Chiefs starting quarterback (2013-17).

Hunt (5-11, 216) was Kansas City’s third-round pick (86th overall) in the 2017 NFL draft. In his first professional season, the rookie led the league in rushing yards (1,327), becoming only the sixth rookie to lead the NFL in rushing. Hunt surpassed former Chiefs running back Joe Delaney (1981) for most rushing yards by a rookie running back in Chiefs history and is only the third Chiefs player to lead the league in rushing (Priest Holmes, 2001 and Christian Okoye, 1989). Hunt became the first player in NFL history to record seven consecutive games with 100 or more scrimmage yards to start their rookie campaign and ended with 10 games with 100 yards from scrimmage. He earned AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month honors for September and December and was named to his first Pro Bowl following the 2017 season.

The rookie running back from Willoughby, Ohio, played collegiately at Toledo before being drafted by the Chiefs. Hunt started every game of the 2017 season and finished with 1,327 rushing yards, 455 receiving yards, eight rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns.

— Chiefs Media Relations —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that Head Coach Andy Reid has named Eric Bieniemy the club’s Offensive Coordinator. Bieniemy is being promoted after serving five seasons under Reid as the Chiefs Running Backs Coach.

“I’ve known Eric a long time, both as a player and a coach,” Reid said. “He’s done a phenomenal job with our running backs and has been involved in every aspect of our offense over the last five years. He’s a great teacher and has earned this opportunity. I know he will do a good job.”

Bieniemy will enter his 11th season as a coach in the National Football League in 2018 and his sixth season with the Chiefs. Including his time as a player, Bieniemy has been associated with the NFL for two decades.

Under Bieniemy’s tutelage in 2017, rookie running back Kareem Hunt earned the NFL’s rushing title and a Pro Bowl berth with 1,327 rushing yards. Hunt had 10 games with 100-plus scrimmage yards. In 2016 Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West appeared as a double threat. Ware had 921 rushing yards and three rushing TDs and West rushed for 293 yards with a touchdown. Bieniemy also mentored Jamaal Charles, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, for four seasons.

Prior to returning to the NFL coaching ranks in 2013, Bieniemy spent two seasons (2011-12) at his alma mater, Colorado, as the school’s offensive coordinator after coaching the running backs for five seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2006-10). While with the Vikings, he oversaw one of the most productive rushing units in the NFL. In those five seasons, the Vikings produced a 1,000-yard rusher each year while his stable of running backs broke the 100-yard mark 31 times in 80 regular season games. While in Minnesota he mentored Adrian Peterson who totaled 5,782 rushing yards and 52 touchdowns in four seasons under Bieniemy’s guidance.

Bieniemy made the move to the professional ranks after three seasons as the running backs coach at UCLA (2003-05). He returned to Colorado in 2000 after his nine-year NFL career and got his first taste of coaching as an assistant at Thomas Jefferson High in Denver that fall.

He was a second-round draft pick of the San Diego Chargers in the 1991 NFL Draft (39th overall). He enjoyed a nine-year pro career with three teams: San Diego (1991-94), Cincinnati (1995-98) and Philadelphia (1999), where he played for Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid. In 142 career NFL games, he rushed for 1,589 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 146 passes for 1,223 yards. His final year with the Chargers, he played in Super Bowl XXIX.

— Chiefs Press Release —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Mariota led Tennessee to three second-half touchdowns, incredibly throwing one of his TD passes to himself , and the Titans rallied from a 21-3 deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 22-21 on Saturday for their first playoff win in 14 years.

Mariota threw for 205 yards and two scores, including the 22-yard go-ahead strike to Eric Decker with just over six minutes left that ushered the Titans into the divisional round of the playoffs.
“Special, special,” Mariota said. “I’m a part of a great team. I’m a part of a group of guys that really just believe in each other. And, it’s something special and I’m look forward to playing next week.”

They’ll head to New England or Pittsburgh next week.

Derrick Henry had a career-high 156 yards rushing and another score for Tennessee (10-7), while a defense that was fileted by Alex Smith and the Chiefs (10-7) during the first half pitched a shutout in the second half — dooming the Kansas City franchise to another humiliating postseason defeat.

The Chiefs haven’t won a home playoff game since January 1994.

Smith threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns , but most of that came before halftime. He couldn’t get on track in the second half and misfired on fourth-and-9 at the Titans 44 with just over two minutes to go, denying the Chiefs a chance for Harrison Butker to kick a go-ahead field goal.

The letdown was made even more depressing when Henry appeared to fumble as Tennessee tried to run out the clock.

The Chiefs’ Derrick Johnson picked up the ball and returned it for a touchdown with 1:47 to go, but a video replay showed that Henry was down and the call was overturned.

Tennessee succeeded in running out the clock from there.

In the first half, the Chiefs looked every bit the team that had won four straight in convincing fashion, and the Titans looked every bit the team that backed into the playoffs.

Kareem Hunt, the league’s top rusher this season , plunged in from 1 yard for a 7-0 lead, and Smith hit Travis Kelce with a 13-yard touchdown pass a few minutes later. Smith added another touchdown toss to Demarcus Robinson on the final offensive play for a 21-3 lead at the break.

Smith was 19 of 23 for 231 yards in the half. Mariota was 7 of 13 for 81 yards and a pick.

The Titans’ young quarterback got on track in the second half, though, converting a couple of key third downs — one of them with his legs — in marching his team 91 yards. He capped it by throwing the first TD pass to himself, the first player to accomplish the feat in playoff history.

The previous player to do it in any game was the Vikings’ Brad Johnson during the 1997 season.

“Right place, right time,” Mariota said with a smile.

Tennessee nearly squandered its momentum when Adoree Jackson fumbled a punt, but the Chiefs were unable to pick up a first down and Butker knocked a 48-yard field goal off the upright.

This time, it was Henry who led the Titans downfield, capping another TD drive by rumbling nearly untouched 35 yards right up the middle to get within 21-16 with 14:08 to go.

“Grit. It’s just grit,” Henry said of his team’s rally.

“You’ve got to believe in each other, man. We were down like this last year and we came back. We told them we’ve got 30 minutes left, all we’ve got to do is play our game, execute the plays and everything will take care of itself.”

The Chiefs’ offense had been rendered impotent by that point, unable to move the ball much after Kelce left with a concussion in the first half. The Titans blanketed Tyreek Hill whenever he touched the ball, and they stacked the box to slow Hunt down in obvious rushing situations.

The Titans finally pulled ahead when Mariota threw a strike to Decker from 22 yards, and that led to a moment of controversy. The Titans went for a 2-point conversion and the field-goal edge, and Mariota lost the ball as he was getting sacked by the Chiefs’ Daniel Sorenson.

Frank Zombo picked it up and began running for two points that would have swung the lead back to Kansas City, but the officials had ruled that Mariota’s progress had been stopped.

It wound up being a crucial call in a game that came down to the wire.

RECORD RALLY

Only two road teams have rallied from at least 18 down to win a playoff game in NFL history. The Cowboys came back from 21-3 down in the first half to beat the 49ers 30-28 in December 1972, and the Lions came back from 27-7 in the second half to beat the 49ers in December 1957.

KELCE HURT

Kelce sustained a concussion on a wicked blow from Titans S Johnathan Cyprien late in the first half. Kelce, who had four catches for 66 yards, lay stunned on the turf for a moment before wobbling toward his huddle. Trainers quickly took him to the locker room.

UP NEXT

The Titans’ opponent in the divisional round will be decided Sunday. If the Jaguars beat the Bills in their wild-card matchup, Tennessee heads to New England to face the No. 1 seed. If Buffalo wins, the Titans head to face No. 2 seed Pittsburgh.

— Associated Press —

DENVER (AP) — Patrick Mahomes II made both his first NFL start and his first NFL relief appearance a success.

After handing off a two-touchdown lead midway through the fourth quarter in his spectacular NFL debut, the rookie first-round QB returned to rescue the Kansas City Chiefs , driving them 67 yards in 11 plays to beat Denver 27-24 on Harrison Butker’s 30-yard field goal as time expired.

“You always have to be ready,” Mahomes said. “All season long, it’s kind of been the same thing — you have to make sure you’re ready to go at any moment.”

The Chiefs (10-6) will go back to starting Alex Smith for their wild-card game Saturday against Tennessee, even more secure in the knowledge they have a clutch backup in Mahomes, the former Texas Tech standout they selected with the 10th overall pick in April.

“He played fantastic,” said Kareem Hunt, who secured the league’s rushing title by scurrying 35 yards for a touchdown on his only carry.

Smith and several other starters rested because Kansas City was locked into the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs, allowing coach Andy Reid to essentially use this regular season finale as a playoff bye.

“It was good to get a couple bumps and bruises healed up,” Reid said.

Von Miller said he was impressed by Mahomes, whom he expects to see plenty of in the coming years.

“He’s great,” Miller said. “He’s the quarterback of the future for the Chiefs.”

The Broncos (5-11) head into another offseason still searching for their quarterback of the future — and maybe their fourth coach in five years after Vance Joseph oversaw a team that lost eight times by double digits and oversaw an eight-game skid, their longest in 50 years.

Joseph, who inherited what was seemingly the best situation of the half dozen new head coaches in 2017 only to finish with the worst record of the bunch, will meet with GM John Elway on Monday to discuss his future.

“I want to be here,” Joseph said. “It’s a football team that’s close. We have to make some adjustments in some places, but our football team all year has not stopped working. That was fun to see, even tonight. It’s been a hard year but everyone kept fighting. I want to be here to fix it.”

Mahomes became the first quarterback drafted by the Chiefs to win a game for them since Todd Blackledge in 1987. He threw for 284 yards on 24-of-35 passing with no touchdowns and an interception.

Mahomes thought his day was won at 24-10 and Reid sent in Tyler Bray, who handed off late to fullback Anthony Sherman, who carried 14 times for 40 yards after coming into the game with six career carries in seven NFL seasons. Linebacker Zaire Anderson scooped up the loose ball and scored from 38 yards out to pull Denver to 24-17.

After the Chiefs punted, Lynch added a 6-yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas on fourth down with 2:53 left, and Brandon McManus’ extra point tied it at 24.

Mahomes took off his jacket, put on his helmet and returned to the game with 2:45 left. He was promptly sacked by DeMarcus Walker but recovered nicely to drive K.C. to victory.

Mahomes made a good first impression , connecting with tight end Demetrius Harris for 51 yards on Kansas City’s opening drive. Then, he handed off to Hunt, who dashed for a 35-yard touchdown less than a minute into the game.

TOP RUSHER: Hunt secured the NFL rushing title over Todd Gurley II and Le’Veon Bell, both of whom were inactive Sunday. Hunt wasn’t planning on playing, either, but the Chiefs were thin at running back and dressed him.

“Honestly, it wasn’t on my radar because I wasn’t supposed to play,” said Hunt, who finished with 1,327 yards and joined the Bengals’ Paul Robinson, who led the AFL in rushing in 1968, as the only rookie rushing champs not selected in the first round of the common draft era — the last 50 years.

C.J. Anderson gained 61 yards to top 1,000 for the first time in his five-year with the Broncos.

“It was tough,” said Anderson, who carried 18 times.

LYNCH SO-SO: Broncos QB Paxton Lynch was 21 of 31 for 254 yards with two TDs, two interceptions and was sacked five times. He threw an interception late in the first half and was sacked three times in a five-snap span in the third quarter, losing the ball on one of them with linebacker Ramik Wilson scooping it up and scoring from 11 yards out.

It was 17 degrees at kickoff, the fifth-coldest home start in Broncos history and the coldest temperature for any of Lynch’s starts, in the pros or at Memphis.

INJURIES: Chiefs backup PR De’Anthony Thomas broke his right leg and CB Phillip Gaines was knocked out with an elbow injury just before halftime. Broncos S Will Parks (shoulder stinger) left in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT: The Chiefs seek their first playoff win at Arrowhead Stadium in their history while the Broncos, who have lost five straight to K.C. for the first time since the early 1970s, head into another offseason where the only certainty is change.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Alex Smith threw for 304 yards and a touchdown, Kareem Hunt ran for 91 yards and a score and the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Miami Dolphins 29-13 on Sunday to clinch back-to-back AFC West titles for the first time in franchise history.

Tyreek Hill had six catches for 109 yards, and Harrison Butker converted five field goals, as the Chiefs (9-6) dashed what faint postseason hope the Dolphins (6-9) still harbored.

Jay Cutler threw for 286 yards and a touchdown, but a chunk of that came on a 65-yard toss to Jakeem Grant late in the first half. Otherwise, Miami struggled against a Chiefs defense that has been stingy and opportunistic the past two weeks.

That’s coincided with the return of Marcus Peters from his disciplinary suspension.

The Chiefs’ star cornerback had two interceptions and forced a fumble against the Chargers last week, a win that pushed them to the brink of the playoffs. He recovered a fumble and forced another on Sunday, giving Peters a hand in five turnovers the past two weeks.

Both turnovers led to points, but they weren’t the Dolphins’ only costly miscues.

They also were nailed for defensive holding four times, all of which came on three scoring drives for Kansas City. And the Dolphins inability to get off the field on third down, after holding opponents to 8 for 39 the past two games, was similarly deflating.

Still, the Dolphins had the ball trailing 17-13 late in the first half, the outcome and their longshot playoff hopes were still in the balance. But they soon went three-and-out and the Chiefs added a field goal to make it 20-13 at the break, then another to start the second half.

Even when the Dolphins made a crucial stop on fourth down to get the ball back later in the third quarter, they squandered the opportunity. Peters stripped Kenny Stills to give the Chiefs the ball, and Butker hit his fourth chip-shot field goal for a 26-13 lead with 12:19 to go.

That gave a sparse crowd that turned out on Christmas Eve, braving slick roads from an overnight snowfall frigid wind chills at kickoff, plenty of time to celebrate a division title.

Turn their thoughts toward a home playoff game in the new year, too.

STATS AND STREAKS

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce had four catches for 47 yards and a score , and has a catch in 63 straight games. … Chiefs coach Andy Reid improved to 5-1 against Miami. … Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry had five catches for 51 yards, giving him a league-best 103 catches this season. … The Dolphins had won seven of their last 10 against Kansas City. Their last loss at Arrowhead Stadium was in 2002.

INJURY NOTES

Dolphins DT Vincent Taylor hurt his knee on the opening kickoff, while CB Alterraun Verner went down with a hamstring injury later in the half. Miami DE Andre Branch played despite a knee injury.

UP NEXT

Dolphins conclude their season against the Bills next Sunday.

Chiefs head to Denver on Sunday to finish their regular season.

— Associated Press —

Kansas City Chiefs’ cornerback Marcus Peters was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the NFL announced on Wednesday.

Peters tallied three tackles, two interceptions, a forced fumble and three passes defensed in Kansas City’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers last Saturday night, marking just the eighth time since 2010 that a player has picked off multiple passes and forced a fumble in a single game.

It was Peters’ fourth-career game with multiple interceptions, and his 19 picks since 2015 lead the NFL.

In fact, Peters ranks behind only Ed Reed (21) and Richard Sherman (20) in interceptions through a player’s first three career seasons over the last 25 years.

Peters has now won the award three times, also doing so in each of the past two seasons. He’s just the third player in franchise history to be recognized in three straight years, joining linebackers Derrick Thomas and Derrick Johnson.

— Chiefs Press Release —