2015 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2015 Kansas City Chiefs season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League, the 56th overall and the third under the head coach/general manager tandem of Andy Reid and John Dorsey. The Chiefs went through a poor start in their first 6 games as they were 1–5, and lost their star running back, Jamaal Charles due to a torn ACL in his right knee during an 18–17 Week 5 loss at home against the Chicago Bears. In week 16, after their 9th consecutive victory and the Baltimore Ravens defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chiefs clinched a playoff berth, their 2nd in 3 years. They are the first team since the 1970 Cincinnati Bengals to start the season 1–5 and qualify for the playoffs. They also set the franchise record for the most consecutive victories, winning 10 in a row. In their Wild Card matchup, the Chiefs played the Houston Texans. The Chiefs defeated the Texans 30–0 to earn their first playoff win in 22 years. The following week, they were defeated by the New England Patriots in the Divisional round by a score of 27–20.
Two Chiefs took home awards at the 5th Annual NFL Honors honoring performances from the 2015 season. Cornerback Marcus Peters won Defensive Rookie of the Year after leading the NFL in interceptions. Safety Eric Berry won Comeback Player of the Year after a Pro Bowl season the year after having his season cut short due to a lymphoma diagnosis.
Roster changes
Offseason
Reserve/future free agent contracts
Cuts
| Position | Player | 2015 team |
| LB | Joe Mays | New York Jets |
| DT | Vance Walker | Denver Broncos |
| TE | Anthony Fasano | Tennessee Titans |
| WR | Donnie Avery | - |
| WR | A. J. Jenkins | Dallas Cowboys |
| WR | Dwayne Bowe | Cleveland Browns |
| G | Mike McGlynn | New Orleans Saints |
Trades
| Position | Player/pick received | Team | Compensation |
| G | Ben Grubbs | New Orleans Saints | 5th round pick, 2015 NFL draft |
| FS | Kelcie McCray | Seattle Seahawks | 5th round pick, 2016 NFL draft |
Free agents
2015 draft class
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 18 | Marcus Peters | Cornerback | Washington |
| 2 | 49 | Mitch Morse | Guard | Missouri |
| 3 | 76 | Chris Conley | Wide Receiver | Georgia |
| 3 | Steven Nelson | Cornerback | Oregon State | |
| 4 | 118 | Ramik Wilson | Linebacker | Georgia |
| 5 | D. J. Alexander | Linebacker | Oregon State | |
| 5 | James O'Shaughnessy | Tight End | Illinois State | |
| 6 | Rakeem Nuñez-Roches | Defensive Tackle | Southern Mississippi | |
| 7 | 233 | Da'Ron Brown | Wide Receiver | Northern Illinois |
Notes
- The Chiefs traded their fifth-round selection to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for guard Ben Grubbs.
- The Chiefs traded their 3rd round pick and their 6th round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for their 3rd round pick
Preseason transactions
Cuts
| Position | Player |
| WR | Kenny Cook |
| T | Anthony Dima |
| LS | Andrew East |
| CB | Aaron Hester |
| DE | Vaughn Martin |
| CB | Kenneth Penny |
| G | Marcus Reed |
| TE | Adam Schiltz |
| WR | Jeret Smith |
| DL | Charles Tuaau |
| WR | L’Damian Washington |
| WR | Junior Hemingway |
| OL | Tevon Rooks |
| Position | Player |
| WR | Da'Ron Brown |
| DE | Mike Catapano |
| S | Sanders Commings |
| LB | Ja'Gared Davis |
| DT | Hebron Fangupo |
| C | Garrett Frye |
| DL | David Irving |
| LB | James-Michael Johnson |
| C | Eric Kush |
| WR | Tello Luckett |
| C | Daniel Munyer |
| DB | Deji Olatoye |
| G | Jarrod Pughsley |
| RB | Darrin Reaves |
| DB | Kevin Short |
| OT | Derek Sherrod |
| TE | Ryan Taylor |
| FB | Spencer Ware |
| WR | Fredd Williams |
| TE | Richard Gordon |
Regular season transactions
Suspensions served
Cuts
Signings
Players involved in multiple transactions
This list is for players who were involved in more than one transaction during the season| Position | Player | Final status |
| LB | Dezman Moses | Chiefs active roster |
| WR | Frankie Hammond | Chiefs active roster |
| WR | Saalim Hakim | Free agent |
| OL | Daniel Munyer | Chiefs active roster |
- Indicates player was signed off the practice squad of the team listed
Staff
Final roster
Schedule
Preseason
Regular season
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.Postseason
| Playoff round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
| Wild Card | at Houston Texans | W 30–0 | 1–0 | NRG Stadium | ||
| Divisional | at New England Patriots | L 20–27 | 1–1 | Gillette Stadium |
Game summaries
Regular season
Week 1: at Houston Texans
With the win, the Chiefs started their 2015 campaign at 1–0.Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos
The Broncos would score 2 touchdowns in the final minute to steal the win from the Chiefs. The second touchdown was a critical fumble by running back Jamaal Charles.With the heartbreaking and stunning loss, the Chiefs fell to 1–1, and picked up their 7th straight loss to Denver.
Week 3: at Green Bay Packers
In a rematch of the 2011 game, the Chiefs fell to 1–2.Week 4: at Cincinnati Bengals
would kick 7 field goals in this game, setting a new franchise record for most field goals in one game by a Kansas City kicker. The 7 kicks also tied an NFL record. However, the 7 field goals by Santos were not enough to beat the Bengals, as the Chiefs fell to 1–3.Week 5: vs. Chicago Bears
The Chiefs would build a 17–3 lead at one point, but Chicago would pull off a miraculous comeback to win 18–17. The Chiefs tried a 66-yard field goal, but Santos kick went wide right and missed everything near the goalposts. During this game, the Bears fans at times outnumbered the Chiefs fans, as Chicago fans are best known for good travel.With the loss, Kansas City fell to 1–4. They would also lose Jamaal Charles for the season, as he tore his ACL in this game.
Week 6: at Minnesota Vikings
With their 5th straight loss, the Chiefs fell to 1–5.Week 7: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
would not play in this game for the Steelers, so backup quarterback Landry Jones led the way for the Steelers. In his first career start, the Chiefs defense would force 3 turnovers, 2 of them interceptions, and the Chiefs would hold on to win 23–13.With the win, the Chiefs improved to 2–5.
Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions
NFL International SeriesIn their first ever game in London, the Chiefs routed the crestfallen 1–6 Detroit Lions. With the win, Kansas City improved to 3–5.
Week 10: at Denver Broncos
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning would set the all-time record for most passing yards in NFL history in this game, but the Chiefs defense would have themselves a day, picking off Bronco quarterbacks 5 times, 4 by Manning, 1 by Brock Osweiler, and the Chiefs routed the Broncos, 29–13.With the win, the Chiefs went to 4–5, and snapped their 7-game losing streak against the Broncos.
Week 11: at San Diego Chargers
With the huge win, Kansas City went to 5–5, and climbed back into playoff contention.Week 12: vs. Buffalo Bills
With the win, Kansas City went to 6–5.Week 13: at Oakland Raiders
With the win, the Chiefs went to 7–5.Week 14: vs. San Diego Chargers
With the low-scoring win, the Chiefs went to 8–5 and swept the Chargers for the second straight season.Week 15: at Baltimore Ravens
Rookie Marcus Peters would put the dagger into the Ravens, as he returned an interception 90 yards for a touchdown. With the win, the Chiefs went to 9–5.Week 16: vs. Cleveland Browns
The Browns, led by Johnny Manziel, attempted a comeback to put a stop to Kansas City's playoff hopes, but Cleveland did not have any timeouts remaining, and they ultimately ran out of time when Manziel couldn't advance the ball down the field fast enough.With the win, the Chiefs went to 10–5 and clinched a playoff spot.