Throwback Thursday: Chiefs set NFL record with 8 rushing TDs vs. Falcons in 2004
The NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs have changed quite a bit since 2004.
Most offenses in the league were predicated on a strong running game, including Kansas City’s offense under former head coach Dick Vermeil. You weren’t going to see a quarterback throw the ball 40 times per game back in that era. You’d see the running game used to set up the play-action passing game.
During Week 7 of the 2004 season, the Chiefs stamped their names in the NFL history books when it comes to rushing offense. After the team got wind of some bulletin board material due to their 1-4 start to the season, they changed up their game plan against the Atlanta Falcons.
K.C. would run the ball 49 times for 271 rushing yards, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. Trent Green would throw just 27 passes for 269 yards during the game. Teammates Priest Holmes and Derrick Blaylock each rushed for four touchdowns to set an NFL record for the most rushing touchdowns by a team in a single game.
“We were getting ready to play the Falcons and they were talking like mad junk,” Former Chiefs FB Tony Richardson said, via KC Sports Network’s One-on-One. “And so, (Chiefs HC Dick) Vermeil was like, ‘We’re going to run the ball every single down.’ Like literally, (on) our first drive, we didn’t complete one pass. We ran it like every last single down.”
They had the ability to pound the rock every down because they had a world class offensive line featuring Willie Roaf, Brian Waters, Casey Wiegmann, Will Shields and John Welbourn. Waters became the first offensive lineman to ever be named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after this game.
The Chiefs took a dominant 35-3 halftime lead in this game before exerting that dominance again in the second half to defeat the Falcons 56-10. No passing touchdowns were thrown in a game that ended in 66 total points. Unless the NFL has a vast change in offensive philosophy, the rushing touchdown record set by the team may stand the test of time.
