Chiefs struggles in strike years not unusual

Regrettably, in times of labor strife, the Chiefs have not done well.

Reviewing the times of strike or walkout in the history of the NFL, we see that strikes took place in 1974, 1982, and 1987 before this year. 

In 1973, the Chiefs were 7-5-2 and in contention for the playoffs until the end of the season (really the Raider game in Oakland). The following year, the strike year of 1974, they went 5-9 and Hank Stram was fired.

In 1981, the Chiefs under Marv Levy went 9-7 and things seemed to be looking up. Comes the strike year of 1982, the Chiefs go 3-6, play to around 10,000 at Arrowhead in the last game of the year, and Levy gets fired.

In 1986, the Chiefs have a miracle year, get to 10-6 and make the playoffs, only to get waxed by the New York Jets in what was then the Chiefs' second worst playoff loss ever.  Perhaps the Chiefs decided to get the firing out of the way early, as the player revolt leads to John Makovic's firing just after the playoff year ended, and the hiring of Frank Ganz, who led the Chiefs to a 4-11 record.

Now its probably unreasonable to suggest that labor strife caused each of those lousy seasons. You can argue that 74 happened because Stram failed to find younger talent to take the place of the Super Bowl era players. And you can make the argument that the Chiefs got into the playoffs in 86 by smoke, mirrors and special teams play and that Ganz had no business being a head coach, to explain the 87 collapse. 

But there's nothing to explain 82 like that. And it does seem to be a recurrent theme.