KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (7-5)

VS.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (7-5)

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1999 - 7:20 PM (CENTRAL) ARROWHEAD STADIUM - KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI

TV: ESPN National Coverage (KMBC-9 in Kansas City) - Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire and Solomon Wilcots.
NATIONAL RADIO: CBS Radio - Joel Meyers, Bob Trumpy and Tommy Tighe.
LOCAL RADIO: KCFX-FM (101.1) Mitch Holthus, Len Dawson, Bill Grigsby and Bob Gretz.

THE MATCH-UP
A pair of teams still in contention for division crowns will meet when the 7-5 Chiefs square off with the 7-5 Vikings at Arrowhead on Sunday. Kansas City is just a game back in the AFC West hunt, trailing 8-4 Seattle, while Minnesota sits a game behind 8-4 Detroit and 8-4 Tampa Bay in the NFC Central. The Chiefs got their 100th win of the ‘90s last week at Denver, while Minnesota had a five-game win streak snapped Monday night at Tampa Bay.

Fittingly, the final NFC club the Chiefs will face this decade is the first NFL opponent Kansas City ever defeated in regular or postseason play as the Chiefs got a 23-6 win over the Vikings in Super Bowl IV following the ’69 campaign. During the ‘90s, no NFL team has won more interconference games than KC. The Chiefs are 28-11 (.718) vs. the NFC in the decade, meaning only Buffalo (28-20, .737) has a better interconference winning pct. in the ‘90s.

Kansas City is 9-0 vs. NFC foes at Arrowhead since ’95 and is 16-3 (.842) against NFC foes at home this decade. The Chiefs are 1-2 vs. the NFC this season, beating Detroit at home and losing at Chicago and Tampa Bay. Kansas City has lost three games to NFC opponents only once in team history, going 0-3 in ’82.

However, Minnesota has also been strong in interconference contests. The Vikes are 22-15 (.595) vs. the AFC in the ‘90s, meaning only San Francisco (27-13, .675), Dallas (23-14, .622) and Green Bay (24-16, .600) have better records among NFC clubs. The Vikings are 2-1 vs. the AFC this year with wins vs. San Diego and at Denver. Minnesota lost vs. Oakland. The Chiefs are 2-0 vs. clubs coming off MNF games this season. Nine of Minnesota’s games have been decided by seven points or less, while Kansas City’s last two wins have come by a combined nine points.

THE SERIES
Kansas City owns a 4-3-0 (.571) all-time advantage over Minnesota in the seven previous meetings between the two clubs (six regular season, one postseason). The Chiefs have won three of their last four regular season meetings with the Vikings, including a 21-6 win in their last contest at the Metrodome in ’96. Minnesota’s last visit to Arrowhead came in ’90 when the Chiefs produced a 24-21 win. Tampa Bay is the only current NFC club that has gone longer without a visit to Arrowhead. The Bucs last played a regular season contest in Kansas City in ’86. Sunday’s game marks Minnesota’s third-ever game at Arrowhead. Among NFC clubs, only Atlanta and Philadelphia (two games) have played at Arrowhead fewer times than the Vikings.

The most memorable contest between these two clubs was the first one as Kansas City posted a 23-7 win over Minnesota in Super Bowl IV, played at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. KC owned a 16-0 halftime lead and sealed the contest with a 46-yard QB Len Dawson-to-WR Otis Taylor TD pass in the third quarter.

These two teams have also battled in several other noteworthy contests. The Vikings won the first-ever regular showdown between the two clubs in the ’70 season-opener at Minnesota. The Vikings also won their initial appearance at Arrowhead in the ’74 season finale which was Hank Stram’s last game as the Chiefs head coach. Kansas City’s first regular season win over the Vikings was a 10-6 decision in the ’81 season finale, the last game ever played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, MN before the Vikes moved to the Metrodome for the ’82 season.

THE HEAD COACHES
Gunther Cunningham

NFL Head Coach: 1st Year
NFL Coach Overall: 18th Year
NFL Record: 6-5 (.583)
Record with Chiefs: 7-5 (.583)
’99 Preseason: 2-2 (.500)
NFL Playing Experience: None
AFC West Coaching
Experience: 15th Year
College: Oregon ‘69

Gunther Cunningham was named the eighth head coach in Chiefs history on January 22, 1999, after spending four seasons (‘95-98) as Kansas City’s defensive coordinator. During that span, Kansas City won two AFC West titles and posted a 42-22 (.656) record, including a 23-9 (.719) mark against its divisional opponents. Under Cunningham, the Chiefs led the NFL in scoring defense in both ’95 and ’97, permitting a league-low 16.4 actual points per game (excluding opponents’ special teams and defensive scores) from ‘95-98 and an AFC-low 17.8 points per game including all opponents’ scores.

Born in Munich, Germany on June 14, 1946, Cunningham is just the fourth foreign-born head coach in NFL history. Entering his 18th season as an NFL coach and his 30th season in the coaching profession, Cunningham came to Kansas City after previous NFL coaching stops with the L.A. Raiders (‘91-94), San Diego Chargers (‘85-90) and the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts (‘82-84). He began his pro coaching career in ’81 with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats after collegiate coaching stints at California, Stanford, Arkansas and his alma mater of Oregon, where he was a linebacker and placekicker from ‘66-68.

Dennis Green

NFL Head Coach: 8th Year
NFL Coach Overall: 12th Year
NFL Record: 78-46 (.629)
Record w/Vikings: 78-46 (.629)
Postseason Record: 2-6 (.250)
NFL Playing Experience: None
AFC West Coaching
Experience: None
College: Iowa ‘70

Dennis Green was named the fifth head coach in Vikings history on January 10, 1992, after spending three seasons (‘89-91) as the head coach at Stanford. He has guided Minnesota to postseason play in six of his previous seasons at the club’s helm. Last season he guided the Vikings to a 15-1 record and the club’s first berth in the NFC Championship Game since ’87.

Born in Harrisburg, Pennslyvania, on February 17, 1949, Green enjoyed two coaching stints at his alma mater of Iowa in ’72 and ‘74-76, as well as assistant stops at Dayton (’73), and Stanford (‘77-78, ‘80). His initial pro job came as the 49ers receivers/special teams coach in ’79.

He entered the head coaching ranks at Northwestern (‘81-85) before returning to the 49ers for three seasons (‘86-88) as receivers coach. He then took over the head coaching reigns at Stanford before joining the Vikings.

A collegiate running back and flanker at Iowa, Green earned honorable mention All-Big 10 honors for the Hawkeyes in ’69 and ’70. He embarked on his pro coaching in ’72 after a one-year playing stint with the British Columbia Lions of the Canadian Football League.

FOUR-YEAR SCORECARD
During Gunther Cunningham’s four-year run as Kansas City’s defensive coordinator (‘95-98), the Chiefs ranked near the top of the NFL’s most important defensive categories. Here’s a quick comparison of how the Chiefs and Vikings stacked up . . .

THE CHIEFS
The Chiefs lead the NFL in turnover ratio (+17), takeaways (35) and fumble recoveries (16). The Chiefs have scored a league-best 97 points off opponents turnovers in ‘99 (JAX is 2nd with 91). The Chiefs have now scored six TDs on defense, good for 42 defensive points, the club’s highest total since posting 56 points on defense in ’92. The Chiefs have now intercepted at least one pass in 11 straight games, tying for the club’s longest streak since getting 15 straight INTs in the final five games of ’85 and the first 11 contests of ’86. Kansas City has 19 INTs in ’99. Only Seattle (22) owns more in the AFC. Kansas City has seven games with two or more INTs in ’99, the club’s most since doing it nine times in ’92.

KC is outgaining its opponents by 26.8 yards per game on the ground, getting 119.2 ypg while permitting just 92.4 ypg. The Chiefs are 4-1 at Arrowhead in ’99 and need just one more win to secure the club’s 11th consecutive winning season at home. KC is 28-11 (.718) vs. NFC opponents in the ‘90s. The Chiefs won their first back-to-back road games at Oakland and at Denver since getting wins at Seattle (11/23/97) and at San Diego (12/14/97). Kansas City is now 3-3 in games decided by seven points or less in ’99, getting two of those wins the past two weeks.

QB Elvis Grbac has a career-high 13 TDs in ’99. The Chiefs had just 15 TD passes in ’98. Over his last seven games, Grbac has hit on 129 of 210 attempts (61.4%) for 1,433 yards with eight TDs and five INTs. RB Donnell Bennett has a career-high seven rushing scores and leads all KC players with 13 total TDs (12 rush, 1 rec) over the last two years. Tony Gonzalez leads KC with 44 catches. His 551 yards and six TDs are the most of NFL tight end in ’99. A TE hasn’t finished the year as the KC’s leading receiver since Walter White in ’77. White’s seven TDs in ’77 are the most by a Chiefs TE in team history. WR Tamarick Vanover got his third career punt return TD last week at Denver. It was KC’s first score on special teams since getting an 82-yard punt return by Vanover vs. NO (12/21/97), a span of 28 games.

THE VIKINGS
Minnesota boasts the NFL’s top-rated passing offense. QB Jeff George (97.4) owns the league’s third-best rating, while the Vikings have the NFL’s only current 1,000-yard receiving duo in WRs Cris Carter (81-1036-12) and Randy Moss (62-1007-7). The Vikings lead the NFL with 55 pass plays of 20+ yards. RBs Robert Smith and Leroy Hoard power the ground game. Minnesota is -7 in turnover ratio and committed four turnovers last week.

The Vikings rank 31st in the league in passing defense, permitting 250.6 yards per game. DE Duane Clemons leads the club with 6.0 sacks, while DE Chris Doleman has 5.0, giving him 147.5 in his career, the fourth-best total in NFL history. DT John Randle has 4.0 QB takedowns. Minnesota has picked off just eight passes on the season, but S Orlando Thomas returned one of those INTs for the Vikes lone score on defense. Thomas, and CBs Robert Griffith and Jimmy Hitchcock all have two INTs. LB Dwayne Rudd is one of the NFL’s emerging defensive performers.

K Gary Anderson is in his 18th NFL season, while Mitch Berger handles the punting chores. RB David Palmer is a dangerous return man, owning three career TDs on punt and KO returns. C Mike Morris, a 13-year vet is the club’s long snapper.

Kansas City’s defense held Minnesota’s offense out of the end zone for three quarters while the Chiefs offense outrushed the Vikings by a 203-yard to 48-yard margin in a 21-6 win at the Metrodome. Thanks to that ball-control offense, Kansas City held the pigskin over 13 minutes more than Minnesota, owning a 36:33 to 23:27 edge in time of possession. All three of the Chiefs scores came on the ground as RB Greg Hill finished the game with 15 carries for 100 yards and two TDs, while RB Marcus Allen produced 89 yards and one TD on 18 totes.

The lone score of the first half came on a one-yard Allen TD plunge after QB Steve Bono guided the club on a monster, 12-play, 83-yard drive. The count would remain 7-0 Chiefs until the fourth quarter, when KC got a six-play, 41-yard drive which concluded with a 17-yard scoring burst by Hill. Minnesota QB Brad Johnson was then picked off on the Vikes next play by S Brian Washington, who returned the ball 34 yards to the Minn 10. Hill scampered into the end zone on the next play to give the Chiefs a commanding 21-0 lead with 3:07 left. The Vikings did mount an eight-play, 56 yards drive with Johnson hitting WR Cris Carter on a one-yard TD with 1:28 remaining, but it would not be enough.

The Chiefs became the first team to defeat the Broncos twice at Mile High Stadium under Mike Shanahan as Kansas City posted a 16-10 win vs. Denver. It was the Chiefs first win at Mile High since ’95 as Kansas City became the first team to sweep Denver since KC and Seattle both did it in that ’95 campaign.

After spotting the Broncos a 39-yard Jason Elam FG on their initial possession, the Chiefs defense clamped down while the KC ground game went to work. FB Tony Richardson enjoyed a career day, getting 12 carries for a career-best 80 yards, becoming the sixth different Chiefs RB to lead the club in rushing in 12 games this year. Kansas City amassed 177 yards on the ground second only to 188 rushing yards the club produced against the Broncos earlier in the season at Arrowhead.

After a Daniel Pope punt pinned the Broncos at their own 3, KC got the ball back at the Denver 43-yard line after they booted the ball back to the Chiefs. Seven plays later, QB Elvis Grbac hit TE Tony Gonzalez for a 10-yard TD. After both clubs went three-and-out on their next two drives, Denver got its lone TD on a three-yard RB Olandis Gary scoring run to go up 10-7. A 43-yard K Pete Stoyanovich FG with 41 seconds left in the second quarter knotted the halftime count at 10-10.

CB Cris Dishman picked off QB Brian Griese in the end zone in the third quarter, but Chiefs QB Elvis Grbac was also intercepted in the end zone on KC’s next possession. The score remained deadlocked at 10-10 until 5:00 left in the game when WR Tamarick Vanover returned a Tom Rouen punt 80 yards for the game-winning score, his third punt return TD and the seventh return score of his career as the Chiefs recorded the 16-10 victory.

MEDIA INFORMATION
INJURIES
RB Rashaan Shehee (knee/ankle) has sat out the last two games. Players injured in the Denver game included: CB Cris DIshman (mild head trauma), WR Joe Horn (left knee contusion), LB Donnie Edwards (right groin strain), DT Chester McGlockton (left shoulder strain), WR Tamarick Vanover (right shin contusion) and G Ralph Tamm (left knee sprain).

RADIO AND TV COVERAGE
The Chiefs Fox Football Radio Network, anchored by KCFX-FM (101.1) in Kansas City, carries all Chiefs games. Seven-time Kansas Broadcaster of the Year, Mitch Holthus, is in his sixth year handling the play-by-play duties, while Hall of Fame QB Len Dawson adds color commentary with reports from Bill Grigsby and Bob Gretz. The KCFX pregame show begins at 4:00 PM (CST).

ESPN will televise Sunday’s contest to a national audience (KMBC-9 in Kansas City). Mike Patrick calls the action while former Redskins QB Joe Theismann and former AFL linebacker/punter Paul Maguire provide the color commentary. Former NFL def. back Solomon Wilcots gives sideline reports. CBS Radio broadcasts to a national audience with Joel Meyers, Bob Trumpy and Tommy Tighe handling the broadcast.

SATELLITE FEEDS/REAL AUDIO
Gunther Cunningham’s weekly Tuesday press conference will be available via satellite from 2:00-2:30 PM (CST) each Tuesday on SBS 6, Transponder 4 (KU Band). Audio from the press conference is available via Real Audio at www.kcchiefs.com.

CONFERENCE CALLS
Vikings head coach Dennis Green (12:15 CT) and QB Jeff George (1:15 CT) will be available via conference call to the Kansas City media on Wednesday. Chiefs head coach Gunther Cunningham (12:20 CT) and QB Elvis Grbac (12:00 CT) will speak with the Minnesota media on Wednesday, as well.

WWW.KCCHIEFS.COM & RADIO ACTUALITIES
For daily reports on the Chiefs, as well as updated rosters, stats, depth charts and bios, go to www.kcchiefs.com. Daily radio audio actualities are available by dialing (816) 920-4319.

POSITION-BY-POSITION NOTES AND CONNECTIONS
QUARTERBACKS
Elvis Grbac will make his first career start against Minnesota on Sunday. As a member of the 49ers, he hit on 18 of 23 passes for 184 yards with one TD and one INT in reserve duty at Minnesota (12/26/94). Grbac ranks fifth in the AFC with a fourth quarter pass rating of 79.9 and ranks third in the AFC with a 90.9 rating on third down. His 79.1 overall pass rating ranks eighth in the AFC. He also has a career-high 13 TD passes in ’99, surpassing his previous high of 11 in ’97. Grbac hit on 20 of 34 passes for 183 yards with one TD and one INT at Denver (12/5).

Warren Moon spent three seasons (‘94-96) with the Vikings, connecting on 882 of 1,454 attempts for 10,102 yards with 58 TDs and 42 INTs in 39 starts. He owns a 2-1 record in three career starts vs. Minnesota, completing 58 of 95 passes for 592 yards with two TDs and two INTs.

RUNNING BACKS
RB Donnell Bennett leads the club with 123 carries for 474 yards and seven TDs after tallying 66 yards on 13 carries at Denver (12/5). He is tied for fifth in the NFL with seven rushing TDs and leads all Chiefs with 13 TDs (12 rushing, one receiving) since ’98.

FB Tony Richardson became the sixth different RB to lead the squad in rushing in a game this season, collecting career highs with 12 carries for 80 yards at Denver (12/5). His 15-yard run in the first quarter and his 26-yard scamper in the second quarter marked the two longest runs of his career. He also ranks second on the club with 18 special teams tackles.

RB Bam Morris recorded his 100th career reception at Denver (12/5). He ranks second on the club with 82 carries for 243 yards. RB Rashaan Shehee, who has missed the last two games with ankle and knee injuries, ranks third on the squad with 65 carries for 238 yards.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
WR Derrick Alexander leads the club with 731 receiving yards this season, including four 100-yard games. His 16.6 yards per catch average ranks 10th in the NFL. He posted three receptions for 29 yards at Denver (12/5). As a member of the Browns, he produced two catches for 31 yards and recorded a career-long 42-yard kickoff return at Minnesota (12/9).

TE Tony Gonzalez is second among NFL TEs with 49 receptions and leads all TEs with 551 receiving yards and six TDs. He collected a team-high five passes for 35 yards at Denver (12/5), including a 10-yard TD from Grbac. It was his sixth score of the season, the most by a Chiefs TE since Willie Scott produced six in ’83. Gonzalez has caught a pass in 29 straight games he has played in, dating back to 12/7/97 vs. Oakland. That’s the club’s longest streak since Kimble Anders caught a pass in 30 straight games from ‘96-98.

In three career games vs. Minnesota, WR Andre Rison has produced eight receptions for 120 yards and one TD. As a member of the Packers, he snagged three passes for 46 yards and one TD vs. Minnesota (12/22). Rison recorded three receptions for 30 yards at Denver (12/5) and needs just three more catches to become just the 12th player in NFL history to catch 700 balls in his career. Only six active players (Jerry Rice, Andre Reed, Cris Carter, Irving Fryar, Michael Irvin and Tim Brown) have more career catches.

WR Tamarick Vanover recorded his third career punt return for a touchdown at Denver (12/5) while tallying a career-high 139 punt return yards. The Chiefs are 8-1 in games in which Vanover scores. He now has four TDs on kickoff returns, three on punt returns and three as a receiver.

OFFENSIVE LINE
C Tim Grunhard has opened 108 consecutive games going back to the ’93 season opener. RG Will Shields has 107 consecutive starts.

DEFENSIVE LINE
DT Chester McGlockton already has 48 QB pressures in 12 games this year, more than any single player has had in an entire season in ’98 or ’97. DE Leslie O’Neal ranks seventh on the NFL’s all-time sack list (130.0) with Lawrence Taylor (132.5) and Richard Dent (137.5) looming ahead. Practice squad DE Lemanzer Williams was a standout defender at the University of Minnesota.

LINEBACKERS
Nine-time Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Thomas has a half sack in three career starts vs. Minnesota. He ranks ninth on the NFL’s all-time sack list and holds the Chiefs all-time mark with 123.5 career sacks. His 4.0 sacks (-30.0 yards) this season rank second on the team. He has sacked Jeff George 9.0 times, more than any other active QB. LB Marvcus Patton has started 108 consecutive games. His 99 tackles rank second on the squad, his career-high 4.5 sacks (-34.0 yards) lead the team and his three FRs tie Reggie Tongue and Cris Dishman for the club lead. LB Donnie Edwards is first on the team with 100 tackles and has three INTs, the most by a Chiefs LB since Tracy Simien recorded three in ‘92. LB Greg Manusky leads the club with 22 special teams tackles.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
With his third quarter INT off Brian Griese at Denver (12/5), CB Cris Dishman moved into a tie with Arizona’s Aeneas Williams for sixth place in career INTs among active players with 41. He ranks second on the club with four INTs and leads the Chiefs with 19 passes defensed.

James Hasty recorded a team-high 11 tackles (six solo) at Denver (12/5). His team-leading six INTs are tied for second in the NFL and mark a career high for one season. Hasty is just the 16th player in NFL history to record 15 or more INTs for two different teams. He joins San Francisco’s Tim McDonald as the only other active player to accomplish that feat. His 40 career INTs rank seventh among active players. Last week at Denver (12/5), Hasty and Dishman became the first teammates to start at CB with at least 40 INTs since Pro Football Hall of Famers Herb Adderly and Mel Renfro did it for the ‘72 Dallas Cowboys.

S Reggie Tongue leads the Chiefs with four FFs and is tied with Marvcus Patton and Cris Dishman for the club lead with three FRs this season.

KICKERS
K Pete Stoyanovich owns the fourth-best FG make percentage in NFL history, hitting 265 of 329 of his kicks (80.5). He has nailed 25 consecutive FG attempts at Arrowhead Stadium, including 12 straight this season. He ranks seventh in the AFC with 86 points and ranks third on the Chiefs all-time scoring list with 401 points. He has made his last six FG attempts, including a 44-yard game-winner at Oakland (11/28). Rookie P Daniel Pope ranks fourth in the AFC, allowing just 213 return yards.

OTHER CHIEFS-VIKINGS CONNECTIONS
PAUL WIGGIN, Minnesota’s Director of Pro Personnel, had a 11-24 record as the Chiefs head coach from ‘75-77. Wiggin replaced Hank Stram, whose final game as Chiefs head coach was a 35-15 loss to the Vikings at Arrowhead (12/14/74) . . . DT JOE PHILLIPS was selected by Minnesota in the fourth round (93rd overall) of the ‘86 draft and played in 16 games as a rookie before being waived the following preseason. He posted 248 tackles, 14.0 sacks (-129.0 yards), four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, one INT and 232 QB pressures in six seasons (‘92-97) with the Chiefs before returning to the Vikings in ’99 . . . Chiefs LB RON GEORGE played for three seasons ('89-91) at Stanford under current Vikings head coach DENNY GREEN . . . GREEN was an assistant at Stanford in '77-78 and '80 when Chiefs head coach GUNTHER CUNNINGHAM was an assistant at Cal-Berkeley . . . Chiefs TEs coach KEITH ROWEN served as the Vikings offensive line coach from '94-96 under GREEN. Current Vikings offensive coordinator RAY SHERMAN and Vikings assistant head coach/DBs coach RICHARD SOLOMON were also members of that staff . . . Chiefs RBs coach AL LAVAN, offensive line coach MIKE SOLARI and Vikings WRs coach HUBBARD ALEXANDER all spent time together on TOM LANDRY's staff in Dallas in the '80s . . . Chiefs QBs coach TOM ROSSLEY, ROWEN and SHERMAN were all on the Atlanta staff in '90 . . . Chiefs DBs coach RON ZOOK and SHERMAN were both on Pittsburgh's staff in '98 . . . SOLARI and SHERMAN served together with the 49ers from '92-93 . . . Chiefs assistant head coach/LBs coach DAVE ADOLPH and Vikings inside LBs coach TOM OLIVADOTTI were both on Cleveland's staff under former Chiefs head coach MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER in '85-86 . . . Chiefs DT CHESTER McGLOCKTON and Vikings LB ED McDANIEL spent three seasons together ('89-91) at Clemson and were members of the Tigers squad which led the nation in total defense in '89 . . . Vikings C MIKE MORRIS, who played college football at Northeast Missouri State, had a five-game stint as a deep snapper with the Chiefs in ‘89 . . . Chiefs assistant strength and conditioning coach JEFF FISH was an assistant strength coach for Clemson in '91 . . . Other players who were college teammates for two years or more include: Chiefs S JEROME WOODS and Vikings DT Tony Williams (Memphis), Chiefs DT DERRICK RANSOM and Vikings WR ROBERT TATE (Cincinnati), Chiefs FB TONY RICHARDSON and Vikings FB HAROLD MORROW (Auburn) . . . Vikings Executive Vice President and General Manager TIM CONNOLLY spent seven years (‘89-95) as Kansas City’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer . . . Vikings Senior Football Administrator RUSS BALL spent 10 seasons with the Chiefs ('89-98), eight as assistant strength and conditioning coach ('89-96) and two as administrative assistant to the head coach ('97-98). A native of Moberly, MO, Ball played at Central Missouri State and also coached at the University of Missouri . . . Vikings assistant strength and conditioning coach JOHN KASPER coached at Central Missouri State from '93-95 . . . Vikings area scout QUINTIN SMITH spent the last five seasons in the same capacity with the Chiefs (‘94-98).

Sunday Night Fever
The Chiefs have won five straight Sunday night contests dating back to a 30-10 win at Atlanta (9/18/94) when Vikings QB Jeff George was under center for the Falcons. Kansas City’s last Sunday night victory was a 17-6 win in the infamous Arrowhead monsoon vs. Seattle (10/4/98).

Including a trio of Thursday night games, Kansas City has won its last seven contests televised by ESPN and their last eight games played on a Sunday or Thursday night. The Chiefs won 35-8 on Thursday night earlier this year at Baltimore (10/21). The Chiefs are 9-2 in Sunday and Thursday night games in the ‘90s. The Vikings were the last team to defeat KC on a Sunday night, getting a 30-10 win at MINN (12/26/93).

That’s A Hundred!
Last week at Denver, the Chiefs became just the seventh team in NFL history to record 100 regular season wins in a decade. LB Derrick Thomas (‘89-99), C Tim Grunhard (‘90-99) and G Dave Szott (‘90-99) became the 20th, 21st and 22nd players in NFL history to spend an entire decade with a team that won 100 games in a decade. Defensive coordinator Kurt Schottenheimer (‘89-99) and defensive assistant Darvin Wallis (‘89-99) became just the 14th and 15th coaches in NFL history to spend an entire decade with a team that won 100 games. Here’s a look at the NFL’s seven 100-game winners in a decade . . .

A Perfect 10
Last week the Chiefs got a 16-10 win at Denver, marking the fourth time Kansas City has held an opponent to 10 points or less in ’99. The Chiefs are 4-0 in those games. Since Gunther Cunningham’s arrival in Kansas City in ’95, the Chiefs are now 20-0 when holding opponents to 10 points or less (3-0 in ’98, 5-0 in ’97, 2-0 in ’96 and 6-0 in ’95).

Kansas City’s defense has been particularly stingy in prime time contests. In their eight-game Sunday and Thursday night win streak, the Chiefs have held their foes to 10 points or less in six of those games. Kansas City has outscored its foes 208-67 in those eight games, good for a 26.0 to 8.4 average margin of victory.

Those numbers are even more impressive in the club’s last four night games played on ESPN. The Chiefs have held all four of those foes to single digits, outscoring them 111-25, an average margin of 27.8 to 6.3. Holding Minnesota’s high-flying offense under such single-digit constraints will be difficult, though. Including Monday night’s game, the Vikings haven’t been held to single digits in 56 straight regular or postseason contests. However, the last time the Vikings were held to single digits was their last meeting with the Chiefs when Kansas City got a 21-6 win at Minnesota (11/3/96).

Six Is Enough
The Chiefs rank sixth in the AFC in rushing, averaging 119.2 ground yards per game. Amazingly, Kansas City has had six different running backs - Kimble Anders, Donnell Bennett, Rashaan Shehee, Bam Morris, Mike Cloud and Tony Richardson - lead the team in rushing in one of the club’s 12 contests this year. Although the Chiefs are producing nearly 120 yards per game on the ground, only one of those backs (Anders - 141 yards vs. Denver - 9/19) has produced a 100-yard rushing game. Including FB Tony Richardson who got a career-best 80 yards last week at Denver, four of those six backs (Anders, Shehee and Cloud) have broken their single-game rushing career highs in ’99.

Only once before in the Chiefs 40-year history have six different backs led the team in rushing in a game. It happened in ’74 when Ed Podolak, Woody Green, Wendell Hayes, Jeff Kinney, Cleophus Miller and Willie Ellison all did it. As an interesting sidebar, the N.Y. Giants also have had six different RBs lead their team in rushing in a game this season. However, the Giants are averaging just 91.6 yards per game on the ground, over 27 yards per game less than the Chiefs.

A Historic Day at Arrowhead in ‘74
While certainly not as meaningful as KC’s Super Bowl IV win over the Vikings, Minnesota’s first-ever visit to Arrowhead Stadium in the ’74 regular season finale also carried plenty of historical significance. Minnesota got a 35-14 victory in that relatively meaningless contest which was Hank Stram’s final game as Kansas City’s head coach. Stram, who led the Chiefs to a 124-76-10 (.614) record, three AFL titles and a Super Bowl championship, was replaced by Paul Wiggin, who now serves as Minnesota’s Director of Pro Personnel.

That ’74 Chiefs-Vikings contest also marked the final time all five of Kansas City’s Pro Football Hall of Famers took the field together. LB Bobby Bell (HOF ’83) retired after the ’74 season, while QB Len Dawson (HOF ’87) and DT Buck Buchanan (HOF ’90) retired following the ’75 season. LB Willie Lanier (HOF ’86) ended his career after the ’77 campaign, while K Jan Stenerud’s (HOF ’91) last contest in the Red and Gold came in ’79. All three of Minnesota’s Hall of Famer players also took the field in that contest - QB Fran Tarkenton (HOF ’86), DT Alan Page (HOF ’88) and S Paul Krause (HOF ’98). Including Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt (HOF ’72) and Vikings head coach Bud Grant (HOF ’94), an amazing total of 10 Hall of Fame inductees were part of that ’74 game.

Jeff George’s Career vs. Kansas City
Minnesota QB Jeff George is 0-5 in five appearances vs. the Chiefs, including an 0-4 mark as a starter with the Falcons and Raiders. This will be his first appearance vs. Kansas City as a member of the Vikings. He never played vs. the Chiefs as a member of the Colts.

In George’s defense, he hasn’t gotten much help from his defense or offense line in those contests. George’s teams have been outscored by an average margin of 29.4 to 13.8 in those games. In his last visit to Arrowhead (9/6/98) as a member of the Raiders, George was sacked 10 times. George has been sacked a total of 21.0 times (-141 yards) in his five appearances vs. Kansas City, while Chiefs QBs have been sacked just 6.0 times (-45 yards) in those outings. Chiefs LB Derrick Thomas has sacked George 9.0 times, more than any other active NFL signal-caller. Only John Elway (17.0) and Dave Krieg (15.0) have been sacked more times by Thomas. Here’s a look at George’s career vs. the Chiefs:

Monday Night Malaise
During the ‘90s, only 30 times has a team followed a Monday night road game with another road contest the next week. When the Vikings visit KC on Sunday night it will mark the 31st time after playing at Tampa Bay last Monday night. Remarkably, Green Bay is 5-0 in the ‘90s when playing on the road following a road Monday night game. The rest of the NFL hasn’t been as good, going just 8-17 (.320) in such contests.

Of those 30 teams to play a road MNF game and then go on the road the next week, only five of those 30 teams (.177) have won both road games. The Packers have done it twice, getting a 35-19 win last week at Chicago after posting a 20-3 MNF win at San Francisco. Minnesota was the last team prior to the Packers to post such a road daily double. The Vikings won a MNF game at Chicago (11/2/92) by a 38-10 count and then won at TB (11/8/92) the following week, 35-7.

Start Fast, Finish Strong
Last week at Denver the Chiefs defense recorded its sixth fourth-quarter shutout of the season. The Chiefs have allowed just 46 points in the fourth quarter in ’99, an average of just 3.8 fourth quarter points per game. Only five other teams - STL (27), TB (39), JAX (43), BUF (43) and PIT (45) - have permitted fewer fourth quarter points than the Chiefs. KC’s defense has been even better in the first quarter of games. The Chiefs have allowed opponents just 23 points in the first quarter in ’99, an average of just 1.7 first quarter points per game. Only two other teams - DAL (9) and DET (21) - have relinquished fewer first quarter points than Kansas City. Jacksonville has also permitted 23 first quarter points.

Parting Shots
Since Gunther Cunningham joined the Chiefs in ’95, KC is 9-0 against NFC foes at Arrowhead . . . Minnesota’s five losses have come by a combined 19 points, five of their seven wins had come by eight points or less, including three wins by three points each . . . KC has now won back-to-back games when trailing or tied heading into the fourth quarter for the first time since getting a 20-17 OT win vs. Seattle (9/28/97) and a 22-16 win vs. Buffalo (9/14/97) . . . The Chiefs (14) and Ravens (12) are the only two NFL teams to score on all of their goal-to-goal opportunities in ‘99 . . . The Vikings lost 24-17 Monday night at Tampa Bay. The Chiefs are 2-0 this year vs. clubs coming off a MNF loss, beating Denver 26-10 (9/19) and defeating Oakland 37-34 (11/28).