Chiefs survive scare vs. raiders to win 17-13
Nov 19, 2006, 5:00:00 AM
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VOTE: Dicks’s Sporting Goods Chiefs Player of the Game!
By Patrick Herb
The old cliché that says you can throw out records when rivals meet couldn’t be more true than when the Chiefs and
Raiders stage one of their legendary battles. Kansas City entered the game at 5-4, while Oakland was struggling at 2-7,
but just like seemingly every game between these AFC West franchises, the 2006 incarnation came down to the wire as the
Chiefs squeaked out a suspenseful 17-13 win. RB Larry Johnson racked up 154 yards rushing, with the final yard coming
on a game-winning touchdown run in the final minutes.
“I don’t think it should have come down to the last minute,” Johnson said after the game. “We could have made some
plays on offense, and defense could have made some plays. It happens to work out that way every time we play them here
or play them there. They always play tough.” In a game that marked QB Trent Green’s first start since Opening Day, the
Chiefs running game got all the attention early on. Kansas City established the line of scrimmage on its first drive,
pounding out 11 plays, 10 of which were runs, en route to a dominating opening statement. Johnson racked up 53 of the
drive’s 77 yards and RB Michael Bennett chipped in a 20-yard carry before giving way to Johnson’s five-yard touchdown
run for a 7-0 lead.
The Raiders would answer with their first of three lengthy first-half drives. Oakland marched 41 yards on 11 plays,
but an offensive pass interference call on WR Randy Moss nullified a third-down conversion that would have put them at
the KC one-yard line. Instead, Oakland settled for a 41-yard kick from K Sebastian Janikowski to cut the Chiefs lead to
7-3.
A Chiefs three-and-out would give the Raiders the ball back and set up another Janikowski field goal, this time from
36 yards, making the score 7-6. Then just before halftime Oakland posted another 11-play drive, this time spanning 76
yards in 5:25. QB Aaron Books hit WR Alvis Whitted with a 24-yard pass, then found TE Randal Williams for a 21-yard
gain, moving the Raiders inside the Red Zone. With just 19 seconds left in the half, Brooks found TE Courtney Anderson
open in the back of the end zone for a two-yard touchdown as Oakland took its first lead of the day at 13-7.
Kansas City chipped into the Oakland lead midway through the third quarter as K Lawrence Tynes booted a 37-yard
field goal. A pair of 17-yard runs from Johnson and a 14-yard Green-to-WR Eddie Kennison pass set up the score, moving
the Chiefs within three at 13-10.
Tynes would miss a chance to tie when his 35-yard field goal drifted wide left midway through the fourth quarter,
but the Chiefs wouldn’t go away. Oakland took the ensuing possession out near midfield, but the Chiefs defense
strangled the drive to force a punt and keep their second-half shutout intact.
Trailing 13-10 with under 3:28 left in the game, the Chiefs went for a do-or-die play on fourth-and-one at their own
29-yard line. Johnson took the handoff from Green and found his way across the first down marker, but a facemask
penalty on Oakland tacked on an additional 15 yards. From there, Green hit WR Samie Parker on a 10-yard pass, then
dropped a perfect 24-yard toss to Kennison down to the Oakland 25-yard line. Green came up with another big play
moments later on third-and-10 when we hit Parker over the middle for 16 yards down to the nine. Then, Edwards put the
ball in his workhorse’s hands and watched Johnson carry for eight yards to the one, then bull into the end zone from a
yard out for the touchdown. That gave the Chiefs their first lead since the first quarter at 17-13 with 1:32 left in
the game.
“We converted a fourth down. We came up with some big third downs,” Green said following his first start since
September 10th. “The mix of run and pass kept everything balanced. Anytime you can come through for your team in the
fourth quarter and get a win, it definitely makes it worthwhile.” Things got tense in the final minutes at Arrowhead
Stadium as the Raiders marched deep into Chiefs territory. First down passes to WR Ronald Curry and Williams moved
Oakland across midfield with 42 seconds left. Then Brooks found Curry open down the middle of the field for a 39-yard
pickup down to the KC eight-yard line. On the very next play, Brooks tried to find WR Randy Moss in the back of the end
zone, but rookie S Jarrad Page – who was starting for injury Greg Wesley – stepped in front and made the interception
to seal the Chiefs win.
“The quarterback started scrambling and Page made a great read on the quarterback and made a great play, a great
catch,” Edwards said. “That ball was humming, but he’s got great hands. That’s one of the things we liked about him
when we drafted him. He had a nose for the football and he had to start.” The Chiefs now face a quick turnaround as
they play a Thanksgiving night game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium. The game against the AFC West
rivals will be shown to the national TV audience on NFL Network with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
