Oakland, Calif. – Another victory over the Oakland Raiders took a little bit of the sting out of the Kansas City Chiefs’ three-game losing streak.
The Chiefs know they need a lot more help for that late-season skid not to derail their postseason chances.
Larry Johnson ran for 135 yards and a touchdown and the Chiefs kept their slim playoff hopes alive by becoming the first team to beat the Raiders eight straight times with a 20-9 victory Saturday night.
“All I care about is getting to 9-7,” said defensive end Jared Allen, who recovered two fumbles. “Truthfully, do I think we’re going to get in? No. A lot has to happen for us to get in at 9-7. If we do, it’s a miracle.”
The Chiefs (8-7) need to beat Jacksonville next week and get plenty of help from other teams to make the playoffs because their 4-7 conference record has put them behind most of the other contenders in the tiebreakers.
For now, they will just have to take solace in ending their skid and handing another loss to their longtime rivals, who never have been this low in Al Davis’ more than four decades with the franchise.
“Lamar Hunt loved to win these games,” Johnson said of the Chiefs’ late owner, who died two weeks ago. “It’s a big rivalry. We always want to beat this team. We never want to give them one win because then they’ll be talking about it the rest of their lives.”
The Raiders (2-13) have lost eight straight overall and matched the franchise record for losses in a season set when they went 1-13 in 1962 – the season before Davis arrived to coach and eventually own the team.
The frustration of a lost season finally appeared to boil over when defensive leader Warren Sapp threw a tantrum on the sideline late in the first half as Oakland’s offense once again struggled.
The Raiders could manage only three field goals by Sebastian Janikowski and were held without an offensive touchdown for the seventh time this season. Oakland was outscored 76-12 in its four prime-time games, failing to score a touchdown in any of them.
“I’ve never been involved in a season like this. The way we’re playing and the record we have, it’s unbelievable,” safety Stuart Schweigert said. “There’s frustration, but we know those guys want to win as much as we do. They’re working hard. They’re having meetings. They’re not going out there to fumble the ball.”
Trent Green threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Kennison on Kansas City’s opening drive and the Chiefs relied mostly on Johnson and Raiders mistakes after that.
Johnson complained after last week’s 20-9 loss to San Diego that Kansas City’s offense was too predictable. Even though the Raiders knew Johnson would be the Chiefs’ workhorse, he was still able to put together another big game against Oakland. He had 31 carries and scored on a 1-yard run in the final minute of the first half to make it 17-6.
Johnson has 398 yards rushing in three starts against the Raiders, and his 10 touchdowns in six games are his most against any opponent.
“They did a good job stopping the run early,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. “That was their focus. We continued to pick away. We ran the same offense we’ve been running for the past 15 weeks.”
Oakland turned the ball over five times, including four by Andrew Walter, who started at quarterback in place of the injured Aaron Brooks.
AFC WILD-CARD RACE: Some help for K.C.
With a 20-9 win over the Raiders on Saturday, the Chiefs kept their slim playoff hopes alive. The chase, with less than two weeks remaining in the season, and the combined record of remaining opponents:
W-L Opp. rec.
5. Denver 8-6 14-14
6. Cincinnati 8-6 15-13
7. Jacksonville 8-6 18-11
8. N.Y. Jets 8-6 8-21
9. Kansas City 8-7 8-6
10. Buffalo 7-7 18-10
11. Tennessee 7-7 17-11
12. Pittsburgh 7-7 19-9
