Football games simply don’t get much more exciting than Sunday’s match up against the Chiefs and Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. Larry Johnson’s dive into the end zone from a yard out as time expired gave Kansas City a 27-23 win over Oakland. The decision to go for the touchdown instead of a game-tying field goal allowed Dick Vermeil paid off for head coach Dick Vermeil.
Up 20-15 in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs allowed the Raiders to go on a 14-play, 72 yard touchdown drive which culminated in a Kerry Collins to Randy Moss touchdown with 1:45 to go. Trent Green then led the charge downfield for the Chiefs, going 5-for-5 on the drive. His last pass of the game, proved to be the biggest. With the ball on the Raiders’ 37-yard line, Green hit Johnson just past the line of scrimmage and Johnson ran it all the way down to the one-yard line. With five seconds to go, Green handed the ball off to Johnson, who dove into the end zone for the win.
The extra point made it 27-23.
Johnson finished the game with 107 yards rushing and two touchdowns and he caught three passes for 48 yards. Green, who attended his father’s funeral, last Wednesday, was 22-of-35 for 235 yards and a touchdown. His favorite target was Tony Gonzalez, who caught five passes for 70 yards.
The Chiefs have beaten the Raiders six straight times. Six of the last seven games between these two in Arrowhead have been decided in the final 25 seconds of regulation or overtime. Kansas City is now 5-3 on the year and is one game behind the Broncos in the AFC West.