Week 13: Raid'as top Chiefs 44-41 in OT

Kansas City (6-6) visited Oakland (7-5) with both teams looking for a win to stay in the playoff hunt, and this would turn out to be one of the craziest games either Tom or I have played in a long time.

The Raiders jumped out to a 14-0 1st quarter lead, then tacked on another TD to go up 21-0 with just under 4 minutes remaining in the half. Up to this point Oakland had held the ball for almost 22 minutes, compared to just over 5 for Kansas City. But these last four minutes would be explosive for both teams. Dante Hall returned the kickoff to the KC 49 and after a 17-yard run and a 34-yard screen pass- both to Derrick Blaylock- the Chiefs were on the board. The Raiders got those points back- this time with a too-efficient 2-minute drive to make it 28-7. But KC wasn't finished. Hall ran the KO all the way to Oakland's 39, and Trent Green (18-28, 224, 3 TD) went 4-5 on the drive, finding Tony Gonzalez from 1 yard out with just 3 ticks on the clock, and Oakland took a 28-14 lead into the locker room.

It was Hall again to start the 3rd quarter, this time with a 93-yard return, and KC had cut the deficit to just a TD. Less than a minute later, Shawn Barber (8 tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Int, 1 FF) intercepted a Rich Gannon (37-57, 511, 3 TD, 2 Int) pass and ran it back 39 yards to tie the game. And still KC wasn't finished. Gannon fumbled the snap on Oakland's next drive, and KC's Von Holliday recovered at the Oakland 38. Five plays later, Green hit Priest Holmes (5-71 Rec) for a 4-yard TD and the Chiefs- who once trailed by 21- now led 35-28. Oakland tacked on a FG late in the 3rd to make it 35-31, but the Chiefs marched downfield on their next drive and had 1st-and-Goal from the 2 as the 3rd quarter closed out.

After two unsuccessful runs by Holmes and an incomplete pass, KC settled for the FG and brought on Morton Anderson (2-2 FG, long 46) to boost their lead to 38-31. The teams traded possessions, and with 5 and a half minutes left in the game, Gannon hit Doug Jolley on a 22-yard pass to tie it 38-38. After forcing a 3-and-out on the Chiefs' ensuing possession, Oakland received the ball at their own 18. Gannon promptly threw his 2nd pick of the day, this one to KC's Greg Wesley, and the Chiefs had the ball deep in Oakland territory. The Raider defense held strong, however, and limited the damage to an Anderson 46-yard FG. This gave KC the 41-38 lead, but Oakland would have 2+ minutes to work with.

Gannon shook off any carry-over effects from the previous drive, finding Jerry Rice (8-138) for a critical 4th-down conversion as Oakland steadily moved the ball. It was Charlier Garner (17-156, TD Run; 7-90 Rec) however who carried the team on this drive, covering 42 yards on 4 carries. With just 22 seconds remaining, Oakland had 1st-and-10 from the KC 11. After two unsuccessful throws in Rice's direction, and with 7 seconds remaining, Oakland didn't risk another play and brought on Sebastian Janikowski (3-3 FG, long 45) for the game-tying chip shot. With the score 41-41, this one was headed to OT.

Oakland won the toss and elected to receive. After a short return to the 18, they faced a long field ahead of them. Gannon was coolly efficient, converting on his first 3 passes. The Raiders got a scare when Garner fumbled at midfield, but Tim Brown made the recovery. On 2nd-and-10 from the 50, Gannon hit Rice for a 47-yard strike and Janikowski was called on for the 20-yard game winner.

The Raiders somehow survived 3 turnovers and escaped with the 44-41 OT win. Some of the stats from this game were astounding. Oakland more than doubled KC in TOP, 42:39 to 19:43, and gained 669 yards of offense compared to 243 for the Chiefs. The Chiefs' Dante Hall went a long way in closing that gap, however, with an amazing 271 yards on 8 KO returns.
--submitted by Tom "Crash" Davis--