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The Long Wind
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By DOUG TUCKER, AP Sports Writer
November 25, 2007
AP - Nov 25, 5:02 pm EST
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Pick a streak. Any streak. If it's bad, the Oakland Raiders may have just snapped it.
Getting 139 yards rushing from Justin Fargas and a big defensive stop on fourth down, the Raiders handed the reeling Kansas City Chiefs a 20-17 defeat Sunday that ended three different kinds of football failure.
Until those final seconds ticked away, the Raiders had lost 17 straight AFC West games. They'd dropped nine in a row to Kansas City. And they'd also lost six straight overall.
So which streak is most gratifying to halt? "It is all the same," said Fargas, who had the Raiders' first 100-yard rushing day in Kansas City in 29 years. "It feels good to beat the Chiefs. It feels good to get a divisional win and get things going in the right direction for this team."
Oakland hadn't beaten anybody in it division since a 25-24 squeaker over Denver on Nov. 28, 2004, the longest ongoing streak of divisional futility in the NFL. "You don't really think back to past games," Fargas said. "You try to live in the moment and take advantage of the opportunities that you have. It feels so good, a divisional opponent. We haven't beaten them in so long. It feels good for the guys in the locker room to get over that hump."
Fargas scored on a 14-yard run with 9:34 left to give the Raiders (3-8) the lead for good. LaMont Jordan, on what was intended to be a halfback pass, scurried in from 5 yards out when he saw the pass wasn't open but the running lanes were. "LaMont did a tremendous job. He made a very, very smart decision," said quarterback Daunte Culpepper. "We were so hungry for a win. It makes it a little bit better when it's a divisional rival."
It was the fourth straight loss for the Chiefs (4-7), which had the consolation of discovering that their running back situation is not as bleak as they'd thought. Kolby Smith, a fifth-round pick who'd been buried on the depth chart all season, made his first start and rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns, the first Chiefs rookie to go over 100 yards since Harvey Williams in 1991. He looked tough and shifty and may get more time down the road since Priest Holmes just retired and Larry Johnson is out with an injured foot. "I was out there playing football and having fun," he said. "You always dream of starting in the NFL and today I wanted to take advantage of it."
Sebastian Janikowski kicked two field goals for Oakland but Dave Rayner, struggling all season for Kansas City, missed a 33-yarder that a few minutes later figured prominently in a gamble that Chiefs coach Herm Edwards lost. It was fourth-and-1 from the Oakland 23 with less than 5 minutes to play. Since Rayner had his earlier miss, Edwards opted to send Smith behind left guard. The play lost a yard and the Chiefs never touched the ball again. "I wanted to kick that last field goal, but it was his decision," Rayner said. "I didn't exactly prove that I was stellar today." Said Edwards: "At that point and time, I wasn't going to put that pressure on him. I thought we were running the ball halfway decent."
Fargas slammed into the line for gains of 12 and 11 yards on consecutive plays and then Culpepper hit Ronald Curry for 10 yards. After Kansas City called a time out, the Raiders iced their first victory of any sort since Sept. 30 when Fargas ran for 21 yards. The Chiefs unsuccessfully challenged the spot right before they failed on fourth down, costing them a valuable timeout.
Smith's 10-yard scoring run in the first quarter snapped a string of 36 consecutive rushing touchdowns by Johnson, an NFL record for most consecutive touchdowns rushing by the same player on the same team. In addition, it was the first rushing touchdown by anyone but Holmes and Johnson for the Chiefs in 45 games.
Jerry Porter made great catches on each of Oakland's touchdown drives. "I'm really happy for the guys that have been here a long time," Oakland coach Lane Kiffin told reporters. "You guys have nothing to write about anymore. There is no more 17-game losing streak in the division and all the road things coming in here."
Notes
No Oakland running back had gained 100 yards in Arrowhead Stadium since Arthur Whittington had 134 on Nov. 5, 1978. ...
Tony Gonzalez extended his franchise-record streak of consecutive games with a reception to 110. ... Smith's 150 yards were the fifth-highest total by a Kansas City rookie.
November 25, 2007
AP - Nov 25, 5:02 pm EST
More Photos
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Pick a streak. Any streak. If it's bad, the Oakland Raiders may have just snapped it.
Getting 139 yards rushing from Justin Fargas and a big defensive stop on fourth down, the Raiders handed the reeling Kansas City Chiefs a 20-17 defeat Sunday that ended three different kinds of football failure.
Until those final seconds ticked away, the Raiders had lost 17 straight AFC West games. They'd dropped nine in a row to Kansas City. And they'd also lost six straight overall.
So which streak is most gratifying to halt? "It is all the same," said Fargas, who had the Raiders' first 100-yard rushing day in Kansas City in 29 years. "It feels good to beat the Chiefs. It feels good to get a divisional win and get things going in the right direction for this team."
Oakland hadn't beaten anybody in it division since a 25-24 squeaker over Denver on Nov. 28, 2004, the longest ongoing streak of divisional futility in the NFL. "You don't really think back to past games," Fargas said. "You try to live in the moment and take advantage of the opportunities that you have. It feels so good, a divisional opponent. We haven't beaten them in so long. It feels good for the guys in the locker room to get over that hump."
Fargas scored on a 14-yard run with 9:34 left to give the Raiders (3-8) the lead for good. LaMont Jordan, on what was intended to be a halfback pass, scurried in from 5 yards out when he saw the pass wasn't open but the running lanes were. "LaMont did a tremendous job. He made a very, very smart decision," said quarterback Daunte Culpepper. "We were so hungry for a win. It makes it a little bit better when it's a divisional rival."
It was the fourth straight loss for the Chiefs (4-7), which had the consolation of discovering that their running back situation is not as bleak as they'd thought. Kolby Smith, a fifth-round pick who'd been buried on the depth chart all season, made his first start and rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns, the first Chiefs rookie to go over 100 yards since Harvey Williams in 1991. He looked tough and shifty and may get more time down the road since Priest Holmes just retired and Larry Johnson is out with an injured foot. "I was out there playing football and having fun," he said. "You always dream of starting in the NFL and today I wanted to take advantage of it."
Sebastian Janikowski kicked two field goals for Oakland but Dave Rayner, struggling all season for Kansas City, missed a 33-yarder that a few minutes later figured prominently in a gamble that Chiefs coach Herm Edwards lost. It was fourth-and-1 from the Oakland 23 with less than 5 minutes to play. Since Rayner had his earlier miss, Edwards opted to send Smith behind left guard. The play lost a yard and the Chiefs never touched the ball again. "I wanted to kick that last field goal, but it was his decision," Rayner said. "I didn't exactly prove that I was stellar today." Said Edwards: "At that point and time, I wasn't going to put that pressure on him. I thought we were running the ball halfway decent."
Fargas slammed into the line for gains of 12 and 11 yards on consecutive plays and then Culpepper hit Ronald Curry for 10 yards. After Kansas City called a time out, the Raiders iced their first victory of any sort since Sept. 30 when Fargas ran for 21 yards. The Chiefs unsuccessfully challenged the spot right before they failed on fourth down, costing them a valuable timeout.
Smith's 10-yard scoring run in the first quarter snapped a string of 36 consecutive rushing touchdowns by Johnson, an NFL record for most consecutive touchdowns rushing by the same player on the same team. In addition, it was the first rushing touchdown by anyone but Holmes and Johnson for the Chiefs in 45 games.
Jerry Porter made great catches on each of Oakland's touchdown drives. "I'm really happy for the guys that have been here a long time," Oakland coach Lane Kiffin told reporters. "You guys have nothing to write about anymore. There is no more 17-game losing streak in the division and all the road things coming in here."
Notes
No Oakland running back had gained 100 yards in Arrowhead Stadium since Arthur Whittington had 134 on Nov. 5, 1978. ...
Tony Gonzalez extended his franchise-record streak of consecutive games with a reception to 110. ... Smith's 150 yards were the fifth-highest total by a Kansas City rookie.