• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Chiefs keep playoff hopes alive by beating Raiders

Dec 24, 2006 - 7:00 AM OAKLAND, California (Ticker) -- The Kansas City Chiefs need help to get into the playoffs and they came to the right place.

Larry Johnson rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown and the Chiefs capitalized on a bevy of mistakes to knock off the Oakland Raiders, 20-9, in an AFC West matchup.

Kansas City (8-7) snapped a three-game losing streak to keep alive its flickering playoff hopes while defeating hapless Oakland for the eighth straight time.

"Its just more of us just winning another game, that's kind of important," Chiefs coach Herman Edwards said. "We were a 7-4 football team four weeks ago and all of a sudden, we got on a slide, going the wrong way, and being able to go on the road and win a football game is important. Now we have to finish up strong."

The Raiders (2-13) remained the leader in the clubhouse for the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft by losing their eighth straight contest.

Following what has became an all-too-familiar script this season, Oakland got a decent performance by its offense but not enough to overcome a dreadful effort by the defense and turnover-machine Andrew Walter at quarterback.

Walter, starting for an ailing Aaron Brooks, did finish with 226 yards on 27-of-37 passing, but he threw a killer interception - one of his two - at the goal line with roughly nine minutes to play and lost two of three Raider fumbles to stall two other drives.

"Again, we just can't do the things that we do, turning the ball over and expect to win," Raiders coach Art Shell. "Too many field goals. When we get in the red zone, we've got to come away with a touchdown. It eventually comes back to bite you and it did tonight.

"We moved the ball, but we couldn't get it in the end zone and that hurts. Kansas City took advantage of it. A couple of turnovers turned into points."

Chiefs quarterback Trent Green finished 12-of-24 for 148 yards and a six-yard TD pass to Eddie Kennison in the first quarter that put Kansas City ahead to stay, 7-3.

The Raiders, who had not scored a touchdown in eight quarters, moved the ball well early, getting some nice running from Justin Fargas, who finished with 90 yards on 19 carries.

After the teams traded field goals, Kansas City converted an Oakland turnover into a touchdown to take a 17-6 lead into halftime.

With Oakland at midfield and driving, Kawika Mitchell blasted Walter on a sack, forcing a fumble that was recovered by the Chiefs' Jared Allen at the Raiders 37.

Kansas City needed five plays to score, with Johnson bulling in from one yard out with 44 seconds left before intermission.

"It's a big rivalry and we always want to beat this team," Johnson said. "We never want to give them one win because then they'll be talking about it for the rest of their lives."

Lawrence Tynes kicked field goals of 29 and 28 yards for the Chiefs, while counterpart Sebastian Janikowski supplied all the offense for the Raiders with three field goals, including a 53-yarder that cut the deficit to 17-9 in the third quarter.