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Johnson breaks out in Chiefs' win over Bengals

Oct 14, 2007 - 10:56 PM By Marc Bowman PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Larry Johnson and the struggling Kansas City Chiefs' offense found traction Sunday in a 27-20 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Johnson, who had been held to 275 yards rushing over the first five games, broke out against the Bengals, rushing 31 times for 119 yards and his first score of the season.

"Getting Larry going was important, especially early in the game," Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard said. "It's a great day for him, getting all those yards and finally getting that first rushing TD."

With 63 points through their first five games, the Chiefs (3-3) were tied with the San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars for last in the NFL.

Kansas City also scored in the first quarter for the first time this season.

"Offensively, that was probably our best output, especially to finally score in the first quarter," Chiefs coach Herman Edwards said. "We felt that we'd have to have 27 points against these guys because they have a potent offense.

"We were able to run the ball and throw the ball, and that's a good sign for us."

Johnson's 8-yard run gave Kansas City a 17-7 lead with 3:30 left in the second quarter.

It would have been Johnson's second touchdown run, but he was stripped by cornerback Deltha O'Neal at the 1-yard line following a 34-yard run during the previous drive. The play resulted in a touchback.

"I told him we would get it right back here," Huard said. "Deltha made a great play. It was just a fluke. Those things happen. We'll get it back, and we did."

Edwards said the Chiefs' game plan was simple - get the ball into Johnson's hands as much as possible - even after the fumble.

"Our mindset was, 'Give him the ball,'" Edwards said. "It's no different than when a receiver drops the ball. You've got to throw it right back to him and don't hide from him.

"It shows you've got confidence in him. He came back and he was determined to score, and he did."

Returning from a shoulder injury, Huard completed 25-of-35 passes for 264 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown strike to tight end Tony Gonzalez to give the Chiefs a 10-7 lead with 53 seconds left in the first quarter.

It was Gonzalez's 63rd career touchdown, setting an NFL record for tight ends and topping the mark set by Shannon Sharpe.

"I'm glad it's over with," Gonzalez said. "It's been a long time from when my brother gave me that first football and dragged me by my shirt out on the playing field. The TD ball is definitely going to my brother."

Gonzalez later caught a 26-yard TD pass from Huard to increase Kansas City's lead to 27-10. He finished with nine receptions for 102 yards.

"It's a great honor for him," Huard said. "He truly is the best tight end to ever play the game. It was obvious he was going to get it at some point this year and I'm glad it was today."

Gonzalez was happier that the Chiefs reached the .500 mark. Despite the offensive problems, Kansas City has won three of its last four games.

"I'll take the win," Gonzalez said. "That's the most important thing. Now, it's important that we build on it and get two in a row. We know what we're capable of doing and we know how good we are."

Dave Rayner gave the Chiefs an early 3-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal on their first drive of the game - the first points scored by Kansas City in the first quarter this year.

The Bengals wasted no time responding, marching 73 yards on four plays. Carson Palmer capped the drive with a 42-yard TD pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Palmer completed 26-of-43 passes for 320 yards with two TDs and two interceptions. But the Bengals (1-4) were only 1-of-11 on third-down conversions.

"We're not doing what we need to do on third down," Palmer said. "If you're 1-of-11 on third down, obviously your quarterback isn't playing well. I had plenty of time to throw. We just didn't execute when we needed to."

Palmer connected with Houshmandzadeh for a second touchdown - this one for 30 yards - to cut the Chiefs' lead to 27-17 with 5:03 left in the game.

But that not enough to prevent a fourth straight loss for Cincinnati, matching its longest losing streak since late in 2002 season.

"We're not doing things consistently or completely," Houshmandzadeh said. "Teams that are winning, when they are down, they think 'we're going to win.' I don't know if the doubt is creeping in, but we're not giving ourselves a chance because we're not executing."