Krieg Picks Up Seattle, Sets Down Oilers, 27-24

Dave Krieg came back and the Seattle Seahawks’ offense came with him.

Krieg, who missed 7 games with a separated right shoulder, led the Seahawks to Norm Johnson’s 46-yard field goal with 1 second left and a 27-24 victory over the Houston Oilers.

“I’m just excited about Dave coming back and playing,” said running back John L. Williams, who gained 102 yards in 13 carries.

“We can do some things we weren’t able to do with Kelly (Stouffer). Krieg’s experience allows us to open things up a little more.”

Krieg completed 14 of 26 passes for 188 yards and revitalized a Seattle offense that struggled in recent weeks behind Stouffer, a rookie. Krieg drove the Seahawks 53 yards in 10 plays to set up the winning kick.

Seattle (6-5), which remained tied with the Raiders and Denver for the AFC West lead, started the season 2-1 before Krieg was injured in a loss to San Francisco. The Seahawks were 3-4 with Krieg out.

“One guy doesn’t make that big a difference, but I was just happy to get out there and be able to contribute a little bit,” Krieg said. “To win in the fashion we did was very exciting.”

The defeat kept the Oilers (7-4) from moving into a first-place tie with Cincinnati in the AFC Central.

Houston outgained Seattle, 419 yards to 365, but was forced to punt the ball to the Seahawks with 4:50 left.

“We executed very well offensively, that’s what’s frustrating,” Houston quarterback Warren Moon said. “They never really stopped us until the one time they had to.”

Seattle tied the score, 24-24, on Williams’ 44-yard touchdown run with 8:17 left after the Oilers took the lead on Moon’s 11-yard run with 11:47 remaining.

In the third quarter, the Oilers scored on Allen Pinkett’s 2-yard run, but the Seahawks came right back to tie it, 17-17, on Curt Warner’s 3-yard touchdown run.

In the first half, Moon and Drew Hill combined on a 57-yard scoring pass play and Tony Zendejas kicked a 52-yard field goal for Houston, while Johnson kicked a 40-yard field goal and Krieg hit Brian Blades on a 23-yard touchdown pass for Seattle.

This was a rematch of last year’s AFC wild card game, which Houston won, 23-20, in overtime.