Chiefs Beat the Raiders Again, 27-24, Gain Edge in AFC West

First place was nice while it lasted--10 weeks--but the Raiders officially stepped aside in the AFC West on Sunday by stepping offsides on cue for the Kansas City Chiefs, who juked and pounded their way to a 27-24 victory before 65,170 at the Coliseum.

If this was how the West is eventually lost--and it’s not looking so good at the moment--the Raiders can ponder two fumbles by quarterback Jay Schroeder, the failure of their defense to make a stand for the second time in a month and a count cadence by Chief quarterback Steve DeBerg that made human jumping beans of the Raiders’ defensive line.

The flame of hope still burns in the Raider locker room, but the Chiefs managed to turn down the wick.

“This would be a shocker, a disaster, if this were the end of the season,” linebacker Jerry Robinson offered. “But this is not the end of the season.”

True, five more games remain and, technically, the Chiefs and Raiders are deadlocked in the division at 7-4. But Kansas City’s series sweep gives it the important tiebreaker advantage should the season end this way.

That makes two losses to the Chiefs by a total of five points, but if those five points could talk. . . .

Remember Nov. 4? The Raiders trailed by two points and needed a defensive stop to get the ball back. The Chiefs took over with 3:08 left and ran out the clock.

Sunday, it was more of the same after the Raiders had rallied to cut the lead to three points on an 81-yard, late-quarter scoring drive led by backup quarterback Vince Evans, who replaced Schroeder after he twisted his left knee on series’ first play.

Kansas City took over at its 20 with 4:09 left. The Raider defense, the soul of this season, needed a stand. The crowd did what it could. The Chiefs paid no mind. On third and five with 3:48 left, DeBerg found receiver Robb Thomas for six yards and a first down.

Then came third and nine at the 33 at the two-minute warning. The Chiefs lined up in the shotgun. The Raiders smelled pass. Todd McNair flanked DeBerg’s left side, a presumed blocker. When DeBerg read handoff from the sideline signal he said he almost changed the play. Instead, he handed to McNair as ordered, and McNair bounced outside for 13 yards. End of game.

The defense buried heads into hands in the locker room. Looking back, there would be 50 or plays the Raiders wished they could play over, starting late in the second quarter when safety Eddie Anderson dropped a potential interception at his one-yard line. Anderson had dropped to his knees to corral the DeBerg overthrow, which seemed as catchable as a pillow.

On the next play, DeBerg burned the Raiders for a 19-yard scoring pass to Emile Harry. The play would be lost in a chaotic second half, when the Raiders tried to steal back a game they had given away.

Schroeder got the ball rolling, literally, on the first series in a 10-10 tie when he fumbled trying to scramble from his 35. Linebacker Derrick Thomas recovered and returned the ball 14 yards to the Raider 11, from which DeBerg found fullback Bill Jones on a scoring pass.

The Raiders tried to shake it off, countering with a 72-yard scoring drive that ended with Marcus Allen’s 10-yard scoring run with 6:47 left in the third quarter.

The Chiefs countered with a 71-yard drive and a 36-yard field goal to make the score 20-17.

Then, a string of Raider horrors.

After driving back to the Chiefs’ 30, poised to take the lead back, Schroeder fumbled again. He e offered no excuses.

“I was trying to get down,” he said. “I was trying to re-grip the ball so I wouldn’t fumble. Then I end up fumbling.”

The crowd wasn’t so forgiving. It booed Schroeder’s every step to the sideline.

Kansas City might not have needed help on its game-winning drive, but the Raiders offered plenty. Four times on the 73-yard drive, the Raiders were called for encroachment, giving the Chiefs four first-and-five situations. Defensive end Howie Long and nose tackle Bob Golic were called two times each for the infraction. Long was called four times for the same foul, five times in two weeks.

The Chiefs cruised, capping the drive with an 11-yard scoring pass from DeBerg to Jones for a 27-17 lead with 6:32 remaining.

Things were touchy in the Raider locker room. Asked about the four encroachments, defensive end Greg Townsend replied, “I didn’t jump.”

Long refused comment. Golic, normally as quotable as Shakespeare, was despondent.

“We let emotions and adrenaline get the best of us,” Golic said. “We’re taught to watch the ball. . . . I helped them a lot by jumping offsides. I can’t believe it.”

Despite the errors, the Raiders nearly rallied with Evans, an unlikely hero who hadn’t played a down all season. When Schroeder’s knee was twisted by defensive end Neil Smith, Evans came into the game and had the Raiders in the end zone in four plays, the key play being a 36-yard pass to Ethan Horton to the Kansas City 18.

From there, Allen ran 13 yards to the five. Kansas City called time out with 4:23 left. Schroeder, his knee taped, hobbled from the bench and tried to get back in the game, only to be denied by Coach Art Shell.

Schroeder didn’t argue.

“I got the leg wrapped up again, but they never really asked me if I was ready to go back in,” he said. “But you’ve got to support the guy in there.”

So, Evans handed to Allen, who scored his third touchdown of the day on a five-yard run with 4:19 left.

Evans was hoping he’d get a chance to be a hero.

“Vince Evans would have been our quarterback at the end of the game if we would have gotten the ball back,” Shell said. “But we didn’t get it done.”

Evans said the Raiders would have scored had the Raider defense held.

“We were discussing strategy in case we did get it back one more time,” Evans said. “Everyone was pumped up to go back on the field.”

Raider Notes

Quarterback Jay Schroeder said he was going to have tests performed on his left knee Sunday night, but he did not expect the injury to be serious. “I don’t think it’s anything major,” he said. “I just think it’s sore.” . . . Marcus Allen had touchdown runs of three, 10 and five yards. He led the Raiders with 76 yards on 15 carries. Bo Jackson carried only nine times for 25 yards. . . . The Chiefs sacked Schroeder five times. Schroeder completed nine of 18 passes for 202 yards with no interceptions or touchdowns. Kansas City quarterback Steve DeBerg finished 12 of 21 for 149 yards and three touchdowns. . . . The Raiders outgained the Chiefs, 366 yards to 239. . . . The Raiders were penalized nine times for 50 yards. . . . Quarterback Steve Beuerlein and defensive tackle Mike Charles were inactive for Sunday’s game. . . . After winning his first 10 games at the Coliseum, Coach Art Shell has lost two in a row. . . . After starting 6-1, the Raiders have lost three of their last four games. . . . Jeff Jaeger made a 50-yard field-goal attempt and had a 48-yard attempt blocked.

* HE’S A KEEPER: Journeyman Steve DeBerg has found a home in Kansas City. Chris Baker’s story, C14.

* MIKE DOWNEY: Vince Evans didn’t look rusty when he came off the bench in the fourth quarter. Column, C15.