Kansas City Finally Gets Its Rematch : AFC: The Chiefs have struggled since their double-overtime loss to the Dolphins 19 years ago.

The Christmas meal went cold as sudden death lingered.

The first overtime ended, the second began as Kansas City and Miami worked fruitlessly for victory in the 1971 American Football Conference playoffs.

“At one point in the second overtime, I found Nick Buoniconti resting on top of me,” Ed Podolak, former Chief running back, recalled. “I remember looking up at him and saying, ‘Do you think this thing will ever end?’

“It ended, all right, with the wrong side winning. Looking back, it was kind of a turning point for both teams. It was the rise of Miami dominance and the beginning of the end for the Chiefs.”

Despite Podolak’s 350 all-purpose yards that Christmas Day, the Dolphins won, 27-24, in double overtime--in the NFL’s longest game.

“One of the great ones ever played,” Miami Coach Don Shula said. “It’s been a long time.”

The wait for the playoff rematch has stretched to 19 years. Today, the Chiefs (11-5), who have made only one playoff appearance--in 1986--since losing to the Dolphins in ‘71, will play the Dolphins (12-4) in an AFC wild-card game at Joe Robbie Stadium.

The winner will draw the Raiders, if Houston defeats Cincinnati on Sunday; if Cincinnati wins, Buffalo beckons.

“I’m having fun, and I don’t want it to end,” said Kansas City quarterback Steve DeBerg, who started and lost his only other playoff game while with the Denver Broncos in 1983. “There’s a feeling here now that something special is happening.”

The reconstructed Chiefs, under Coach Marty Schottenheimer, won four of their final five games last season, including two victories over the Dolphins. They wrapped up this season with six victories in their final seven games.

“They’re even better than they were last year,” Shula said. “They have Barry Word, and that gives them a one-two running punch with Christian Okoye.

“I can remember standing on the sideline in Kansas City last year a couple of minutes before halftime and them announcing Okoye had over 100 yards rushing. To think it was only halftime, that shook you up.”

Okoye, on his way to winning the NFL rushing title with 1,480 yards last season, gained 246 yards in 58 carries in the two games against the Dolphins. A sore shoulder limited Okoye to 805 yards this season, but Word came on to gain 1,105 yards.

“There’s no question what their game plan will be--we’ll face a double-barreled running attack,” Shula said. “In games we’ve lost this year, run defense has been a problem. I’m sure Kansas City is aware of that.”

In the past month against Miami’s defense, Indianapolis’ Eric Dickerson ran for 110 yards, Buffalo’s Thurman Thomas gained 154, and Washington’s Earnest Byner picked up 157.

While needing bulk up front to contend with the 248-pound Word and the 260-pound Okoye, the Dolphins learned this week they might be without 285-pound nose tackle Shawn Lee, who suffered back spasms Thursday and remained in the hospital Friday.

“If they’re successful running the ball, it’s over,” Miami cornerback Tim McKyer said.

McKyer, who was acquired from the San Francisco 49ers, has become the Dolphins’ self-appointed magpie. He said the Chiefs’ highly regarded secondary was “suspect,” because Houston’s Warren Moon passed for 527 yards.

Chief cornerback Albert Lewis called McKyer “ignorant” and said: “McKyer’s mouth was functioning a lot faster than his brain.”

McKyer’s teammates joined the fray, but their squabble was with McKyer.

Quarterback Dan Marino said McKyer “talks too much,” and linebacker E.J. Junior said: “Eventually, he can lose respect, if he hasn’t already.”

The Chiefs, however, haven’t exactly been Trappist monks this week. Posted on the Dolphin bulletin board are Kansas City linebacker Derrick Thomas’ travel plans: “We’ll pack our bags and go to Miami, and we’ll see the Raiders in two weeks.”

But to leave Miami victorious, Thomas & Co. will have to contain running back Sammie Smith and Marino. No day at the beach.

Smith ran for 831 yards and eight touchdowns, but against physical teams such as the New York Giants, Raiders, Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills, he averaged 11 rushing yards a game.

If forced to pass, the ball goes to the quarterback with the quick release. “Then we got our hands full,” Kansas City cornerback Kevin Ross said.

The Chiefs’ secondary, though, has four starters with Pro Bowl experience. The secondary relies on the man-to-man coverage of Lewis and Ross.

“We play a very high-risk defense with so much man-to-man,” Lewis said. “Any time you take chances like that, you’re going to occasionally have a game like we did against Houston.”

The Chiefs ranked 17th in the league against the pass, but take away Moon’s barrage, and Kansas City would have stood ninth.

“Our man-to-man coverage allows us to rush more people,” Schottenheimer said. “You see the results.”

The Chiefs led the league in sacks with 60, and Thomas took individual honors with 20. But they will attack a Dolphin offensive line that allowed only 16 sacks--fewest in the league.

“Marino, (Mark) Clayton, (Mark) Duper,” Schottenheimer said. “Those people light it up most every week. You are going to be running with a guy and think you have him covered, and Marino is going to get him the ball anyway.”

It has also been that kind of season for a vagabond DeBerg, who has 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

He broke his left little finger against Houston, and it has been repaired with the aid of three pins. Since being injured, DeBerg has completed 44 of 59 passes for 527 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

“Last season when they benched me and started Steve Pelluer, I seriously considered retiring,” DeBerg said. “But I’m not thinking about retiring now. I know I’m playing next year.”

Maybe next week, too.