Chiefs’ Saleaumua Throws His Weight Around : Pro football: Defensive lineman scores on one fumble, forces another to beat the Packers, 23-16.

With no Joe Montana, the Kansas City Chiefs needed the defense to provide some offense. So nose tackle Dan Saleaumua took over.

Saleaumua picked up a fumble and ran 16 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. The ball had been stripped from Brett Favre by Derrick Thomas to start the Chiefs on a 17-point run that sent them to a 23-16 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.

Then the 6-foot, 315-pound Saleaumua forced a fumble by Darrell Thompson that Tracy Rogers recovered in the end zone as the Packers threatened to go ahead with slightly less than six minutes left. An interception by Martin Bayless, Kansas City’s third of the game, ended Green Bay’s final threat with 1:40 to play.

“It just goes to prove that you can be 315 pounds and still score a touchdown,” Saleaumua said. “There ain’t no weight limit.”

The victory kept the Chiefs (6-2) in first place in the AFC West a game ahead of the Raiders and ended a three-game winning streak for the Packers (4-4).

Kansas City’s offense was limited to 60 yards in the first half and its only points, on a 23-yard field goal by Nick Lowery, came after Kevin Ross’ interception and 48-yard return.

Green Bay, meanwhile, settled for Chris Jacke’s field goals of 23, 51 and 19 yards and led by 9-3 at halftime.

Then, on Green Bay’s first offensive play after intermission, Thomas broke behind Favre and swiped at the ball, knocking it at the feet of Saleaumua. He grabbed it and went into the end zone to give the Chiefs the lead.

“You know how you’re watching TV and all of a sudden it goes into slow motion?” Saleaumua said. “I saw Derrick coming around the corner and the quarterback holding the ball and said, ‘He’s going to knock it loose.’ It came right to me and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to run it in, not fall on it.’ See, big guys can run.”

Said Green Bay center Frank Winters, a former Chief: “It was a great play by a great player.”

After the Chiefs took a 13-9 lead on a 34-yard field goal by Lowery, the Chiefs made the score 20-9 only 1:06 into the fourth quarter after a 76-yard drive. The key play was a 32-yard pass from Dave Krieg to J.J. Birden that put the ball at the Green Bay four.

But 55 seconds after the Chiefs scored, Green Bay pulled to 20-16. Marcus Wilson returned the kickoff 37 yards to the 45. Next, Favre found Sterling Sharpe for 21 yards and then Jackie Harris all alone for a 35-yard scoring pass play.

Krieg, starting while Montana rested his pulled hamstring, was 17 of 30 for 170 yards and was sacked four times, three times by Bryce Paup.