Vikings Keep Chances Alive With a Victory : Interconference: Minnesota stays in playoff picture after defeating Kansas City, 30-10.

The Minnesota Vikings desperately needed a victory and played like it. Kansas City had much less at stake and it showed.

Jim McMahon outplayed Joe Montana on Sunday night, helping the Minnesota Vikings improve their playoff possibilities with a 30-10 victory over the Chiefs.

“They talk a lot about Joe in December,” Viking Coach Dennis Green said. “But Jim has been a good playoff-drive quarterback, too.”

Kansas City (10-5) learned earlier Sunday it already had clinched its first AFC West title since 1971 because rivals Denver and Los Angeles lost.

The Vikings, whose chances of repeating as NFC Central champions ended when both Green Bay and Detroit won earlier Sunday, took a one-game lead over New Orleans and Philadelphia in the bid for the final wild-card berth.

McMahon has five touchdown passes in the last two weeks after getting only three in his first nine starts. The 34-year-old quarterback, signed as a free agent in the off-season, completed two touchdown pass plays to Cris Carter for the second consecutive week.

McMahon completed 17 of 25 passes for 219 yards and again got great support from Scottie Graham and the running game. Graham, out of football three months ago, gained 166 yards and tied a team record with 33 carries. Last week against Green Bay, he rushed for 139 yards in 30 tries.

Meanwhile, Montana and the Chiefs’ offense rarely budged the NFL’s second-ranked defense.

Montana, 37, who came to Kansas City in a highly publicized trade with San Francisco, completed 17 of 24 passes for 121 yards.

The Chiefs had only 37 yards to 205 by Minnesota.