PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : Depressed Allen Hints at Retiring

Marcus Allen was one of the last players for Kansas City to take a shower Sunday after the Colts’ unexpected 10-7 AFC divisional playoff victory.

Allen, who rushed for 94 yards in 21 carries and who caught two passes for 21 yards, would not say if he had played his last game of professional football.

“Moments like these make you reflect,” said Allen, who will be 36 by the time next season starts. “Moments like these you don’t want to repeat. I’m just going to take some time to think about it.

“I’m at a crossroad. I don’t know what I’m going to do. This could have been my last game. That’s what’s so painful. I’m going to take some time, go some place warm, play some golf and make a decision.

“I really wanted to go out on top. I’ve done this a long time and put all my heart into it, that’s why it hurts so much.”

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Indianapolis quarterback Jim Harbaugh was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, although he wasn’t on the field during the course of the play in question.

“I was on the sideline when the Chiefs punted,” Harbaugh said. “One of their guys hit one of our guys out of bounds and the referee was running right behind them, so I stuck my hand out and said, ‘Did you see that? Did you see that?’

“I just like put my hand on the referee; I didn’t grab him. OK, I touched him.”

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Quote of the day: “The critics said this would be an easy game,” said Zack Crockett, Indianapolis running back. “We came, we conquered. What else can you say?”

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Coach Marty Schottenheimer pulled starting quarterback Steve Bono from the game with 4:12 remaining and Kansas City trailing, 10-7. Schottenheimer gave the ball to Rich Gannon, who had replaced Bono in the season-opener after the Chiefs took a 34-10 lead over Seattle, and then he relieved an injured Bono in early December against the Raiders, completing seven of 11 passes for 57 yards and running for a 12-yard touchdown.

Gannon completed five of eight passes against the Colts for 30 yards, but made a shaky decision on third and 10 from the Indianapolis 25-yard line with 48 seconds to play.

Instead of going short for a first down or improved yardage for Lin Elliott’s field-goal try to tie the game, Gannon went for the touchdown with a toss to Lake Dawson in the end zone. Gannon’s throw was high, although Dawson got both hands on the ball, before it fell incomplete.

“We had an opportunity to throw a touchdown and win the game right there,” said Schottenheimer in defense of Gannon. “The receiver was open and we made a pretty good throw. The defender made a pretty good play. That’s part of the read. I had no problem with the throw.”

Out came Elliott, and there went the Chiefs’ Super Bowl hopes.

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Schottenheimer, who has a 72-39-1 regular-season record with Kansas City, has guided the Chiefs to six-consecutive playoff appearances.

Schottenheimer left Cleveland to come to Kansas City because he could not get the Browns into the Super Bowl despite making it to the AFC championship game twice. He took the Chiefs to the AFC championship game in 1993, but also lost that opportunity to move on to the Super Bowl.

But was Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis the most disappointing of his career?

“It’s hard to compare those,” he said. “I think that the moment they took place they were all very, very disappointing. I don’t think I could accurately rank them.

“You get here and you have to find a way to make plays in a timely fashion. You can’t turn the football over. And, given the opportunity to make some kicks, you have to make some kicks.”

And what could Schottenheimer say about his kicker, Lin Elliott, who missed three field goals?

“He had a bad day,” Schottenheimer said. “If you don’t make plays in this business you go home.”