Allen Helps Chiefs Run Past Lions, 28-24

Marcus Allen says records are nice, yet winning is better. He experienced both Thursday.

Allen rushed for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 46 seconds remaining, sending the Kansas City Chiefs to a 28-24 victory and ending the Detroit Lions’ slim playoff hopes.

Allen now has 112 rushing touchdowns, bettering the old mark of 110 he had shared with Walter Payton.

“The second touchdown was better, because we really needed the win after last week,” said Allen, who finished with 73 yards in 15 carries. “Records are made to be broken, and there is already someone on my heels, so I feel like I’m just borrowing the record.”

Allen was alluding to Emmitt Smith, who scored three touchdowns later Thursday to help the Cowboys defeat Washington, 21-10, and now has 108 rushing touchdowns.

The Chiefs also ended any quarterback controversy that might have grown from Coach Marty Schottenheimer’s decision earlier in the week to start Rich Gannon ahead of Steve Bono.

Gannon, who was given the job because of his mobility, scrambled for 45 of the 243 rushing yards for Kansas City (9-4). Gannon also completed 15 of 18 passes for 120 yards without an interception. He threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Chris Penn and a nine-yard scoring pass to Derrick Walker.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we won,” Gannon said. “I have to give a lot of credit to the offensive line, because they just pounded the Detroit defense. We ran the ball a ton, and they really came through.”

Detroit (5-8) needed another miracle finish to take the heat off embattled Coach Wayne Fontes. Instead, the Lions have lost six of seven after starting the season 4-2.

“We need to play defense,” Fontes said. “That’s the bottom line. You look at the teams that win championships or just win. They have the quarterback and the running back and we have those. What makes those teams different is when their defenses go on the field they stop people.”

The Lions couldn’t do that in the clutch. The Chiefs ran the ball on 12 of 15 plays during their 76-yard drive for Allen’s winning touchdown. They ran 7:55 off the clock in the process.

The Chiefs also played solid defense. They intercepted three passes, one by Barry Sanders who was trying to throw a floater to Herman Moore in the end zone.

Sanders had 77 yards in 20 carries, including a 13-yard touchdown dash.

A 21-yard field goal by Jason Hanson gave Detroit a 24-21 lead with 8:41 left in the fourth quarter. Thereafter, it was all Kansas City.

Gannon set the tone for the Chiefs’ winning drive with a 16-yard scramble on the first play. Then he began handing the ball off to Greg Hill, who ran through the Lions’ defense behind solid blocking from the offensive line.

Hill, who had 103 yards in 17 carries, ran seven times for 29 yards during the clinching drive. After a seven-yard run by Hill gave Kansas City first and goal at the two, Allen returned.

Allen was stopped a yard short on his first carry, then soared over the top for the winning touchdown.

“If he hadn’t gotten in on that play, we would have run the exact same play again,” Schottenheimer said. “And Marcus would have found a way to get in.”

Allen got No. 111 at 11:11 of the first quarter. He helped set up the record-breaking score with a 35-yard run, then followed a lead block by fullback Tony Richardson into the end zone.

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Run to Glory

Marcus Allen became the NFL’s all-time rushing touchdown leader with two touchdowns Thursday. Emmitt Smith, with three touchdowns Thursday, moved into third:

TDs: Player

112: Marcus Allen

110: Walter Payton

108: Emmitt Smith

106: Jim Brown

105: John Riggins