Grbac Is in Spirit of Game

Good things always seem to happen to Elvis Grbac in St. Louis.

Grbac, who won his first career start in the city in 1995, is 3-0 on the road against the St. Louis Rams after leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a 28-20 victory Sunday.

“It’s always nice to come to St. Louis and play . . . but it changes every year,” said Grbac, whose first two victories over the Rams came as a member of the San Francisco 49ers. “They’ve got new coaches and a new defensive philosophy and new players.

“They’ve got a hell of a defense now. Their offense just has to catch up a little.”

In the first regular-season meeting between the teams since the Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, the Chiefs were bolstered by busloads of fans who traveled across the state to watch them play.

“It felt like a college bowl atmosphere,” Ram defensive tackle D’Marco Farr said. “You could tell it raised the level of play on both sides of the ball.”

The Chiefs (6-2) got four field goals from Pete Stoyanovich and forced four Ram turnovers, which they converted into 14 points.

Grbac was 20 for 37 passing for 204 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.

Marcus Allen added his 117th rushing touchdown, extending his NFL record on a two-yard run in the third quarter to make the score 28-14, and the Chiefs ran out the final 5:07 after Jeff Wilkins’ 49-yard field goal.

Helped by a game plan that featured quick drops and rollouts, second-year quarterback Tony Banks had one of his better statistical games for the Rams (2-6), going 18 for 30 for 268 yards and a touchdown. But Banks also fumbled twice.