Chiefs Keep Cowboys From Title

The Kansas City Chiefs are making the most of the unfamiliar role of spoiler.

Making full use of two turnovers and Rich Gannon’s nimble running, the Chiefs held on for a 20-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, allowing Coach Marty Schottenheimer to move into 11th place on the NFL’s career victory list and preventing the Cowboys from clinching the NFC East.

“It was rather characteristic of the way we like to play,” said Schottenheimer, whose 143 victories moved him past Marv Levy. “It’s not always pretty, but we kept staying the course and we made enough plays to get the job done.”

The Chiefs (6-8) converted a Dallas fumble and interception in the third quarter into a one-yard touchdown run by Bam Morris and a nine-yard scoring run by Gannon that led to the Cowboys’ third consecutive loss.

Dallas, playing again without injured cornerbacks Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith, answered the Chiefs’ two third-quarter touchdowns with two of their own in the fourth quarter on Troy Aikman’s touchdown passes of eight yards to Emmitt Smith and 28 yards to Patrick Jeffers.

But Pete Stoyanovich’s 43-yard field goal and the running of Morris, who had 137 yards in 27 carries, proved the difference for the Chiefs.

The Cowboys (8-6) are only one game ahead of Arizona in their division, although they do hold the tiebreaker over the Cardinals.

“We’ve got to get ourselves organized and regrouped and whatever other term you want to use and get ready to go win a football game and fight our way into the playoffs,” Coach Chan Gailey said.