Backups Answer the Call

A handful of former backups and a kickoff specialist helped the Kansas City Chiefs pull out a last-minute victory.

Four key players in the Chiefs’ 24-22 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Sunday were backups two weeks ago. Two made their first starts Sunday.

And the final hero hadn’t kicked a field goal in more than two years.

Michael Husted, a kickoff specialist who became Kansas City’s kicker a few days earlier when Morten Andersen went out with a nagging knee injury, made a 38-yard field goal with 1:08 left to lift Kansas City (8-7).

The field goal was Husted’s first since Oct. 7, 2000, when he was with Washington.

“The thing is not to have too much going on in your mind,” Husted said. “That’s when the preparation of the night before, the week before -- in my case, the year and a half before -- comes into play.”

Playing without all-pro running back Priest Holmes, the Chiefs clinched their first non-losing season in three years and handed San Diego its third consecutive loss. The Chargers, in their first season under Marty Schottenheimer, fell to 8-7 after starting 6-1.

“The bottom line is that right now we aren’t playing well enough to win,” said Schottenheimer, whose 10-year tenure in Kansas City ended with his resignation after the 1998 season. “That’s an obvious statement.”

Two of the Chiefs’ scoring drives, including the game-winner, started at or inside their three-yard line. The first time, Trent Green passed to Marc Boerigter -- who became a starter two weeks ago -- for a 99-yard touchdown that tied the NFL record for longest completion.