Holmes Carries the Chiefs Again

Priest Holmes gave Kansas City yet another stellar fourth-quarter finish.

The running back caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Trent Green with 27 seconds left as the Chiefs beat the New York Jets, 29-25, Sunday.

Holmes was unstoppable as a back and receiver.

He ran for 152 yards and a touchdown against the league’s next-to-worst rushing defense, and also caught nine passes for 81 yards and the winning score.

Holmes refused to talk after the game, so Green gushed instead.

“What can’t he do?” said Green, who went 23 for 33 for 296 yards and two touchdowns. “‘Teams are going to be focused on him as a running back, so his ability to catch the ball is going to make him that much more valuable.”

His value to the Chiefs has been immeasurable this season. While the Jets focused on Tony Gonzalez throughout the game and limited him to four receptions for 25 yards, Holmes dominated.

On the winning drive, Holmes either ran the ball or had a reception on six of the 10 plays.

“You’ve got to find a way to stop him,” linebacker James Darling said. “We just needed one more play at the end. If we make that play, and make them kick a field goal, we go into overtime and you never know what happens.”

The Chiefs (3-2) have thrived in the fourth quarter this season. Against the Jets (1-4), the Chiefs scored 14 points in the final quarter and have scored a league-leading 85 fourth-quarter points.

They needed it Sunday to overcome two deficits.

“The fourth quarter as been good to us all year,” Kansas City Coach Dick Vermeil said. “On that last drive, they went on the field with confidence that they could score and it showed.”

With the game tied at 15 entering the fourth quarter, Chad Pennington threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Santana Moss to give the Jets a 22-15 lead. It was Moss’ first career touchdown.

The Chiefs answered on their next possession, when Green threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Dante Hall with 10:15 left to tie the game at 22.

John Hall kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:54 remaining to give the Jets a 25-22 lead, but Kansas City marched 78 yards in 10 plays for the winning score.

Meanwhile, the Jets’ Curtis Martin had his first 100-yard game of the season, gaining 119 yards. Chad Pennington went 23 of 30 for 245 yards in his first career start, replacing the ineffective Vinny Testaverde.