THIS WEEK IN CHIEFS HISTORY

Hammock Parties · 12-10-2005, 08:31 PM

Yes, it's that time again, folks. Part 14 of our ongoing 2005 series here at Chiefsplanet...

THIS WEEK IN CHIEFS HISTORY

December 13, 1998

KANSAS CITY 20, DALLAS 17

Lone Star Straits: Dallas looks lackluster in third straight loss

HOWARD RICHMAN
The Kansas City Star

America's Team is fading fast.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has begun to doubt whether the banged-up Cowboys, losers of three straight, are Super Bowl material.

Simply finishing off the division has become tough enough.

Jones held court Sunday in the bowels of Arrowhead Stadium after Dallas fell to the Chiefs 20-17 in a loss that prevented Dallas from clinching the NFC Eastern Division title.

The Cowboys, 8-6, could have won it anyway if Arizona had lost to Philadelphia. But the Cardinals failed to oblige, so the Cowboys never got that free pass to clinch coming through the back door.

"I feel like we've got an excellent chance to win the NFC East,'' Jones said, "and that puts us in the playoffs. The question we really look at is, is this a Super Bowl team?"

"We don't have a lot of people healthy. A lot of people don't have players, and a lot of people still are winning ballgames. Teams are winning with injuries.''

The Cowboys have significant players missing.

Cornerback/wide receiver Deion Sanders, clutching a football, watched in a T-shirt on the sideline. Wide receiver Ernie Mills is out because of an abdomen injury, and wide receiver Michael Irvin was limited to the first half because of a back bruise. He caught just one pass for 9 yards.

Nothing bothered quaty decides, that's OK,'' Gannon said. "I will never put myself in a situation where I ever worry about what happens behind me, or what the coaches' decisions are going to be. I just play football."

"Whatever he decides; I don't worry about what goes on on the sidelines or behind me. My focus is what goes on on the field.''

Gannon took a while to get going Sunday, completing just 13 of 34 passes in the first half. After three weeks of throwing for big gains, his longest pass play was just 20 yards, to fullback Kimble Anders.

Gannon did his biggest damage with his legs.

With the game 3-3 and the Chiefs staring at a third and 10 at the 50, Gannon rolled left, eluded the rush by reversing his field, and then blasted upfield, gaining for 12 yards for the first down.

The Chiefs eventually scored the go-ahead touchdown on the drive, on Bam Morris' 1-yard run.

"The first two receivers weren't open, and I saw the opportunity to come back the other way,'' Gannon said. "I wanted to throw it, obviously, and then there was just a big hole there, and my first concern was to get a first down. The hole kind of opened up, and I took it.''

Gannon gave the Chiefs a 17-3 lead on the next possession when he scored on a 9-yard run. Gannon rolled left, looking for tight end Tony Gonzalez in the end zone, but his mobility froze free safety George Teague.

If Teague stayed with Gonzalez, the running lane to the goal line was clear. If he left Gannon's 9-yard run.

"The interception was on a play-action,'' Aikman said, "and they (the Chiefs) were jamming our guys pretty good. The safety (Woods) was in the middle, and he made up ground. I didn't think he could get over there and make the play on it.''

The Cowboys gained only 93 net yards in the first half, yet finished with 247. Aikman thinks Dallas hasn't lost confidence, but execution is another matter. Unless the Cowboys get healthy, confidence might not carry them to the ultimate destination.

"We've got to battle with the guys we've got,'' Aikman said.

"This was another setback. We've just got to win a football game.''

Chiefs safety Reggie Tongue likes to believe his team, not the Cowboys' injuries, was the reason Dallas continued its slide.

"If anything, Michael (Irvin) going out hurt us because we know he's who they usually go to,'' Tongue said, ``so we had to adjust. I think we created our luck to win. It was what we did out there more than anything they did.''

Code:

NFL     FINAL             1ST  2ND  3RD  4TH     TOTAL
                          ---  ---  ---  ---     -----
        DALLAS              0    3    0   14      17
        KANSAS CITY         3    0   14    3      20     FINAL

    SCORING SUMMARY

    1ST QUARTER: KAN - FG, PETE STOYANOVICH 24 YD, 9:39. Drive: 14 plays,
                           82 yards in 6:23. Key plays: Gannon 15-yard
                           pass to Anders to Kansas City 27; Gannon
                           18-yard pass to Gonzalez on 3rd-and-4 to Dallas
                           49; Morris 25-yard run to Dallas 24. KANSAS
                           CITY 3-0
    2ND QUARTER: DAL - FG, RICHIE CUNNINGHAM 32 YD, 10:39. Drive: 7 plays,
                           17 yards in 2:21. Key plays: Hughes 35-yard
                           punt return to Kansas City 32; Aikman 7-yard
                           pass to Davis to Kansas City 25; Davis 8-yard
                           run on 3rd-and-2 to Kansas City 16. DALLAS 3,
                           KANSAS CITY 3
    3RD QUARTER: KAN - TD, BAM MORRIS 1 YD RUN (PETE STOYANOVICH KICK),
                           10:59. Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards in 7:12. Key
                           plays: Manusky 7-yard return of Hughes fumble
                           to midfield; Gannon 12-yard run on 3rd-and-10
                           to Dallas 38; Gannon 16-yard pass to Alexander
                           on 3rd-and-6 to Dallas 7; Morris 8 carries for
                           26 yards. KANSAS CITY 10-3
                 KAN - TD, RICH GANNON 9 YD RUN (PETE STOYANOVICH KICK),
                           14:23. Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards in 2:57. Key
                           plays: Hasty 28-yard interception return to
                           Dallas 35; Gannon 3-yard pass to Alexander on
                           3rd-and-2 to Dallas 24; Morris 9-yard run to
                           Dallas 15. KANSAS CITY 17-3
    4TH QUARTER: DAL - TD, PATRICK JEFFERS 28 YD PASS FROM TROY AIKMAN
                           (RICHIE CUNNINGHAM KICK), 4:35. Drive: 10
                           plays, 63 yards in 5:12. Key plays: E Smith
                           13-yard run to Kansas City 41; Aikman 12-yard
                           pass on 3rd-and-7 to S Williams to Kansas City
                           28; Aikman 11-yard pass to Jeffers to Kansas
                           City 27. KANSAS CITY 17-10
                 KAN - FG, PETE STOYANOVICH 43 YD, 9:04. Drive: 8 plays,
                           43 yards in 4:29. Key plays: Gannon 17-yard
                           pass to Alexander to Kansas City 46; Gannon
                           17-yard pass to Gonzalez to Dallas 25; Gannon
                           9-yard pass to Morris to Dallas 19; Gannon
                           4-for-5 for 55 yards. KANSAS CITY 20-10
                 DAL - TD, EMMITT SMITH 8 YD PASS FROM TROY AIKMAN (RICHIE
                           CUNNINGHAM KICK), 12:12. Drive: 9 plays, 72
                           yards in 3:08. Key plays: Aikman 12-yard pass
                           to Jeffers to Dallas 40; Aikman 20-yard pass to
                           Davis on 3rd-and-3 to Kansas City 33; Aikman
                           16-yard pass to Jeffers on 3rd-and-1 to Kansas
                           City 8; Aikman 6-for-9 for 72 yards. KANSAS
                           CITY 20-17



TEAM STATISTICS

                              DAL            KAN
                         --------       --------
FIRST DOWNS                    14             23
Rushing                         3             11
Passing                         8             11
Penalty                         3              1
3RD-DOWN EFFICIENCY          5-13           8-18
4TH-DOWN EFFICIENCY           1-1            0-1
TOTAL NET YARDS               247            383
Total plays                    52             79
Average gain                  4.8            4.8
NET YARDS RUSHING              51            183
Rushes                         16             38
Average per rush              3.2            4.8
NET YARDS PASSING             196            200
Completed-attempted         18-35          19-41
Yards per pass                5.4            4.9
Sacked-yards lost             1-3            0-0
Had intercepted                 1              0
PUNTS-AVERAGE              6-36.5         5-44.0
RETURN YARDAGE                175            111
Punts-returns                4-66            1-1
Kickoffs-returns            5-109           4-82
Interceptions-returns         0-0           1-28
PENALTIES-YARDS              5-31          12-75
FUMBLES-LOST                  1-1            0-0
TIME OF POSSESSION          22:40          37:20


PLAYER STATISTICS

Missed field goals:  None.

Dallas rushing: Emmitt Smith 14-42, Billy Davis 1-8, Michael Irvin
1-1. 

Kansas City rushing: Bam Morris 27-137, Rich Gannon 6-23, Kimble
Anders 3-17, Donnell Bennett 2-6.

Dallas passing: Troy Aikman 18-35 for 199 yards, 1 INT, 2 TD. 

Kansas City passing: Rich Gannon 19-41 for 200 yards, 0 INT, 0 TD.

Dallas receiving: Patrick Jeffers 5-74, Emmitt Smith 4-41, Eric
Bjornson 3-16, Billy Davis 2-27, Jeff Ogden 2-20, Sherman Williams
1-12, Michael Irvin 1-9. 

Kansas City receiving: Tony Gonzalez 5-65, Derrick Alexander 5-53,
Kimble Anders 4-39, Bam Morris 2-18, Andre Rison 1-11, Joe Horn 1-9,
Donnell Bennett 1-5.

That concludes this week's look back in...CHIEFS HISTORY.

Hammock Parties · 12-10-2005, 08:32 PM

We also regret to inform our readers that TWICH no longer has access to photos from old Chiefs games via the site:

http://www.kcstar.com/sports/chiefs98/photos/

The bastards at the KC Star took it down.

Perhaps a mass-emailing campaign from Chiefs fans is in order to get it back.

**007** · 12-10-2005, 08:32 PM

That was a nice win to see in person.

Hammock Parties · 12-10-2005, 08:39 PM

Here's another article.

Chiefs return to old form in win over Cowboys

By RICK DEAN
The Capital-Journal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Reggie Tongue prefers to think of this team as "the new and improved 1998 Chiefs." But defensive teammate Donnie Edwards had the more accurate description.

"Did you see the old Chiefs out there today?" he asked rhetorically.

Yes, the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs, a team that has invented ways to lose in this 6-8 season, showed up Sunday like the 1997 version that had the ability and confidence to win close games during a 13-3 campaign.

The team Chiefs players, coaches and fans expected to see when training camp opened last July was on display here Sunday in a 20-17 victory over NFC East leader Dallas.

Offensively, the Chiefs displayed their best run-pass balance of the year. Rich Gannon threw for 200 yards and Bam Morris ran for 137 of the team's season-high 183 rushing yards. Combined, they produced a ball-control offense that kept Dallas' potent offense off the field for almost 37 1/2 minutes.

On special teams, the Chiefs made two huge plays that should have produced points, though only one did.

The Chiefs frittered away Brian Roche's blocked punt just before halftime when Tony Richardson was penalized 15 yards for a celebratory spike. Moved back from the 18 to the 33 with only 29 seconds left, the out-of-timeouts Chiefs ran out of time before they could get off a field goal.

But they converted the second special teams turnover -- Greg Manusky's recovery of Tyrone Davis' fumbled punt return -- into a 50-yard drive for a Morris TD and a 10-3 third-quarter lead.

Defensively, the fly-to-the-ball defense of '97, the one that gave up the fewest points in the NFL last year, returned. Kansas City held future Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith to only 42 yards and held quarterback Troy Aikman in check for the first three quarters.

They also produced a big turnover -- Jerome Woods' third-quarter interception and 28-yard return -- that set up a 35-yard drive for a touchdown, a 9-yard Gannon bootleg that gave them a 17-3 lead.

But Aikman would not be held down forever.

Trailing 17-3 at the end of three quarters, the Cowboys' quarterback responded by burning the Chiefs' defense for 14 fourth-quarter points. His 8-yard TD pass to Smith cut the Chiefs' lead to the final 20-17 margin with 2:48 left to play.

The '98 Chiefs might have found a way to lose at that point. Instead, they trotted out a remnant from 1997 -- a kill-the-clock running game that never let Aikman and Smith back on the field.

Morris pounded out 35 yards on four straight carries that produced two first downs. Dallas was forced to use its three timeouts, and the Chiefs had the pleasure of kneeling down on the game's final two plays.

Somebody actually suggested to Marty Schottenheimer afterward that his 100th victory in Kansas City was "kind of ugly."

The words were music to his ears.

"That's the way we play," he said proudly.

For though it took most of the first half to do so, the Chiefs rediscovered their winning identity. Gannon threw 34 times in the first half alone -- a number that usually represents Kansas City's passing attempts for an entire game. That offense, however, produced only a first-quarter 24-yard Pete Stoyanovich field goal and a 3-3 tie at halftime.

That's when Kansas City trotted out the staple of its successful teams in the past.

"We got a little bit out of sorts in the first half," Schottenheimer said. "At the half, Jimmy (Raye, offensive coordinator) and I decided to come back with the running game because we felt the opportunities were there."

Morris ran eight times and Gannon had a big 12-yard third-down scramble on the 11-play TD drive set up by Manusky's fumble recovery. Then after Woods' pick and 28-yard return to the Cowboys 35, the Chiefs ran six straight times before Gannon scored on the bootleg with 37 seconds left in the third quarter.

The ending was ugly as Aikman sliced up the Chiefs' secondary. A 63-yard drive ended with a 28-yard TD strike to Patrick Jeffers on a fourth-and-10 play. He later capped a 72-yard drive with the TD pass to Smith with 2:48 left.

In between those drives, though, Morris ran and Gannon threw effectively in a 43-yard drive for a 43-yard Stoyanovich field goal that boosted the Chiefs' lead to 20-10 with 5:56 left. Just enough points to stand up at the end.

"They made a few plays on us," Schottenheimer acknowledged, "but if you don't turn the ball over, if you can run the ball and make some first downs and play tough defense, and if the kicking game is there, you're going to have a chance to win."

About time they figured it out.

12-10-2005, 08:31 PM
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4390478	THIS WEEK IN CHIEFS HISTORY Yes, it's that time again, folks. Part 14 of our ongoing 2005 series here at Chiefsplanet... THIS WEEK IN CHIEFS HISTORY December 13, 1998 KANSAS CITY 20, DALLAS 17 Lone Star Straits: Dallas looks lackluster in third straight loss HOWARD RICHMAN The Kansas City Star America's Team is fading fast. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has begun to doubt whether the banged-up Cowboys, losers of three straight, are Super Bowl material. Simply finishing off the division has become tough enough. Jones held court Sunday in the bowels of Arrowhead Stadium after Dallas fell to the Chiefs 20-17 in a loss that prevented Dallas from clinching the NFC Eastern Division title. The Cowboys, 8-6, could have won it anyway if Arizona had lost to Philadelphia. But the Cardinals failed to oblige, so the Cowboys never got that free pass to clinch coming through the back door. "I feel like we've got an excellent chance to win the NFC East,'' Jones said, "and that puts us in the playoffs. The question we really look at is, is this a Super Bowl team?" "We don't have a lot of people healthy. A lot of people don't have players, and a lot of people still are winning ballgames. Teams are winning with injuries.'' The Cowboys have significant players missing. Cornerback/wide receiver Deion Sanders, clutching a football, watched in a T-shirt on the sideline. Wide receiver Ernie Mills is out because of an abdomen injury, and wide receiver Michael Irvin was limited to the first half because of a back bruise. He caught just one pass for 9 yards. Nothing bothered quaty decides, that's OK,'' Gannon said. "I will never put myself in a situation where I ever worry about what happens behind me, or what the coaches' decisions are going to be. I just play football." "Whatever he decides; I don't worry about what goes on on the sidelines or behind me. My focus is what goes on on the field.'' Gannon took a while to get going Sunday, completing just 13 of 34 passes in the first half. After three weeks of throwing for big gains, his longest pass play was just 20 yards, to fullback Kimble Anders. Gannon did his biggest damage with his legs. With the game 3-3 and the Chiefs staring at a third and 10 at the 50, Gannon rolled left, eluded the rush by reversing his field, and then blasted upfield, gaining for 12 yards for the first down. The Chiefs eventually scored the go-ahead touchdown on the drive, on Bam Morris' 1-yard run. "The first two receivers weren't open, and I saw the opportunity to come back the other way,'' Gannon said. "I wanted to throw it, obviously, and then there was just a big hole there, and my first concern was to get a first down. The hole kind of opened up, and I took it.'' Gannon gave the Chiefs a 17-3 lead on the next possession when he scored on a 9-yard run. Gannon rolled left, looking for tight end Tony Gonzalez in the end zone, but his mobility froze free safety George Teague. If Teague stayed with Gonzalez, the running lane to the goal line was clear. If he left Gannon's 9-yard run. "The interception was on a play-action,'' Aikman said, "and they (the Chiefs) were jamming our guys pretty good. The safety (Woods) was in the middle, and he made up ground. I didn't think he could get over there and make the play on it.'' The Cowboys gained only 93 net yards in the first half, yet finished with 247. Aikman thinks Dallas hasn't lost confidence, but execution is another matter. Unless the Cowboys get healthy, confidence might not carry them to the ultimate destination. "We've got to battle with the guys we've got,'' Aikman said. "This was another setback. We've just got to win a football game.'' Chiefs safety Reggie Tongue likes to believe his team, not the Cowboys' injuries, was the reason Dallas continued its slide. "If anything, Michael (Irvin) going out hurt us because we know he's who they usually go to,'' Tongue said, ``so we had to adjust. I think we created our luck to win. It was what we did out there more than anything they did.'' Code: NFL FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL --- --- --- --- ----- DALLAS 0 3 0 14 17 KANSAS CITY 3 0 14 3 20 FINAL SCORING SUMMARY 1ST QUARTER: KAN - FG, PETE STOYANOVICH 24 YD, 9:39. Drive: 14 plays, 82 yards in 6:23. Key plays: Gannon 15-yard pass to Anders to Kansas City 27; Gannon 18-yard pass to Gonzalez on 3rd-and-4 to Dallas 49; Morris 25-yard run to Dallas 24. KANSAS CITY 3-0 2ND QUARTER: DAL - FG, RICHIE CUNNINGHAM 32 YD, 10:39. Drive: 7 plays, 17 yards in 2:21. Key plays: Hughes 35-yard punt return to Kansas City 32; Aikman 7-yard pass to Davis to Kansas City 25; Davis 8-yard run on 3rd-and-2 to Kansas City 16. DALLAS 3, KANSAS CITY 3 3RD QUARTER: KAN - TD, BAM MORRIS 1 YD RUN (PETE STOYANOVICH KICK), 10:59. Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards in 7:12. Key plays: Manusky 7-yard return of Hughes fumble to midfield; Gannon 12-yard run on 3rd-and-10 to Dallas 38; Gannon 16-yard pass to Alexander on 3rd-and-6 to Dallas 7; Morris 8 carries for 26 yards. KANSAS CITY 10-3 KAN - TD, RICH GANNON 9 YD RUN (PETE STOYANOVICH KICK), 14:23. Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards in 2:57. Key plays: Hasty 28-yard interception return to Dallas 35; Gannon 3-yard pass to Alexander on 3rd-and-2 to Dallas 24; Morris 9-yard run to Dallas 15. KANSAS CITY 17-3 4TH QUARTER: DAL - TD, PATRICK JEFFERS 28 YD PASS FROM TROY AIKMAN (RICHIE CUNNINGHAM KICK), 4:35. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards in 5:12. Key plays: E Smith 13-yard run to Kansas City 41; Aikman 12-yard pass on 3rd-and-7 to S Williams to Kansas City 28; Aikman 11-yard pass to Jeffers to Kansas City 27. KANSAS CITY 17-10 KAN - FG, PETE STOYANOVICH 43 YD, 9:04. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards in 4:29. Key plays: Gannon 17-yard pass to Alexander to Kansas City 46; Gannon 17-yard pass to Gonzalez to Dallas 25; Gannon 9-yard pass to Morris to Dallas 19; Gannon 4-for-5 for 55 yards. KANSAS CITY 20-10 DAL - TD, EMMITT SMITH 8 YD PASS FROM TROY AIKMAN (RICHIE CUNNINGHAM KICK), 12:12. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards in 3:08. Key plays: Aikman 12-yard pass to Jeffers to Dallas 40; Aikman 20-yard pass to Davis on 3rd-and-3 to Kansas City 33; Aikman 16-yard pass to Jeffers on 3rd-and-1 to Kansas City 8; Aikman 6-for-9 for 72 yards. KANSAS CITY 20-17 TEAM STATISTICS DAL KAN -------- -------- FIRST DOWNS 14 23 Rushing 3 11 Passing 8 11 Penalty 3 1 3RD-DOWN EFFICIENCY 5-13 8-18 4TH-DOWN EFFICIENCY 1-1 0-1 TOTAL NET YARDS 247 383 Total plays 52 79 Average gain 4.8 4.8 NET YARDS RUSHING 51 183 Rushes 16 38 Average per rush 3.2 4.8 NET YARDS PASSING 196 200 Completed-attempted 18-35 19-41 Yards per pass 5.4 4.9 Sacked-yards lost 1-3 0-0 Had intercepted 1 0 PUNTS-AVERAGE 6-36.5 5-44.0 RETURN YARDAGE 175 111 Punts-returns 4-66 1-1 Kickoffs-returns 5-109 4-82 Interceptions-returns 0-0 1-28 PENALTIES-YARDS 5-31 12-75 FUMBLES-LOST 1-1 0-0 TIME OF POSSESSION 22:40 37:20 PLAYER STATISTICS Missed field goals: None. Dallas rushing: Emmitt Smith 14-42, Billy Davis 1-8, Michael Irvin 1-1. Kansas City rushing: Bam Morris 27-137, Rich Gannon 6-23, Kimble Anders 3-17, Donnell Bennett 2-6. Dallas passing: Troy Aikman 18-35 for 199 yards, 1 INT, 2 TD. Kansas City passing: Rich Gannon 19-41 for 200 yards, 0 INT, 0 TD. Dallas receiving: Patrick Jeffers 5-74, Emmitt Smith 4-41, Eric Bjornson 3-16, Billy Davis 2-27, Jeff Ogden 2-20, Sherman Williams 1-12, Michael Irvin 1-9. Kansas City receiving: Tony Gonzalez 5-65, Derrick Alexander 5-53, Kimble Anders 4-39, Bam Morris 2-18, Andre Rison 1-11, Joe Horn 1-9, Donnell Bennett 1-5. That concludes this week's look back in...CHIEFS HISTORY.
Posts: 278,824

12-10-2005, 08:32 PM	#2
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4390478	We also regret to inform our readers that TWICH no longer has access to photos from old Chiefs games via the site: http://www.kcstar.com/sports/chiefs98/photos/ The bastards at the KC Star took it down. Perhaps a mass-emailing campaign from Chiefs fans is in order to get it back. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 278,824

12-10-2005, 08:32 PM	#3
007 Shaken. Not stirred. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London Casino cash: $13930126 VARSITY	That was a nice win to see in person. __________________ My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done. Such as, drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.
Posts: 65,557

12-10-2005, 08:39 PM	#4
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4390478	Here's another article. Chiefs return to old form in win over Cowboys By RICK DEAN The Capital-Journal KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Reggie Tongue prefers to think of this team as "the new and improved 1998 Chiefs." But defensive teammate Donnie Edwards had the more accurate description. "Did you see the old Chiefs out there today?" he asked rhetorically. Yes, the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs, a team that has invented ways to lose in this 6-8 season, showed up Sunday like the 1997 version that had the ability and confidence to win close games during a 13-3 campaign. The team Chiefs players, coaches and fans expected to see when training camp opened last July was on display here Sunday in a 20-17 victory over NFC East leader Dallas. Offensively, the Chiefs displayed their best run-pass balance of the year. Rich Gannon threw for 200 yards and Bam Morris ran for 137 of the team's season-high 183 rushing yards. Combined, they produced a ball-control offense that kept Dallas' potent offense off the field for almost 37 1/2 minutes. On special teams, the Chiefs made two huge plays that should have produced points, though only one did. The Chiefs frittered away Brian Roche's blocked punt just before halftime when Tony Richardson was penalized 15 yards for a celebratory spike. Moved back from the 18 to the 33 with only 29 seconds left, the out-of-timeouts Chiefs ran out of time before they could get off a field goal. But they converted the second special teams turnover -- Greg Manusky's recovery of Tyrone Davis' fumbled punt return -- into a 50-yard drive for a Morris TD and a 10-3 third-quarter lead. Defensively, the fly-to-the-ball defense of '97, the one that gave up the fewest points in the NFL last year, returned. Kansas City held future Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith to only 42 yards and held quarterback Troy Aikman in check for the first three quarters. They also produced a big turnover -- Jerome Woods' third-quarter interception and 28-yard return -- that set up a 35-yard drive for a touchdown, a 9-yard Gannon bootleg that gave them a 17-3 lead. But Aikman would not be held down forever. Trailing 17-3 at the end of three quarters, the Cowboys' quarterback responded by burning the Chiefs' defense for 14 fourth-quarter points. His 8-yard TD pass to Smith cut the Chiefs' lead to the final 20-17 margin with 2:48 left to play. The '98 Chiefs might have found a way to lose at that point. Instead, they trotted out a remnant from 1997 -- a kill-the-clock running game that never let Aikman and Smith back on the field. Morris pounded out 35 yards on four straight carries that produced two first downs. Dallas was forced to use its three timeouts, and the Chiefs had the pleasure of kneeling down on the game's final two plays. Somebody actually suggested to Marty Schottenheimer afterward that his 100th victory in Kansas City was "kind of ugly." The words were music to his ears. "That's the way we play," he said proudly. For though it took most of the first half to do so, the Chiefs rediscovered their winning identity. Gannon threw 34 times in the first half alone -- a number that usually represents Kansas City's passing attempts for an entire game. That offense, however, produced only a first-quarter 24-yard Pete Stoyanovich field goal and a 3-3 tie at halftime. That's when Kansas City trotted out the staple of its successful teams in the past. "We got a little bit out of sorts in the first half," Schottenheimer said. "At the half, Jimmy (Raye, offensive coordinator) and I decided to come back with the running game because we felt the opportunities were there." Morris ran eight times and Gannon had a big 12-yard third-down scramble on the 11-play TD drive set up by Manusky's fumble recovery. Then after Woods' pick and 28-yard return to the Cowboys 35, the Chiefs ran six straight times before Gannon scored on the bootleg with 37 seconds left in the third quarter. The ending was ugly as Aikman sliced up the Chiefs' secondary. A 63-yard drive ended with a 28-yard TD strike to Patrick Jeffers on a fourth-and-10 play. He later capped a 72-yard drive with the TD pass to Smith with 2:48 left. In between those drives, though, Morris ran and Gannon threw effectively in a 43-yard drive for a 43-yard Stoyanovich field goal that boosted the Chiefs' lead to 20-10 with 5:56 left. Just enough points to stand up at the end. "They made a few plays on us," Schottenheimer acknowledged, "but if you don't turn the ball over, if you can run the ball and make some first downs and play tough defense, and if the kicking game is there, you're going to have a chance to win." About time they figured it out. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 278,824