Vermeil's gamble pays off as Chiefs win

By Joe Warren

Nevada Daily Mail

Needing only a field goal to tie and with time to run only one play, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil went for the touchdown, and the win, from inside the 1-yard line against the Oakland Raiders Sunday.

Get one yard and you win. Get stopped and you lose. That was at stake with the one decision Vermeil took it upon himself to make.

After consulting with assistant coaches, Vermeil called for 20-Blast, a play that had running back Larry Johnson diving over the talented middle of the offensive line, trying to gain the 1/2 yard necessary to save the Chiefs' season.

The play worked to perfection and the Chiefs (5-3) beat Oakland, 27-23, to give them a season sweep of the Raiders (3-5) and keep them within one game of Denver atop the AFC West.

"There's just something about the Chiefs and Raiders football game," Vermeil said. "It comes down to the final minute, the final seconds."

Vermeil made the gamble of the year when he went for the win, pushing aside conventional thinking that at home you go for the tie and take your chances in overtime.

Instead Vermeil admitted that he lacked confidence in his defense, and chose to put the game on his offense's shoulders with one play, needing less than a yard.

"The last two times they had the ball, they went down the field and scored," Vermeil said after watching the Raiders erase a 20-9 Kansas City lead in the fourth quarter. "I figured if we lost the toss (in overtime), and kicked off, they may win the game. I didn't want to give them that opportunity."

Instead it was the Kansas City offense that got to be the heroes.

After Oakland took a 23-20 lead on a 7-yard touchdown reception by Randy Moss with 1:45 left in the game, the Chiefs offense drove 72 yards on 8 plays, including a big 36-yard pass play to Johnson that set the ball up inside the 1, and set the stage for the breathtaking finish.

Johnson had a huge game for Kansas City, starting in place of injured Priest Holmes. The third-year back ran for 107 yards on 22 carries, with two touchdowns while subbing for the hurt superstar.

It was Johnson's 15-yard run that gave Kansas City a 20-9 lead with 12:56 left in the game. Johnson also had 48 yards on three receptions, including the big one on the final drive that started as a check-down from quarterback Trent Green, and ended with Johnson trying to beat two Oakland defenders to the end zone.

With Kansas City on the fringes of kicker Lawrence Tynes' field goal range, the Chiefs were passing the ball after taking their second timeout of the half at the Oakland 37. With 19 seconds left in the game, Green looked outside toward Eddie Kennison, who was double covered.

He then saw Johnson wide open in the middle of the field standing less than 10 yards in front of him, and Green got the ball to him and Johnson wasn't touched until he got inside the 5, and he was just barely kept out of the end zone by Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha.

After calling their only remaining timeout with 5 seconds left in the game, that's when Vermeil made the call to go for the win.

"I just figured, you know, I'm too old to wait," Vermeil said. "You can't do everything by the books all the time. I just figured it's time."

Vermeil said the decision to go for it reflected a conscious effort to be the aggressor.

"It was not an impulsive thing," he said. "It was the right thing for us to do. We just told Larry 'just make sure you get over the top.'"

Johnson appreciated getting the final call.

"This means a lot," Johnson said. "This is the first game in my career where someone has trusted me to put the ball in the end zone with four seconds. If we don't score, we don't win."

Kansas City had taken the lead in the third period when Green hit fullback Tony Richardson for a 6-yard score to put the Chiefs up 13-9.

Richardson's score was the first by either team in the second half. Oakland did not trail in the first half as Sebastion Janikowski had hit field goals of 32, 49 and 48 yards.

Tynes had come through with field goals of his own from 27 and 47 yards out, giving Kansas City six points at halftime.

After Kansas City built their 20-9 lead, Oakland scored on consecutive possessions. Kerry Collins hit Jerry Porter for a touchdown from 4-yards out to cut the lead to 20-15 with 10:31 left in the game.

After Kansas City went 3-and-out, the Raiders went 84 yards on 14 plays, eating 6:22 off the clock before taking the lead on the Moss score. It was Moss' only catch of the game.