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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- Rich Gannon didn't care that he had just
thrown four touchdowns against his former team. Honestly.
Gannon said what mattered more was that, with a 49-31 victory
over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the Oakland Raiders had won
their sixth straight and claimed a three-game lead in the AFC West.
|  | | Rich Gannon went 20-of-31 for 242 yards and four touchdowns for the Raiders. |
"I don't get any extra satisfaction because it was the
Chiefs," he said. "I just feel thrilled to be part of another
win."
Two of Gannon's scoring strikes found Andre Rison, another
former Chief, as the Raiders won their third straight against
Kansas City.
The Raiders (8-1) needed a dominating performance because their
kicker, rookie Sebastian Janikowski, developed a bacterial
infection in his foot and was unable to play.
Three weeks ago, Janikowski kicked a 43-yard field goal with 25
seconds left to give the Raiders a 20-17 victory over the Chiefs in
Kansas City, the third straight meeting decided by a field goal.
Gannon, who played four seasons with the Chiefs before he was
signed by the Raiders as a free agent last year, was 20-of-31 for
242 yards, hitting tight end Rickey Dudley for the two other
scores.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Chiefs: Can Kansas City make the playoffs throwing so
much?
Donahoe: This remains to be seen. It does appear that the Chiefs have
changed their offensive philosophy this season. The Chiefs used to be built
on the running game and play-action passing. But this season they've decided
to put things in the hands of Elvis Grbac and throw the
football. They have some effective weapons in tight end Tony Gonzalez, wide receivers Derrick Alexander and rookie Sylvester Morris. It's not so
much their change in offensive philosophy that's hurt Kansas City, but the
defense's inability to stop the run. This is unusual for a Chiefs' defense.
There's nothing wrong with being a throwing team on offense, but defensively
you've got to be able to stop people -- and the run is the most important
thing to stop.
Question on the Raiders: What do the Raiders need to improve to
become a Super Bowl contender?
Donahoe: The Raiders need to continue to improve defensively.
Especially, their play in the secondary has been inconsistent. The Raiders
are one of the surprise teams in the NFL this season. Their ability to win
close games is what has separated them from Raiders' teams of recent
seasons. Obviously the team has bought into coach Jon Gruden and his
philosophy. It's evident when you watch Gruden on the sideline that the game
means a lot to him. He's a very emotional and intense coach -- and the
Raiders have developed his personality.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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"Any time you beat those guys twice in a season, it's a great
accomplishment," Gannon said.
The Chiefs (5-4) had won five of their last six going into
Sunday's game, with their lone loss coming against Oakland.
Elvis Grbac was 39-of-53 for a career-high and team-record 504
yards. He hit Derrick Alexander with a pair of touchdown passes and
Tony Richardson ran for another score. Grbac added a 3-yard keeper.
Alexander caught nine passes for 139 yards, and Tony Gonzalez
had nine receptions for 134 more, making him the first tight end in
NFL history with 100 or more receiving yards in four consecutive
games.
The Raiders took a 7-0 lead on Gannon's 10-yard pass to Rison on
Oakland's first series of the game. Rison, released by the Chiefs
in the preseason after three years with the team, pointed to the
fans in the end zone before embracing teammate Tim Brown.
Tyrone Wheatley, the Raiders' top rusher, limped off the field
after a 37-yard run on the 80-yard drive. But he returned, scored
on a 1-yard run just before halftime and finished with 112 yards on
20 carries.
Wheatley had been bothered by a sprained right ankle all last
week. Gruden said after the game Sunday that Wheatley sprained his
left ankle during the game. His status for Monday night's game
against the Denver Broncos was uncertain.
The Raiders went up 14-0 on Zack Crockett's 1-yard run after
Charles Woodson intercepted Grbac.
The Chiefs scored early in the second on Richardson's 1-yard
run.
Rison added a 6-yard TD catch -- which tipped off intended
receiver Dudley's fingers, with 7:40 to go in the half. Rison only
caught two passes -- both for touchdowns.
After Wheatley's short TD run, Kansas City's Todd Peterson hit a
28-yard field goal to cut the margin to 28-10 at halftime.
Dudley caught a 20-yard scoring pass from Gannon in the third,
then pulled down a 2-yard pass in the fourth.
Grbac's two scoring passes to Alexander, a 9-yarder and a
48-yard pass-and-run, came in the second half. Alexander had nine
catches for 139 yards.
Grbac's 3-yard scoring run came with 2:06 remaining, just before
Randy Jordan ran 42 yards for the final Raiders' touchdown.
"It's very disappointing coming here and losing," Grbac said.
"But things will happen in this league. We have to come back and
play San Francisco, and they have to go play Denver and New
Orleans."
Grbac had two interceptions, and the Chiefs also fumbled. The
Raiders had no turnovers.
Janikowski's replacement, punter Shane Lechler, missed a 33-yard
field goal attempt with 9:10 to go in the game.
Janikowski, the 17th overall pick in the draft, has cellulitis,
an infection in the soft tissue in his foot.
He moved slowly in pregame warmups, making just one kick and
huddling with special teams coach Bob Casullo and team physician
Dr. Robert Albo before disappearing into the locker room.
Gruden said he was unsure about the details of Janikowski's
condition, including a timetable for his possible return.
Game notes
The teams' rivalry dates to 1960 when they played in the
American Football League. .... The Chiefs dominated the Raiders in
the 1990s, going 18-3 including a 1991 AFC playoff win. ... Brown
became the 11th player in league history to reach 16,000 career
yards with 74 on Sunday. ... Gannon's four TD passes tied a career
high set in 1992 at Cincinnati ... The crowd of 62,428 was the
largest in Coliseum history. ... Grbac's previous best for passing
yards was 382 at Miami in 1995.
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ALSO SEE
Kansas City Clubhouse
Oakland Clubhouse
Clayton: Raiders ready to bury the past
Wheatley, Ritchie end up being a pain
Kicker Janikowski leaves field after warmups
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Tyrone Wheatley says the Raiders wanted to prove that they are a good team.
wav: 130 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Jon Gruden praises his QB Rich Gannon.
wav: 122 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Gunther Cunningham says the Chiefs will correct their mistakes and move on.
wav: 135 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Andre Rison is happy with Rich Gannon.
wav: 74 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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