Thursday, November 18 Reign possible in Seattle By Mark Cannizzaro Special to ESPN.com

The Seattle Seahawks believe. They have their best offensive weapon, Joey Galloway, back in the lineup after a 101-day contract holdout. Oh yes, even without Galloway playing in eight games, they've built a 7-2 record and a two-game lead in the AFC West for the first time in franchise history.

	Quarterback Jon Kitna says Seattle's win over Denver was "monumental."

Put all of these factors together, and this is a dangerous, combustible combination.

Now, pit the second-place Kansas City Chiefs (5-4) against the Seahawks on Sunday, and what you have might be a last stand for the rest of the AFC West.

A Seattle victory in Kansas City could spell doom for the rest of the division. Should the Seahawks, who are riding a four-game winning streak, defeat the Chiefs and should the Raiders lose in Denver on Monday night, Seattle would open up a three-game bulge on the closest competition with six games remaining.

That would, in all likelihood produce only the second AFC West title in Seahawks history. It would also end the longest current playoff drought in the NFL, putting Seattle in the postseason for the first time since 1988. And it would knock the rest of the division all but out of the playoff race because of the stiff competition in the AFC East and Central.

With Mike Holmgren, the latest and hottest football coaching genius, at the wheel, the Seahawks are riding a significant wave of confidence as they enter Sunday's game.

"Every time I step on the field, I expect to win," Seattle linebacker Chad Brown said. "I didn't always get that feeling my first two years here. Now when we come out of the locker room, we expect to win every time. And I think everyone believes that."

Seahawks guard Chris Gray took it a step further.

"This year, we believe in ourselves and we know we can win every game we play," Gray said. "Knowing that we didn't play as well as we could (in last week's win over Denver), and we still won the game, that's something else. We might have squeaked out of that one, but it was a big win and one we needed.

"Last year, if we'd fallen behind 17-10 like we did (against the Broncos), maybe some of the guys would have given up, and we wouldn't have won."

Aside from it being a game in which Seattle came back to win, the Denver game was somewhat of a watershed event for the Seahawks for another reason: It marked the 1999 debut of Galloway.

There had been some trepidation about some teammates having hard feelings over Galloway's self-imposed holdout despite large contract offers on the table for him. It was natural to wonder if some Seahawks' players weren't thinking to themselves, "We went 6-2 without you, we'll continue to win without you."

Any of those thoughts, however, were quickly disintegrated by Galloway's performance and impact on the Denver game.

Quite simply, Seattle wouldn't have won the game without Galloway, and instead would be clinging to a one-game lead in the West, playing in Kansas City with first place in the balance.

It was Galloway's dramatic and improbable 39-yard sideline reception on third-and-20 late in the third quarter with Seattle trailing 17-10 that propelled the Seahawks to victory.

That catch led to a Seattle field goal to cut the deficit to 17-13.

On Seattle's next series, Galloway made an acrobatic 28-yard reception of a Jon Kitna pass that was behind him. That catch gave the Seahawks a first down at the Denver 20. Moments later, the Seahawks would score the game-winning touchdown.

	Joey Galloway Wide Receiver Seattle Seahawks Profile
	CAREER STATISTICS REC YDS YDS/R TD LNG FUM 265 4,210 15.9 36 86 5

Any negative thoughts about having Galloway back after his holdout were a ridiculous notion by now. With Galloway, the Seahawks are a legitimate Super Bowl threat.

Kitna called the Denver game "a monumental win."

Before the game Sunday night, Galloway knew there were a lot of hard feelings from fans about his holdout. He even joked with teammates to stay away from him before the game "in case there are any bullets whizzing around."

Whatever animosity the locals had for Galloway quickly turned into cheers.

"Before the game, he was nervous," Seahawks wide receiver Mike Pritchard said. "I could sense it. I've played with him for a few years, and usually I can see the confidence in his eyes. It was kind of different for him, like 'Wow I'm back. This is for real. I'm playing football again.'

"I just told him, 'You've been here before. Just go out there and play.' He wanted to get out there and hear the boos and get that over with. And the best way to stop the boos is to make plays like he did."

Galloway conceded that he "didn't know what to expect" in his first game since Dec. 27, 1998.

"I think it worked out pretty well for me from the standpoint of getting in there and getting my feet wet," he said. "It felt good to be back. I was excited to be in the dome again, it has been a long time. It feels good to beat Denver, it has been a long time for that also."

Galloway, who caught four passes for 88 yards in the Denver game, played on 22 of the Seahawks' 62 offensive plays. Holmgren said he expects to use Galloway for at least 30 plays Sunday against the Chiefs.

Holmgren said he has 110 plays in his West Coast offensive system, and he had about 20 in for Galloway last week.

Though he has been out, Galloway can already feel the magic surrounding his team.

"There's a feeling on the team that we're going to win games now," Galloway said. "When we come out in the dome, there's no doubt in our minds that we're the best team, and that wasn't always the case in the past years."

For the moment, the only team that can put a stop to the Seattle express is Kansas City, and the Chiefs are well aware that Sunday's game likely holds the key to their season.

So far, the Chiefs have had a perplexing year. Their defense has played very well and overall their turnover ratio -- usually a telltale statistic in terms of success -- leads the NFL.

"I see our football team being plus-17 in turnovers," Chiefs coach Gunther Cunningham said. "At plus-17, you ought to be 9-0 probably. We're doing a lot of good things. There are signs all over the field."

Not enough, however, in the standings, where the Chiefs have been only mediocre.

Still, Seattle has lost 16 of its last 17 games at Arrowhead Stadium and hasn't won in K.C. since 1990. If the Seahawks can break that streak, it would be quite a statement.

Ray of hope in New York
It's too early to tell what will transpire in the future, but for the moment, New York has a new sports hero. His name is Ray Lucas, an improbable NFL starting quarterback considering his path.

	Ray Lucas Quarterback New York Jets Profile
	1999 SEASON STATISTICS COMP ATT YDS TD INT RAT 34 61 290 3 3 64.2

Lucas, who engineered the Jets' 24-17 upset victory over the Patriots on Monday night in Foxboro, was an undrafted free agent out of perennially struggling Rutgers, where he shared the quarterbacking duties.

His Rutgers coach, Doug Graber, called Bill Parcells in New England in '96 and recommended he sign Lucas. Parcells met Lucas, instantly took to him and tried to make him a receiver. Lucas spent most of '96 on the practice squad and played a little special teams.

When Parcells left for the Jets, new Patriots coach Pete Carroll looked Lucas in the eye and told him he didn't think Lucas had what it takes to play in the NFL. And so he cut him.

Parcells picked Lucas up, and following Lucas' dream, committed to developing him at quarterback.

With Vinny Testaverde out for the year, the Jets' playoff hopes all-but dashed and Rick Mirer having flopped, Parcells finally turned to Lucas.

The victory in New England couldn't have produced sweeter, more delicious revenge. Lucas beat Carroll and, with the Patriots now staring at consecutive road games in Miami and Buffalo, the Jets might have ruined New England's season.

"Just being in the NFL right now and getting this victory ... you don't even understand how good this feels," Lucas said. "This is probably the best moment of my life except for the Super Bowl (in 1996). I came back to beat the team and the guy that cut me. That feels pretty good.

"(Carroll) let me know he didn't think I have what it takes to play in this league," Lucas said. "And here I am. I don't have to say anything. My actions spoke loud enough."

Tough week in Steel City
Long after his Steelers were stunned by the expansion Browns last Sunday, Steelers coach Bill Cowher was still mumbling.

"That was probably as frustrating and disappointing a loss I've experienced since I've been the head coach of this football team," said Cowher, who took over the Steelers in 1992. "It's always difficult when you lose on the last play of the game."

The day after the game, Steelers owner Dan Rooney went as far as to call the loss one of the two worst defeats in team history. The largest defeat by point margin in Cowher's tenure was a 37-7, season-opening loss to Dallas in 1997.

Nothing fishy here
Miami remains in the dark about its murky quarterback situation. Even though Dan Marino, who has been sidelined with nerve irritation and muscle weakness in his back, has been cleared to practice this week, Marino is not expected to play against the Patriots on Sunday. The Dolphins are hoping Marino will be ready to play against the Cowboys in Dallas on Thanksgiving.

Until then, the starter will continue to be Damon Huard, who was just 9-for-25 for 65 yards in last week's loss to Buffalo.

"To me, the whole quarterback controversy is absurd," Huard said. "My job right now is to back up Dan Marino. If he's ready, he's the man. Dan has been great (while injured). He tells me just to hang in there, and that the games will come down to the fourth quarter. He goes over the pictures and the defenses. Everything that you can imagine that somebody would do to help a guy, he's done for me."

Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post writes a weekly AFC notebook for ESPN.com that appears each Thursday.