Green Returns, Lifts Chiefs Over Raiders

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) When most needed, Trent Green looked like he'd never been gone. Kansas City's two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, in his first action since suffering a severe concussion 10 weeks

Sunday, November 19th 2006, 3:54 pm

By: News On 6

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) When most needed, Trent Green looked like he'd never been gone. Kansas City's two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, in his first action since suffering a severe concussion 10 weeks ago, directed an 80-yard touchdown drive in the final minutes Sunday as a sluggish Kansas City rallied to beat Oakland 17-13.

The Raiders held a 13-10 lead when the Chiefs took the ball on their 20 with 4:53 to play. Hitting 3-5 for 50 yards, including passes of 10 and 16 yards to Samie Parker, Green set up a game-saving and possible season-saving 1-yard TD run by Larry Johnson with 1:32 to play.

Johnson, on his 27th birthday, rushed for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Chiefs (6-4). Green was a conservative 9-16 for 102 yards

The Raiders (2-8) also made a quarterback switch, starting Aaron Brooks over Andrew Walter for the first time since September 17th. Brooks hit Ronald Curry for a 39-yard gain to the Chiefs 8 with 32 seconds left. But safety Jarrad Page intercepted his next pass in the end zone.

Oakland's NFL-worst offense had already suffered two key injuries, losing starting running back Lamont Jordan to a knee injury in the 1st quarter and left tackle Robert Gallery to a dislocated elbow in the 3rd.

Brooks was 13-22 for 179 yards.

Green's winning drive was also keyed by a 24-yard strike to Eddie Kennison, who made a nice catch and got to the Oakland 25, and a 15-yard penalty on Raiders lineman Terdell Sands.

The Chiefs took a 7-0 lead on their initial possession, with Johnson capping a 76-yard, 11-play drive with a 5-yard TD run. But they ran only eight plays the rest of the 1st half while the Raiders dominated time of possession.

Sebastian Janikowski kicked field goals of 41 and 36 yards, and Oakland took a 13-7 lead with 19 seconds left in the 1st half when Brooks hit Courtney Anderson with a 2-yard TD toss.

Lawrence Tynes kicked a 37-yard field goal in the 3rd quarter, but missed a 35-yarder that could have tied it in the 4th.

Green attempted only 4 passes in the 1st half. Until the final drive, Green spent most of the day handing off to Johnson. But Green did get roughed up a few times, even taking a good shot to the upper body by linebacker Thomas Howard.

But the veteran quarterback, who couldn't even drive a car the first couple of weeks after getting knocked unconscious on September 10th, bounced up every time and seemed unfazed.

Johnson had runs of 17, 13 and 17 yards in the drive that set up Tynes' first field goal.

It was the seventh straight victory for Kansas City over its old rivals from AFL days, all by seven or fewer points.