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Boiling point Raiders' fans show frustration with loss to Chiefs
Posted: Sunday November 28, 1999 09:51 PM
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Raiders are lucky there was no snow in the stands. Instead, their frustrated fans showered the field with boos as the Raiders blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead Sunday and lost 37-34 to Kansas City. Cris Dishman scored twice for the Chiefs, on a 47-yard interception return and a 40-yard fumble runback, and Pete Stoyanovich kicked a 44-yard winning field goal as the game ended as Kansas City (6-5) broke a three-game losing streak. The winning 39-yard drive, which included a pass interference call on the Raiders' Eric Allen, began after Oakland's Michael Husted missed a 44-yard field goal. After that miss, Stoyanovich congratulated the Chiefs defense. "I went right over to the defense when they sat down after that series, and I told them they could take their pads off, because they were done for the day," said Stoyanovich, who kicked two other field goals. "That's just the way I felt." It was the second heartbreaking loss in six days for the Raiders (5-6), who were defeated 27-21 in overtime by the Broncos last Monday night. The Raiders were pelted with snowballs by Denver fans throughout that game, leading to a fracas afterward and misdemeanor charges against Oakland cornerback Charles Woodson for allegedly hitting a fan in the face with a snowball. "We drive down and try a field goal and miss it, they drive down and try a field goal and make it," Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon said. "That's just the way our season has gone." Tony Gonzalez caught a 73-yard scoring pass from Elvis Grbac as the Chiefs rallied from a 34-20 deficit at the start of the fourth period. Donnell Bennett added a 2-yard scoring run and Stoyanovich also kicked field goals of 47 and 37 yards as the Chiefs moved within two games of first-place Seattle in the AFC West. "It couldn't be sweeter than this one," Kansas City coach Gunther Cunningham said. "You've got to be careful when you go up 14 points. I don't think they were careful. They were careless, and we took advantage of it." Woodson scored on a 15-yard interception return for the Raiders, who have lost 18 of their last 20 against the Chiefs. Gannon threw scoring passes of 16 and 3 yards to Rickey Dudley and also ran 6 yards for a touchdown. Husted added field goals of 33 and 30 yards. "Obviously, it's a difficult loss to absorb," Oakland coach Jon Gruden said. "We were in a position to win this game, but turnovers have been our enemy." Husted opened the scoring with his 33-yard field goal late in the first period. Bennett's run gave the Chiefs a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter before Husted and Stoyanovich traded field goals. Dudley scored on a 16-yard pass with 1:19 left before halftime, one play after Gannon converted a fourth-and-3 with a 17-yard pass to fullback Jon Ritchie. Stoyanovich's 37-yard field goal tied the game 13-13 early in the third period, and Dishman then went untouched to score on his interception return. But Napoleon Kaufman returned the ensuing kickoff 48 yards to the Kansas City 40. Gannon completed a short drive with his scoring run to tie it again. Greg Biekert returned an interception to the Chiefs 3 three plays later, leading to Dudley's second scoring catch. Then Woodson made it 34-20 with his first interception of the season, making a shoestring catch of a deflection and scooting untouched into the end zone with three seconds left in the period. The Chiefs pulled within a touchdown on Gonzalez's scoring reception and tied the game with 6:24 left when Derrick Walker fumbled after a short reception. Dishman picked up the loose ball and went untouched for his second score. "Our defense is so active. We're hungry to get in the end zone," Dishman said. "We knew we had to make some plays and give our offense a chance. We were down 34-20 and we knew we had to do something." Notes: It was the 14th game-winning kick for Stoyanovich and his first since his 54-yarder beat Denver on Nov. 16, 1997. ... Grbac is undefeated in four starts against the Raiders. ... The Chiefs have at least one interception in each of their last 10 games. ... Kansas City entered the game tops in the NFL with 31 takeaways, and added three more Sunday. ... Dudley has 10 catches in his last three games, and five of them have gone for TDs. ... Gannon strained a leg muscle late in the game, but did not miss a snap. ... Oakland defensive end Tony Bryant left the game in the third quarter with a sprained ankle.
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