Chiefs topple Vikes to win home opener

Chiefs topple Vikes to win home opener


Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Dwayne Bowe's 16-yard touchdown reception with under 9 1/2 minutes to go in the fourth quarter lifted Kansas City over Minnesota, 13-10, in the Chiefs' home opener at Arrowhead Stadium.

Damon Huard completed 20-of-29 passes for 206 yards and the touchdown for the Chiefs (1-2), who won their first game of the season after lackluster performances in Houston and Chicago.

Tony Gonzalez had seven receptions for 96 yards, while Bowe caught five for 71 and the score. Larry Johnson had only 42 rushing yards on 24 carries.

"Damon made a good throw and the offensive line protected well," Bowe said of his touchdown. "They brought me in to catch the ball and that's what I did. I went up at the highest point and made the touchdown. It's all technique, we've got great coaches that teach us and I just went up and made the catch."

Jared Allen, returning from a two-game suspension, had two sacks for Kansas City.

"I felt real good," Allen said. "I felt fresh out there. I was going up against some big guys out there. My strength held up. My conditioning held up. I felt good out there. It's so awesome to get back out there and play with my teammates and be a part of a victory."

Kelly Holcomb was just 14-of-28 for 165 yards in his first start for Minnesota (1-2), which has lost two straight road games after winning its home opener.

Holcomb got the start in place of the injured Tarvaris Jackson, who was listed as the third quarterback after suffering a groin injury against Detroit last week. Jackson, who is in his first year as a starter for the Vikings, had a miserable 40.0 passer rating after the first two games, the worst in the NFL.

Rookie Adrian Peterson compiled 150 all-purpose yards for the Vikings. The former Oklahoma star had 102 rushing yards and a TD on 25 carries and added 48 more yards on three receptions.

Down 10-0, the Chiefs finally got on the board thanks to a fumble by Adrian Peterson. The flub set up Kansas City at the Vikings 28 but the Chiefs couldn't find the end zone and Dave Rayner booted a 39-yard field gal to make it a 10-3 game with 3:32 left in the half.

Kansas City closed the gap late in the third quarter after a time-consuming 13-play, 61-yard march culminated in another Rayner field goal. Huard peppered the Vikings zone with sharp throws, including a key third-and-15 conversion to Samie Parker, before bogging down at the Minnesota 31. Rayner came on and was true from 49 yards out to pull the Chiefs within four, 10-6,with 2:58 left in the third quarter.

After forcing a Vikings punt, the Chiefs went back to work against the much- maligned Minnesota secondary and this time, they found the end zone. Huard punctuated a 12-play drive by going over the top to the rookie Bowe, who leaped over Cedric Griffin to haul in a 16-yard TD pass with 9:23 left in the game.

The Kansas City defense took over from there and harassed Holcomb for the rest of the game, finally securing things when rookie Tamba Hali sacked the quarterback with under a minute to go.

"We just had to adjust to their running back (Adrian Peterson)," Hali said. "He's a real good runner and we had to fill our gaps real well. We knew what they were going to run, draw screens and go deep sometimes. We adjusted to it."

The Vikings went on top early. After the Minnesota defense forced a three-and- out, the Vikings started with excellent field position and Holcomb led them on a six-play, 50-yard TD drive. Adrian Peterson finished the march with a run on 16 yards before taking it in from 11 yards out with just over 10 minutes left in the opening quarter.

Minnesota added to its advantage with 9:18 left in the second quarter when Ryan Longwell drilled a 22-yard field goal. But, it could have been worse for the Chiefs. After Spencer Johnson forced a Huard fumble, the Vikings took over at the Chiefs 33. Holcomb immediately went to the air and found Visanthe Shiancoe on play-action for a 25-yard gain. A play later, Minnesota used some trickery with the halfback option, and it looked as if Mewelde Moore found Shiancoe for an eight-yard score. The play was ruled incomplete on the field, however. Despite replays showing Shiancoe caught the ball, it was not overturned, forcing the Vikings to settle for the Longwell field goal and a 10-0 edge.

Game Notes

Huard is a perfect 7-0 as a starter at home...Dating back to 1990, the Chiefs own the NFL?s best home record with a 103-34 mark. Kansas City also has an NFL-best 21-4 record against NFC foes at Arrowhead since the beginning of the 1995 season...The Vikings have seven consecutive losses versus the AFC...Since the start of 2001, the Vikings are a dismal 1-12 on the road against AFC teams, including six straight losses...Chiefs linebacker Donnie Edwards started his 140th consecutive contest, the fifth-longest active streak in the NFL... Gonzalez extended his franchise-record streak of consecutive games with a reception to 102 contests. That's also the second-longest streak compiled by a tight end in NFL history...

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