Drawing dirty looks in the San Diego locker room was easy after Larry Johnson and the Kansas City Chiefs snuffed out the Chargers' playoff hopes with a 20-7 victory Saturday.

Just asking the mistake-prone visitors if they were flat in the wake of their huge victory at Indianapolis did the trick.

``We weren't,'' coach Marty Schottenheimer said in a level voice. ``We were outplayed.''

Indeed. The Chiefs ran their December home winning streak to 18 and kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a dominating victory a week after they lost at the New York Giants in one of their poorest games of the year.

Johnson kept up his amazing run with his eighth straight 100-yard rushing game, constantly digging his heels into the wet, slippery turf for extra yardage, dragging tacklers with him.

The third-year pro had 131 tough yards and two touchdowns against a defense that came in as No. 1 in the league against the run and had not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 16 straight games.

He scored on a 4-yard dash and an eye-popping, tackle-busting 28-yard catch-and-run down the sideline. Since he became the starter Nov. 1 after Priest Holmes went on injured reserve, Johnson has a league-leading 1,150 yards on the ground.

But he seemed most pleased with improved skills in an area that's drawn criticism of late.

``I was definitely on a mission today as far as pass-blocking,'' he said. ``I think I did pretty well as far as blocking.''

While eliminating the Chargers (9-6), the Chiefs (9-6) clinched the AFC West title for Denver.

For the Chiefs to make the postseason, three things have to happen:

- They must beat Cincinnati next Sunday;

- Denver has to beat the Chargers;

- On Saturday, the underdog Detroit Lions will have to upset the Steelers at Pittsburgh.

``Detroit needs to go sign Barry Sanders for just one more week,'' Chiefs left tackle Willie Roaf said. ``It's going to be tough.''

Anything short of the postseason is bound to be a big letdown for a team that squandered its chances with road losses to Dallas and the Giants the previous two weeks.

``This is my ninth year here and I've been to the playoffs only twice and we've lost both times,'' tight end Tony Gonzalez said. ``Definitely, it would be a huge disappointment if we don't make the playoffs this year.''

San Diego was flagged for seven penalties for 58 yards and had two turnovers and hardly resembled the tough-minded outfit that ruined the Colts' unbeaten season.

``They came out hard,'' rookie linebacker Shawne Merriman said. ``They came out fighting for every inch. They were very tough and they game-planned us very well.''

LaDainian Tomlinson, the other Pro Bowl running back in this game, had 49 yards on 15 carries.

``We stopped the run and made them a one-dimensional team,'' said cornerback Patrick Surtain, whose interception stopped the Chargers' deepest threat in the second half.

``Once you do that, you could get them out of rhythm by switching your coverages up. Any time you can hold a running back like LaDainian to 50 yards, that's something special.''

The Chiefs' first scoring drive covered 43 yards and Johnson was responsible for every inch, getting 5 yards on a pass and picking up 38 on four carries, capping it with a 4-yard TD run.

The Chargers drew even at 7 a few minutes later on Drew Brees' 18-yard TD pass to Antonio Gates. Brees was 18-for-33 for 161 yards.

On the first play of the second quarter, Green threw a perfect pass to Samie Parker as the second-year wide receiver ran into the end zone, putting the Chiefs up 14-7.

Then Johnson made his tackle-busting tightrope walk down the sideline. Taking Green's pass in the flat, he broke tackles by Jamar Fletcher and Drayton Florence, each time stepping carefully to stay in bounds.

``That's one of the best plays I've seen a running back make in my career,'' Roaf said.

The call was reviewed to see if Johnson broke the plane of the goal line with the ball. But the ruling on the field was upheld, making it 20-7 with 1:45 left in the half after the Chiefs botched the extra point.

Notes: The Chargers were trying for their first back-to-back playoff appearances in a decade. ... Johnson has 17 touchdowns rushing this season, the third-highest total in KC history. It was Johnson's 12th career game with two or more TDs. Ironically, it was a big tackle by Merriman in their first meeting this year that gave Johnson his chance. The hit put starter Priest Holmes on injured reserve.

Giants 27, Chiefs 17

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - Tiki Barber had no worries about playing behind a patchwork offensive line.

It showed. Big time.

Barber ran for a team-record 220 yards on 29 carries and scored two touchdowns, helping the Giants beat up-and-coming runner Larry Johnson and the Kansas City Chiefs 27-17 Saturday. If the Giants (10-4) beat Washington next week, they will clinch the NFC East.

Despite the banged-up line, Barber slithered through the Chiefs defense, breaking one tackle after another to eclipse the old single-game rushing mark of 218, set by Gene Roberts against the Chicago Cardinals in 1950.

How broken down was the Giants line? Tackles Luke Petitgout (back) and Kareem McKenzie (hamstring) were out, and Rich Seubert was starting his first game at guard since breaking his leg in October 2003. Guard David Diehl moved over to one tackle spot, and veteran backup Bob Whitfield filled the other.

``This is an offensive line we knew coming in was going to be effective for us,'' Barber said. ``That was one of the things we talked about many months ago, that we had great depth.''

But center Shaun O'Hara was surprised with how well the group played.

``We didn't expect this going into the game, but that is just a tribute to the guys preparing and being ready,'' O'Hara said.

Kansas City (8-6), meanwhile, saw its wild-card chances diminish with the loss.

Johnson tried to keep the Chiefs in the game, finishing with 167 yards and two touchdowns. He and Barber extended their 100-yard-game streaks - Johnson to a club-record seven and Barber to five. Barber now has 1,577 yards on the season, surpassing his own single-season rushing mark of 1,518 set last year.

While both backs rightly shared the spotlight, it was shoddy tackling that doomed the Chiefs. On Barber's 41-yard TD run in the second quarter, at least five Chiefs missed tackles as he danced down the left sideline.

``They broke tackles. They ran all over us,'' Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen said. ``When you're not tackling, that's what happens. He's powerful. He runs good. He's explosive, but there were so many times we had him stopped.''

Then early in the third quarter, safety Sammy Knight had both arms around wide receiver Amani Toomer before letting him slip away for a 31-yard score that gave the Giants a 20-10 lead. The Chiefs unsuccessfully challenged the play, saying Toomer's knee touched the ground when he was hit by Knight. Replays showed that Toomer's knee appeared to be about an inch or two off the ground.

Johnson scored on a 1-yard run to get the Chiefs to 20-17. But Barber answered with a 20-yard scoring run of his own to give the Giants some breathing room, a luxury they haven't always had this season: five of their games have been decided in the final 2 minutes or in overtime.

Barber said he knew he was close to the record when he went out for the Giants' final series.

``Our line took great pride in it,'' he said. ``We were packed up in the box for the first couple of runs and then we spread out and that allowed me to get it. It's something I'm very proud of and I think it's something that we'll remember for a long time.''

New York won despite another shaky performance from quarterback Eli Manning, who was 17-of-32 for 186 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Trent Green was hardly better, going 15-for-28 for 176 yards and an interception.

``It's very frustrating. Any time you can control your own destiny, you want to have it in your hands,'' Green said. ``Now we put ourselves in a situation where we have to sit back and watch other teams. Now we don't control things. If we don't care of business next week, it doesn't matter either way.''

Notes: The Giants also played without starting LBs Carlos Emmons (strained pectoral muscle) and Antonio Pierce (ankle) and DT William Joseph (ankle). ... Chiefs WR Eddie Kennison left the locker room on crutches and with a brace on his left knee. ... Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez caught a pass in his 82nd consecutive game. ... Longtime Giants public-address announcer Bob Sheppard worked his last game for the Giants. Sheppard began with the team in 1956.

Cowboys 31, Chiefs 28

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells challenged his struggling offense to ``do something'' to keep pace with the high-scoring Kansas City Chiefs.

Then he gave them some gimmicks to help pull it off.

Getting touchdowns on a flea flicker, an end around inside the 10-yard line and a pass to a blocker who hadn't scored in two years, the Cowboys kept their playoff hopes alive by pulling out a 31-28 victory over Sunday in a tense, thrilling game befitting a matchup between Parcells and Dick Vermeil.

Drew Bledsoe had his best game in months, throwing for 332 yards and matching his season-best with three touchdowns. He led Dallas (8-5) on a go-ahead drive early in the fourth quarter, then took the club 68 yards in 14 plays for the winning score - a 1-yard pass to tight end Dan Campbell with 22 seconds left.

``That was really a great drive, probably the best one of the year,'' Parcells said.

Yet ending their two-game losing streak wasn't that simple. The Cowboys had to hold their breath as Lawrence Tynes went for a 41-yard field goal that would've forced overtime. After a low snap, it went wide right, ending a three-game winning streak for the Chiefs (8-5).

The victory for Dallas does more for their confidence and outlook than it does in the standings. The Cowboys could've lost this one and still had a chance to finish 10-6, but they would've been in a real funk with a three-game losing streak and the next two on the road.

``This is a hugely important game for us,'' said Bledsoe, who was 22-of-34 with no turnovers. He also moved into fifth place on the career completions list, 15th on the career TD passes list and matched Warren Moon for the most 3,000-yard seasons. ``But we've got to keep winning,'' he added.

The final play was only part of the frustration for Kansas City. The Chiefs also wasted 143 yards rushing and three touchdowns by Larry Johnson and 340 yards passing by Trent Green, plus a chance to move up in the AFC wild-card chase because of a loss by division rival San Diego.

Kansas City missed a chance to put the game away early as its first five possessions reached at least midfield, but only two ended in touchdowns. The Chiefs were at the Dallas 9, poised to go up 21-10, when Green was sacked by former teammate Scott Fujita and fumbled. Defensive end Marcus Spears returned it 59 yards, leading to a 26-yard touchdown pass from Bledsoe to Jason Witten that put Dallas up 17-14 at halftime.

``I'm sick to my stomach,'' said Green, who was 20-of-32. ``No missed field goal cost us this game. We had many opportunities to win. That's the disappointing part.''

Johnson ran pretty much at will for three quarters, racking up 126 of his yards by then to set a Chiefs record with six straight 100-yard games. The Cowboys hung in, thanks mostly to Bledsoe and some big plays.

Their first touchdown came on a perfectly executed flea flicker, with the defense falling for the handoff and Terry Glenn speeding past the coverage. Bledsoe heaved it deep and Glenn caught it in stride for his longest play since December 1998, which also came from Bledsoe during their New England days.

Glenn surprised the defense again early in the fourth quarter by taking a handoff on third-and-1 from the 6. He wound up with the first rushing touchdown of his career, putting Dallas up 24-21.

Green regained the lead for Kansas City with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Eddie Kennison with 3:55 left. Then came Bledsoe's big drive.

He kept it alive with two third-down completions, then Marion Barber III turned a short pass into a 21-yard gain to the 6. The Cowboys almost ran out of chances when Witten missed a fourth-down pass in the end zone, but holding was called. Officials pinned it on safety Greg Wesley, but replays showed linebacker Derrick Johnson was to blame.

``I was celebrating thinking it was over,'' Wesley said. ``Then I see a flag. I thought, 'Wow, way to give them a second chance.' ... I made a great play and they were bailed out by the referees.''

Given a second chance, Bledsoe hit Campbell for his third reception of the season and first touchdown since Nov. 9, 2003.

Glenn led Dallas with 138 yards on six catches and Witten had 93 yards on seven grabs. Barber ran for 82 yards.

Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez caught five passes for 94 yards and Kennison had 92 yards.

Notes: Parcells is now 1-1 against Vermeil. ... The Chiefs fell to 1-4 in games back in the area where they began in 1960 as the Dallas Texans. ... Glenn has a career-best seven TDs this season, counting his rushing score. ... Kansas City owner Lamar Hunt, a longtime Dallas resident, flipped the coin before kickoff and was honored with a video tribute after the first quarter.

Chiefs 31, Broncos 27

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Kansas City Chiefs gained a much-needed victory - and greater respect for the courage of officials viewing instant replay.

Reversing a crucial call on the field, referee Bill Leavy took a first down away from Denver near midfield with 2:01 to play. The Chiefs, relieved of the danger of facing a final threat from the Broncos\' offense, ran the clock down to 3 seconds and danced away with a 31-27 victory.

``Sometimes it\'s just a lot easier for them to go with the flow of the game and not make the big reversal,\'\' said Chiefs guard Brian Waters. ``I think that was a gutsy call.\'\'

The win brought the Chiefs (8-4) within one game in the AFC West of the Broncos (9-3), who had won four in a row and could have buried Kansas City in the division. Instead, the Broncos have a fight on their hands and are left with virtually no chance of overtaking unbeaten Indianapolis for the top seed in the AFC.

``This is a big win for us,\'\' said Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil. ``A big, significant win.\'\'

Mike Anderson, on fourth-and-1 from the Denver 47, plunged into the right side of the line.

Officials on the field gave him a first down and Chiefs players went into a frenzy of protest over the spot, particularly cornerback Patrick Surtain.

``You saw me going berserk out there,\'\' said Surtain, who earlier intercepted Jake Plummer\'s pass from the KC 4.

``I was saying, `It\'s our ball, it\'s our ball.\' ``

A few minutes later, the call was reversed.

``It was clear to me he didn\'t reach the first down and the right thing to do was reverse it and give the ball to (Kansas City),\'\' Leavy said.

When the Broncos got the ball back, they had time for one desperate heave as the Chiefs won their 17th straight home game in December.

Defensive end Jared Allen, who made the tackle with help from Lionel Dalton, was confident the spot was wrong.

``I knew when I hit him he didn\'t make it,\'\' Allen said. ``I ran right down the line and hit him backward. It was no contest.\'\'

The Broncos watched helplessly as their offense was forced to leave the field.

``I didn\'t see what happened. I thought we had a first down,\'\' said Denver coach Mike Shanahan.

Trent Green threw two touchdown passes and Larry Johnson rushed for 140 yards and two more scores for the Chiefs, who have won four of last five to climb back into contention.

Plummer, who went 229 passes without an interception until the Dallas Cowboys got one last week, was also picked off by Kawika Mitchell on his first throw of the second half.

``We had opportunities we didn\'t take advantage of,\'\' said Plummer, 18-of-29 for 276 yards and one TD. ``If you do that on the road, and at a place like this, you are going to end up on the wrong side of the win-loss column.\'\'

Following Mitchell\'s interception, Lawrence Tynes kicked a 34-yard field to put Kansas City up 24-21, but Jason Elam tied the game with a 22-yarder.

After Darrent Williams intercepted Green\'s pass on the Chiefs\' next possession, Elam kicked a 40-yarder to put the Broncos on top 27-24.

Johnson, with his fifth straight 100-yard game, scored on a 4-yard run to make it 31-27 with 9:58 left.

Eddie Kennison caught four passes for 108 yards for the Chiefs.

On the Broncos\' second play, Anderson took Plummer\'s pass in the flat and went 66 yards, putting a move on Greg Wesley in the middle of the field that left the Chiefs\' safety face-down in embarrassment.

After the Chiefs took a 14-7 lead, Anderson scored on a 1-yard run.

Dante Hall got behind Denver cornerback Champ Bailey in the first half, and Green hit him with a 41-yard TD pass. Kennison had a 54-yard catch on the Chiefs\' next possession and Larry Johnson scored from the

1.Kennison had a 27-yard catch to set up Green\'s 25-yard TD pass to Tony Gonzalez for a 21-14 lead, which the Broncos erased with 22 seconds left in the half on a trick play.

Second-year reserve quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt lined up behind center as Plummer was flanked left on second-and-goal from the 7. Van Pelt took the snap and went almost untouched into the end zone for a TD on his first NFL play.

Notes: Johnson\'s fifth straight 100-yard rushing game tied a club record set by Priest Holmes in 2002. His 470 yards in the last three games is the best three-game total in team history. ... Denver has had five streaks of three or more wins broken at Arrowhead Stadium since Shanahan became head coach in 1995. ... Chiefs DT Ryan Sims, out since the season opener with a foot injury, saw limited action.

Denver Broncos - Kansas City Chiefs