Nothing To Get Wild About Chiefs 26, Seahawks 3 Hawks’ Playoff Hopes Dashed By Kansas City

The best record in the NFL. The best regular-season record in team history. Kansas City’s first sweep of the AFC West.

Like a wealthy man who hits the lottery jackpot, Chiefs fans went home from Arrowhead Stadium on Christmas Eve packing an embarrassment of riches.

Most precious of all is Kansas City’s first-ever capture of home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. With a convincing 26-3 victory over Seattle, the Chiefs (13-3), the only team in the NFL that’s won every home game, made sure they’ll be home as long as they stay alive in the playoffs.

“In the beginning, nobody gave us a chance,” said Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Thomas, who led a defensive charge that held Seattle to just 89 total yards. “But we had 53 guys and a staff of coaches who believed in us, and here we are.”

Rookie Tamarick Vanover sped 89 yards with the opening kickoff to set the tone, and Lin Elliott kicked four field goals as the Chiefs became the first team to sweep the AFC West since the 1976 Oakland Raiders.

The Seahawks, who scored 65 points in their previous five quarters against Denver and Oakland, managed only eight first downs to go with their 89 total yards, a yardage record for the Chiefs (13-3), who also set team marks with their NFL-best 13 regular season wins and their 8-0 sweep of the AFC West.

It was also the fewest yards allowed by any NFL defense this season.

“That was just a rear-end kicking,” said Seattle coach Dennis Erickson. “They beat us every which way. We couldn’t get anything going on offense. They just physically dominated us.”

“I’d have to say this is the best defensive game by any team I was ever associated with,” said Kansas City’s Pro Bowl tackle Dan Saleaumua.

Shunned by most preseason pollsters after Joe Montana’s retirement, the surprising Chiefs matched Seattle’s entire offensive output with Vanover’s opening kickoff return.

The rookie Vanover later nabbed Steve Bono’s 9-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter for the game’s only touchdowns.

“Certainly the defense played very, very well,” said Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer. “But I think it goes beyond just the defense. The early lead, I think, tended to take away some of their opportunities to run the ball.”

The Seahawks (8-8), 2-6 in the first half of Erickson’s first year, went 6-2 in the second half and would have made the playoffs by beating Kansas City and having Miami lose to St. Louis.

But a swarming, smothering defense made the outcome seem inevitable when the Chiefs posted a 20-3 halftime lead.

The Seahawks had been averaging more than 345 yards a game. Chris Warren, who came into the game needing 149 yards to overtake Curtis Martin of New England for the AFC rushing title, was held to 7 yards on 11 carries.

The Chiefs’ run defense, ranked No. 3 in the NFL, stopped the Seahawks’ league-leading rushing attack with 26 yards on 17 carries, far below their 143.5-yard average. The Seahawks punted nine times, three short of the team record.

“If you told me a week ago or even yesterday that this would happen to us, I wouldn’t have believed it,” said Seattle tight end Trey Junkin. “You’re at a loss for words.”

“For a while I was thinking, ‘Gosh, are these guys ever going to get a first down against us?’ ” said tackle Joe Phillips, who along with Saleaumua came in for special praise from the Seattle coach.

“Their front four just physically dominated us,” said Erickson. “Everybody hears about those defensive ends, but nobody hears about those tackles. I think they’re the best pair of tackles in the NFL.”

Elliott, the object of fans’ fury two weeks ago when he missed two field goals and three extra points in a two-game span, hit field goals of 27 and 20 yards in the first half, added another 20-yarder in the third and capped a 4-for-4 day with a 27-yarder with 4:34 left.

The game was only 15 seconds old when Vanover, who broke a 99-yard kickoff return in the season opener at Seattle, gave the Chiefs a 7-0 lead. Taking Todd Peterson’s kick at the 11, he darted right, then left, and broke free at the 35, speeding untouched the rest of the way. Vanover’s third touchdown return of the year was one short of the NFL record.

Greg Hill, who rushed for 109 yards against Seattle in the season opener, had a career-best 113 yards on 21 carries.

Marcus Allen, needing one touchdown to tie Jim Brown for second on the all-time list with 126, carried six straight times when the Chiefs reached the Seattle 29 in the third. But Michael Sinclair stopped him on second-and-goal from the 2. And then Terry Wooden dragged him down for a 2-yard loss on third-and-1, bringing Elliott into the game to kick his second 20-yarder for a 23-3 lead.

Steve Bono, who experienced a slump of his own three weeks ago, hit 15 of 29 for 209 yards, including a 9-yard TD strike when Vanover beat Corey Harris.

Seattle’s John Friesz, hit by Pro Bowl defensive end Neil Smith, was knocked out of the game with a mild concussion with about 10 minutes left and replaced by Rick Mirer, who started the season as the Seahawks’ No. 1 quarterback.

Steve Broussard’s 70-yard kickoff return set up Peterson’s 34-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

The Chiefs, who won their first three home games in overtime, have never been home for every playoff game, including the 1969 season, when they beat Minnesota in their second and last Super Bowl appearance. They’re the first team to sweep the AFC West since the 1976 Oakland Raiders.

Chiefs 26, Seahawks 3

Seattle 0 3 0 0 - 3

Kansas City 13 7 3 3 - 26

First quarter

KC-Vanover 89 kickoff return (Elliott kick), :15.

KC-FG Elliott 37, 4:38.

KC-FG Elliott 20, 14:34.

Second quarter

Sea-FG Peterson 34, 1:25.

KC-Bono 9 pass to Vanover (Elliott kick), 4:44.

Third quarter

KC-FG Eliott 20, 7:35.

Fourth quarter

KC-FG Elliott 27, 10:26.

A-75,784.

Sea KC First downs 8 210 Rushes-yards 17-26 42-174 Passing 63 201 Punt Returns 1-6 6-58 Kickoff Returns 6-157 2-129 Interceptions Ret. 1-0 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 12-33-0 15-29-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 4-29 1-8 Punts 10-46 4-36 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 1-0 Penalties-Yards 5-35 5-30 Time of Possession 20:14 39:46

Individual statistics RUSHINGSeattle, Broussard 2-15, Warren 11-7, Mirer 1-3, Friesz 1-1, Blades 1-0, Strong 1-0.

Kansas City, Hill 21-113, Allen 10-43, Bennett 6-11, Thompson 1-10, Bono 2-(minus 2), Anders 1-0, Vanover 1-(minus 1).

PASSINGSeattle, Feiesz 10-26-0-80, Mirer 2-7-0-12.

Kansas City, Bono 15-29-1-209.

RECEIVINGSeattle, Galloway 5-50, Crumpler 2-19, Fauria 1-9, Warren 1-8, Proehl 1-3, Strong 1-3, Broussard 1-0.

Kansas City, Dawson 4-39, Slaughter 3-73, Cash 3-45, Davis 2-26, Bennett 1-12, Vanover 1-9, Anders 1-5.

MISSED FIELD GOALSNone.

OFFICIALSReferee Gordon McCarter, Ump Ed Fiffick, HL John Schleyer, LJ Ben Montgomery, BJ Bob Moore, SJ Neely Dunn, FJ Ken Baker.