SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 15, 2013
Chiefs 56, Raiders 31: Jamaal Charles tied a 52-year-old franchise record with five touchdowns from scrimmage and visiting Kansas City forced seven turnovers as it clinched a playoff spot and kept alive its hopes of winning the AFC West.
Alex Smith was 17-of-20 for 287 yards and five touchdowns - four of them to Charles, who caught eight passes for 195 yards - as the Chiefs (11-3) racked up the highest point total in the NFL this season and matched the second-highest total in franchise history. Eric Berry had two of Kansas City's five interceptions, including one he returned 47 yards for a touchdown.
Matt McGloin was 18-of-36 for 297 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions for the Raiders (4-10), who have lost nine of the last 11 meetings in Oakland. Rashad Jennings rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns and Andre Holmes had four catches for 58 yards and a score.
The game was marked by wild momentum swings, as Kansas City built a 35-10 lead on four touchdowns by Charles - receptions of 49, 39 and 16 yards and a 1-yard run - and Berry's interception return touchdown only to let the Raiders back in it. Oakland cut it to 35-17 at halftime on Jennings' second TD run of the day and McGloin hit Holmes and Mychal Rivera for TD passes to trim the deficit to 35-31 with 4:57 left in the third.
The Chiefs regained control when Smith and Charles hooked up for a 71-yard touchdown on third-and-1, and a fumble on the ensuing kickoff set up Smith's 6-yard TD pass to Sean McGrath. Derrick Johnson's acrobatic interception - McGloin's fourth of the day - led to Knile Davis' 17-yard TD run to put it away.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Kansas City WR Dwayne Bowe had three catches for 24 yards and surpassed 50 receptions for the sixth time in his career, joining former TE Tony Gonzalez as the only players in Chiefs history to do so. … Berry's interception return for a score was Kansas City's 11th non-offensive TD of the season, matching the franchise record set in 1992 and tied in 1999. … Charles is the first player to score five touchdowns in a game since Denver's Clinton Portis did it against the Chiefs in 2003.