Raiders Win, Rule AFC West

Rich Gannon didn't care that he had just thrown four touchdowns against his former team. Honestly.

Gannon said what mattered more was that, with a 49-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the Oakland Raiders had won their sixth straight and claimed a three-game lead in the AFC West.

"I don't get any extra satisfaction because it was the Chiefs," he said. "I just feel thrilled to be part of another win."

Two of Gannon's scoring strikes found Andre Rison, another former Chief, as the Raiders won their third straight against Kansas City.

The Raiders (8-1) needed a dominating performance because their kicker, rookie Sebastian Janikowski, developed a bacterial infection in his foot and was unable to play.

Three weeks ago, Janikowski kicked a 43-yard field goal with 25 seconds left to give the Raiders a 20-17 victory over the Chiefs in Kansas City, the third straight meeting decided by a field goal.

"Any time you beat those guys twice in a season, it's a great accomplishment," Gannon said.

The Chiefs (5-4) had won five of their last six going into Sunday's game, with their lone loss coming against Oakland.

Elvis Grbac was 39-of-53 for a career-high and team-record 504 yards. He hit Derrick Alexander with a pair of touchdown passes and Tony Richardson ran for another score. Grbac added a 3-yard keeper.

Alexander caught nine passes for 139 yards, and Tony Gonzalez had nine receptions for 134 more, making him the first tight end in NFL history with 100 or more receiving yards in four consecutive games.

The Raiders took a 7-0 lead on Gannon's 10-yard pass to Rison on Oakland's first series of the game. Rison, released by the Chiefs in the preseason after three years with the team, pointed to the fans in the end zone before embracing teammate Tim Brown.

Tyrone Wheatley, the Raiders' top rusher, limped off the field after a 37-yard run on the 80-yard drive. But he returned, scored on a 1-yard run just before halftime and finished with 112 yards on 20 carries.

Wheatley had been bothered by a sprained right ankle all last week. Gruden said after the game Sunday that Wheatley sprained his left ankle during the game. His status for Monday night's game against the Denver Broncos was uncertain.

The Raiders went up 14-0 on Zack Crockett's 1-yard run after Charles Woodson intercepted Grbac.

The Chiefs scored early in the second on Richardson's 1-yard run.

Rison added a 6-yard TD catch which tipped off intended receiver Dudley's fingers, with 7:40 to go in the half. Rison only caught two passes both for touchdowns.

After Wheatley's short TD run, Kansas City's Todd Peterson hit a 28-yard field goal to cut the margin to 28-10 at halftime.

Dudley caught a 20-yard scoring pass from Gannon in the third, then pulled down a 2-yard pass in the fourth.

Grbac's two scoring passes to Alexander, a 9-yarder and a 48-yard pass-and-run, came in the second half. Alexander had nine catches for 139 yards.

Grbac's 3-yard scoring run came with 2:06 remaining, just before Randy Jordan ran 42 yards for the final Raiders' touchdown.

"It's very disappointing coming here and losing," Grbac said. "But things will happen in this league. We have to come back and play San Francisco, and they have to go play Denver and New Orleans."

Grbac had two interceptions, and the Chiefs also fumbled. The Raiders had no turnovers.

Janikowski's replacement, punter Shane Lechler, missed a 33-yard field goal attempt with 9:10 to go in the game.

Janikowski, the 17th overall pick in the draft, has cellulitis, an infection in the soft tissue in his foot.

He moved slowly in pregame warmups, making just one kick and huddling with special teams coach Bob Casllo and team physician Dr. Robert Albo before disappearing into the locker room.

Gruden said he was unsure about the details of Janikowski's condition, including a timetable for his possible return.

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