Visitor:  Los Angeles Raiders

Home:  Kansas City Chiefs

Date:  September 12, 1985

Monday Night Football on Thursday

 

Scoring:

Team               1          2          3          4          Final

LA                   7          7          0          6            20

KC                  3          9          17        7            36

 

Visitor playmakers:

RB Frank Hawkins, TE Todd Christensen, WR Jessie Hester, DE Howie Long, LB Matt Millen

 

Home playmakers:

WR Carlos Carson, WR Stephone Paige, CB Albert Lewis, S Sherman Cocroft, NT Bill Maas, DE Art Still, CB Kevin Ross

 

Network:  ABC (WXYZ Detroit)

Announcers:  Frank Gifford, Joe Namath, O.J. Simpson

 

Pregame:  Yes

Halftime:  Yes

Postgame:  No

Commercials:  No

 

Grade:  8.5/10

 

Notes:  QB Jim Plunkett comes into the game as the league’s oldest starting quarterback, but he shows he can still get the job done as he takes the Raiders downfield to score first on a short leap by RB Frank Hawkins.  The Chiefs answer with a 39-yard field goal by the most accurate kicker in NFL history, Nick Lowery.  He adds another after a long second quarter drive stalls, cutting LA’s lead to 1.  The Chiefs then force a fumble and recover it on the LA 30, ultimately kicking another field goal to take a 2-point lead.  On Kansas City’s next possession the Raiders force a fumble by RB Ken Lacy and recover it on the Chiefs 32.  They convert the turnover into a touchdown on a circus catch by TE Todd Christensen, retaking the lead.  Lowery then tacks on 3 more points with a 58-yard field goal, the 4^th longest in NFL history, with less than a minute left in the first half.

 

The Raiders play defense a little too aggressively as the second half opens, giving the Chiefs a lot of yards via penalties.  QB Todd Blackledge comes in for one play when Bill Kenney gets hurt, then Lowery ties the great Jan Stenerud’s record by kicking his fifth field goal of the game.  When the Chiefs get the ball back Kenney finds his rhythm and begins hitting his receivers.  He connects with WR Carlos Carson on a 25-yard touchdown pass.  On the Raiders’ next play the Chiefs sack Plunkett and force the fumble, and DE Art Still recovers on the LA 6.  Three plays later the Chiefs are back in the end zone, this time with a 5-yard toss to WR Stephone Paige.  Near the midway point of the 4^th quarter Plunkett gets fumblitis, dropping the ball twice.  The second time it gets knocked into the end zone, where CB Albert Lewis falls on it for a touchdown.  The Raiders then go to their hurry-up offense and move the ball to the KC 6, but a Chiefs penalty gives them a first down and 2 plays later Plunkett finds WE Jessie Hester in the end zone.  K Chris Bahr misses the PAT, and KC holds on for their first win against the Raiders since October 25, 1981. 

 

This game was blacked out in KC.

Thanks George!

 

Running time:  2:43 (2 DVDs)