KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Oakland Raiders are still alive in the tipsy-turvy AFC playoff chase, thanks to kicker Sebastian Janikowski’s left leg and Richard Seymour blocking two field goals.
In a penalty-filled, Christmas Eve debacle with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, Janikowski knocked a 36-yard field-goal attempt through the uprights just two minutes, 13 seconds into sudden death to propel the Raiders to a 16-13 victory.
It also knocked the Chiefs (6-9) from playoff contention on a day where division opponents Denver (8-7) and San Diego (7-8) also lost.
The Raiders (8-7), who are tied with Denver for first place in the AFC West Division, can capture the division crown with a home win over San Diego on New Year’s Day, although the Chiefs also have to beat the Broncos to make it happen.
Denver has the tiebreaker, but if it loses and Oakland wins, the Broncos can’t get a wild card.
“It comes down to the end of the year and a playoff game in the Black Hole against another division opponent, that’s all you can ask right now,” said Seymour, a six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman. “There’s an opportunity for us to get in the dance, and that’s all we want.”
Seymour’s second block on Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop, a 49-yarder with five seconds left in regulation, sent the game into overtime tied at 13.
And Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer’s 53-yard bomb to wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey, off a play-action pass in overtime, set up Janikowski’s game-winning field goal, his third successful boot of the game.
“We had four guys pushing on two,” Seymour said of his second block. “Aaron Curry and Quentin Groves gave me a push up the middle and any time you have four guys pushing on two, it’s just a lot of pressure. Tommy Kelly and I are the big strong guys on the inside and we were able to knock the line of scrimmage back and get a hand up.
“Obviously, I’ve had several in a season, but not two in one game. It was at a critical time.”
After Oakland won the coin toss and received the kickoff in OT, it set the stage for Palmer’s completion to Heyward-Bey.
“It was the right time to call it,” said Palmer, who threw a 61-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Denarius Moore, which gave the Raiders a 10-3 lead midway through the third quarter. “I wanted it earlier, but we saved it for the right time. The protection was flawless, and the route was great.”
Seymour’s first block earlier in the game ended a string of 22 straight field goals for Succop.
The Raiders committed 15 penalties in the game, but had none during the final nine minutes.
The Chiefs, coming off a surprising win over Green Bay just six days before, ending the Packers’ unbeaten string, tied the game with 1:02 left in regulation after wide receiver Dwayne Bowe’s 3-yard scoring toss from quarterback Kyle Orton and Succop’s extra-point kick. It was set up by Dexter McCluster’s 49-yard catch-and-run off a swing pass from Orton.
Oakland went three-and-out after Bowe’s touchdown, and the Chiefs had only 16 seconds to get into field-goal range, starting their drive from their own 33. Orton completed a 25-yarder to Bowe to the Oakland 42 and then threw an 11-yarder to wideout Terrance Copper, who ran out of bounds with 0:05 showing on the game clock.
But Seymour was able to get a paw on Succop’s kick.
“The coaches saw something, and they put the block in this week,” Seymour said. “I was just able to get a hand on the ball. It was a push. I had a linebacker pushing me, and I give both my linebackers credit.”