Lowery Steals Show From Quarterbacks : Pro football: His five field goals give Montana’s Chiefs a 15-7 victory over Elway’s Broncos in penalty-marred game.

KANSAS CITY —  Not that the battle between two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history was a bust Monday night, but the winner was a player with a pressed jersey and clean pants.

This nationally televised event that was supposed to belong to either Joe Montana or John Elway was stolen by Nick Lowery, who wouldn’t know a pass if it hit him between the numbers.

Lowery left the Kansas City Chiefs’ bench long enough to kick five field goals, giving Montana’s Chiefs a 15-7 victory over the previously unbeaten Broncos.

“What’s funny is that one of our game plans was to score touchdowns when we got inside the 20-yard line,” Lowery said. “I guess that didn’t work out too well, huh?”

The 78,453 at Arrowhead Stadium, the largest crowd there in 21 years, were hoping to see a passing duel between the top-rated quarterback in league history, Montana, and the league’s best two-minute quarterback, Elway.

Instead, they saw one touchdown pass, and only after waiting about three hours.

Elway’s two-yard pass to Vance Johnson with 3:23 to play accounted for the game’s only score of more than three points.

By then, Lowery had kicked field goals of 34, 41, 52, 44 and 20 yards, equaling a career high with five.

By then, it was obvious that Montana and Elway both must learn to deal with young offenses that haven’t quite adjusted to their leaders.

By then, the two teams had:

--Combined for 25 penalties worth 180 yards.

--Combined to make first downs on only eight of 28 third-down situations.

--Combined to lose three fumbles.

“I just want to go to the Super Bowl,” a weary Montana said afterward. “I don’t care how we do it.”

At least Montana outplayed Elway, although neither was a major factor.

Montana completed 21 of 36 passes for 273 yards. His sprained right wrist was not re-injured in his first complete game since January, 1991, and he even survived a late hit by Charles Dimry that took Montana’s breath away.

Elway also survived a late hit, by Dale Carter as Elway stood out of bounds on a play that involved neither man. Elway also threw for 300 yards.

But Elway also threw 48 passes, completing 28. And the Chiefs stole his running game from him: He rushed once for no yards.

Montana ran three times for 25 yards.

“He’s old, but, man, he’s still quick,” said Darren Drozdov, Bronco defensive tackle.

So is Marcus Allen. The former Raider led the Chiefs to their fourth field goal with a 22-yard run up the middle, then made a four-yard catch during a drive late in the first half.

He carried five times for 23 yards early in the fourth quarter to set up Lowery’s final field goal.

Allen gained 91 yards in 17 carries, his most yardage in a regular season game since 1988 and more than twice the Broncos’ rushing total of 35 yards.

“Marcus understands the things you have to do to win,” Chief Coach Marty Schottenheimer said. “That is why he is here.”

No one was quicker, however, than the Chiefs’ defense.

It was so quick, the Broncos’ offensive line was hit with seven offside penalties, including three by Gary Zimmerman, one of two newcomers acquired during the off-season to help protect Elway.

It was these penalties, which seemingly popped up everywhere, that never allowed the Bronco offense to find itself.

At first, Zimmerman blamed the crowd noise.

“It was like walking into a lion’s den,” he said. “This place was so loud, you couldn’t hear anything.”

But, when pressed, he acknowledged that defensive ends Neil Smith and Derrick Thomas had something to do with it.

“Those guys are so quick, you have to get a good jump on them or they are gone,” he said.

Smith, whose defense didn’t get a sack, nonetheless worked hard enough to confuse not only the line, but rookie running back Glyn Milburn and the Broncos’ three young receivers.

“We were flying everywhere,” Smith said. “Their offense was never in sync. Their line had to watch the ball to see when it would be snapped because of the noise, and when they looked back, we had them.”

Of 13 Bronco possessions, eight ended in punts, two in fumbles and one with an interception. The final possession ended the game, the result of which made both teams 2-1.

“We kept talking about composure, about the need to stop beating ourselves,” said Elway, whose team accumulated more penalties (14) than in their previous two games combined.

With two minutes left in the third quarter, trailing 12-0, the Broncos had a chance to get back into the game when they drove to the Chiefs’ 39.

But then, on third down and four, they attempted a quick pitch to Milburn, who bobbled the ball. By the time he righted himself, the Chiefs were waiting for him.

He was nailed for a four-yard loss, eliminating even the chance of a field goal.

“Every time we got something going, something stopped up,” Milburn said.

Thus ended a Chief home opener that caused the most commotion around here since the 1985 World Series.

Three hours before the game, traffic around the stadium was backed up for seven miles, clear to Kansas.

The thousands of tailgaters, many cooking steaks the size of footballs, created a thick cloud of smoke over the parking lot.

“I don’t know if I stole the show,” Lowery said. Then he laughed.

After more than three hours of this game, laughing was the best thing anyone could do.