Green Takes a Lick; Chiefs Keep Ticking

KANSAS CITY, Mo. —  Until Sunday, Trent Green didn’t have much luck colliding with Rodney Harrison.

The last time Harrison put a ferocious hit on the quarterback, Green’s knee snapped, sidelining him for almost two years.

This time, the safety slammed into Green’s head and drew a roughing-the-passer penalty that wiped out an interception by Leonardo Carson and put Kansas City (5-9) on the four-yard line. Given new life, the Chiefs scored on Tony Richardson’s one-yard run with 48 seconds left for a 20-17 victory over San Diego.

“He’s going to have to give me a lot more than just one play to make up for everything else,” Green said with a grin.

Two plays after the hit on Green, Harrison was charged with defensive holding as the Chargers (5-10) lost their eighth in a row.

“We just got a bunch of bad breaks all of a sudden,” Harrison said. “You have to be able to play through those calls.”

Harrison, in the third exhibition game in 1999, hit Green and tore up his left knee. Slated to be St. Louis’ starter that year, Green was out for the season and watched backup Kurt Warner burst into stardom by leading the Rams to the Super Bowl title.

Green did not really get his career back on track until he was traded to the Chiefs this year.

Still, he has no hard feelings.

“I appreciate the way he plays. He plays hard,” Green said of Harrison. “Sometimes he does cross the line. He’s a hard player. I don’t have any ill will toward Rodney.”

The Chargers, who appeared en route to a great turnaround season before the Chiefs beat them eight games ago and started their slide, took a 17-13 lead four minutes earlier on Steve Christie’s 27-yard field goal.

“It’s so frustrating, there are no words at all for it,” Harrison said.

Doug Flutie, who threw 13 interceptions and lost two fumbles in the first seven games of the streak, was 14 for 24 for 172 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 145 yards as the Chargers nearly got their first win in Kansas City in five years.

Green completed 19 of 28 passes for 203 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions.