Chiefs' slim playoff hopes rest on L.J.'s foot

Thanks to the Jekyll and Hyde routine San Diego pulled during the first half of the season, Kansas City is inexplicably tied for the AFC West division lead.

While running back Larry Johnson's status for the stretch run remains cloudy due to a foot injury, there is no arguing the Chiefs' chances of pulling a playoff spot out of the proverbial hat are remote at best with each game L.J. misses.

Take Sunday, for example. Facing the league's worst run defense, Johnson would have been primed to control the game against Denver. K.C. could have played the field position game, avoided attacking cornerbacks Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly and eventually worn the Broncos down. Now the Chiefs are relying on 34-year-old Priest Holmes and rookie Kolby Smith to take pressure off their moribund passing game.

Johnson is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, a full yard below his career average. But that speaks far more about how much the Chiefs' offensive line has deteriorated than to any drop-off in Johnson's talent.

The Chiefs certainly still have a good shot of sneaking past free-falling Denver. But the offense is built around the running game, if for no other reason than opponents have almost zero fear of quarterback Damon Huard.

Down the stretch, Kansas City has games against Indianapolis, Tennessee and Detroit, all with run defenses ranked in the top half of the league. Granted, the Chiefs also play the Broncos twice and the Jets and Raiders, ranked 29th and 30th against the run, but how well can they exploit those weakness without L.J.? With no real passing game, they can't afford not to be successful on the ground. The bottom line is the Chiefs have a solid defense and a very one-dimensional offense. If they want to take advantage of the window the Chargers have left ajar, they need Johnson back in the lineup sooner than later.