SAN DIEGO – The Kansas City Chiefs came out of the holiday weekend with neither a wild-card berth nor the AFC West title.

The NFL’s best team did at least get a win over the San Diego Chargers, 28-24 on Sunday, to remain on track for its first division title in six years.

Priest Holmes ran 31 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns, and Tony Gonzalez caught two touchdown passes from Trent Green to lift the Chiefs to 11-1. Kansas City capitalized on two turnovers by Doug Flutie in the final 11 minutes.

The Chiefs, the NFL’s best team, weren’t able to clinch the division title because Denver beat Oakland. And they didn’t at least get a wild-card berth because Miami beat Dallas on Thursday.

Flutie at least made the game interesting when he helped the Chargers close the deficit from two touchdowns to just four points late in the third quarter.

But he had two turnovers in the fourth quarter. The biggest came when he dropped a snap while in the shotgun formation, which was recovered by Kansas City’s Gary Stills at the San Diego 27 with 11:18 to play.

After Holmes carried seven straight times, Green found Gonzalez wide open for a 3-yard touchdown pass and a 28-17 lead with 6:28 to play.

Flutie had the Chargers moving again, but was intercepted in the end zone by safety Greg Wesley with 4:07 left.

Broncos 22, Raiders 8

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Denver Broncos kept their playoff hopes alive, and their bitter division rivals sure made it easy.

Clinton Portis carried 34 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns and the Broncos held Oakland without a touchdown for the first time this season to defeat the penalty-prone Raiders 22-8 on Sunday.

Denver (7-5) began the day four games behind Kansas City in the AFC West and trailing four other teams in the postseason race.

All the Broncos really had to overcome was the wet weather – the raucous Raider Nation was subdued for a change.

Aside from a steady rain, the Raiders’ ugly performance may have been the reason for that. What little success Oakland had moving the ball was more than offset by its untimely penalties and other mistakes.

After quarterback Rick Mirer completed a pass to Jerry Porter midway through the fourth quarter, Denver cornerback Kelly Herndon forced a fumble and the Broncos took over at their own 32. The turnover led to Portis’ second TD of the game, a 1-yard run.

The Raiders (3-9) kept Denver’s two other scoring drives alive with penalties.

Sebastian Janikowski kicked field goals of 46 and 48 yards for the Raiders, who lost both meetings to the Broncos this season after winning both during their Super Bowl season a year ago.

The Broncos were desperate to bounce back from an embarrassing 19-10 home loss to Chicago last week, and received a more consistent defensive effort. Denver held the Bears to 217 total yards and still lost.

The Raiders were penalized 11 times for 89 yards and lost three fumbles. Neither team gained more than 300 yards of offense.

This game had its share of quirks, and the score at times resembled a baseball game more than a late-season NFL matchup.

Oakland’s O.J. Santiago blocked Micah Knorr’s punt in the first quarter after a high, off-center snap and the ball bounced out of bounds in the end zone for a safety, giving Oakland a 2-0 lead.

Janikowski’s first field goal made it 5-0.

After Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey was touched by Oakland linebacker Eric Barton early in the second, McCaffrey jumped up and made an acrobatic dive into the end zone, then hopped up and signaled a touchdown. One referee initially called a score, but McCaffrey was ruled down at the 8 for a 9-yard gain.

Shannon Sharpe caught a 4-yard TD pass from Jake Plummer moments later to make it 7-5. Earlier in the drive, Barton deflected a pass by Plummer intended for Sharpe along the left sideline, but the ball barely missed landing in Sharpe’s hands after Barton hit it.

On the very next play – third-and-13 – Barton was flagged for an unnecessary roughness penalty when he put a late hit on Plummer out of bounds, keeping Denver’s drive alive.

Janikowski booted his second field goal to make it 8-7.

Four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson had back-to-back long penalties in the fourth quarter before Phillip Buchanon intercepted a pass by Plummer.