AFC Oakland clinches its home-field advantage

The Raiders will stay home for the playoffs after a 24-0 win over Kansas City.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Raiders worked their "bad weather plan" to near perfection.
They just ran and ran and ran.
Charlie Garner made running in deep puddles and a steady downpour look easy, successfully cutting from side to side and grinding out yards in the Raiders' 24-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday.
Garner carried 29 times for 135 yards and a touchdown as the Raiders (11-5) locked up the top seed for the AFC playoffs as well as a much-needed bye they will use to get healthy.
They shut out the Chiefs for the first time in franchise history -- they've played 88 times overall.
"I pride myself in being able to go out and run the football in any conditions," said Garner, who for the first time since coming from across San Francisco Bay from the 49ers last season was not limited in his carries.
"Ever since I came over I wanted [that chance]. It didn't present itself until today," he said. "When it does, you take it."
Chiefs ousted
The Chiefs (8-8) had to win and have several other teams help them in order to make the playoffs. They missed the postseason for the fifth straight year.
The Raiders' victory also gave Indianapolis a playoff spot as a wild-card team, and suddenly the clogged-up AFC playoff picture is becoming a little more clear.
Rich Gannon completed four of his first five passes, but finished 7-for-14 for a season-low 79 yards and a touchdown.
Gannon needed 475 yards to break one of the league's most prestigious records: Dan Marino's 5,084 yards passing in 1984. Gannon, one of the favorites for the NFL MVP, also fell short of becoming only the second quarterback to go over 5,000 yards in a season. He needed 390 to do that.
"It's fine with me," Gannon said. "That was not really my focus."
Two second-quarter touchdowns
Garner ran 1 yard for a score early in the second quarter, then on Kansas City's next possession, Rod Woodson intercepted Trent Green to set up another Oakland touchdown -- a 15-yard TD from Gannon to Doug Jolley.
Zack Crockett added an 8-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter and Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 27-yard field goal.
Kansas City played without star running back Priest Holmes, who was sidelined with a hip injury, and it hurt not having him. Holmes leads the league with 2,287 yards from scrimmage.
The Chiefs managed just 63 yards in the first half -- 22 rushing -- and only 21 offensive plays to the Raiders' 39. The Chiefs also had just three first downs before halftime.
Kansas City did not reach the red zone until the final play of the game when players were already walking onto the field from the sidelines. The Chiefs failed on fourth down at the Raiders' 38 in the third quarter and at the 30 in the fourth.
"The offense sat there on the sideline and got cold and wet, and then when we got back in there, we couldn't get in a rhythm," Chiefs receiver and kick returner Dante Hall said.