Giants close in on East crown

The Chiefs' postseason hopes took a hit in a 27-17 defeat.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Tiki Barber had enough in his veteran legs to pull the New York Giants to the brink of a division title.
Barber ran for a team-record 220 yards and scored two touchdowns, helping the Giants beat up-and-coming runner Larry Johnson and the Kansas City Chiefs 27-17 Saturday. If the Giants (10-4) beat Washington next week, they will clinch the NFC East.
Despite a banged up offensive line, Barber slithered through the Chiefs defense, breaking one tackle after another to eclipse the old single-game rushing mark of 218, set by Gene Roberts against the Chicago Cardinals in 1950.
Kansas City (8-6), meanwhile, saw its wild-card chances diminish with the loss.
Rushing stars
Johnson tried to keep the Chiefs in the game, finishing with 167 yards and two touchdowns. He and Barber extended their 100-yard-game streaks -- Johnson to a club-record seven and Barber to five. Barber now has 1,577 yards on the season, surpassing his own single-season rushing mark of 1,518 set last year.
While both backs rightly shared the spotlight, it was shoddy tackling that doomed the Chiefs. Barber broke at least five tackles on his 41-yard touchdown run down the left sideline in the second quarter, and safety Sammy Knight failed to take down Amani Toomer on the receiver's 31-yard TD reception from Eli Manning in the fourth quarter.
Knight appeared to have Toomer wrapped up for a minimal gain, but Toomer bulled past Knight and sprinted into the end zone for a 20-10 lead. The Chiefs unsuccessfully challenged the play, saying Toomer's knee touched the ground when he was hit by Knight. Replays showed that Toomer's knee appeared to be about an inch or two off the ground.
Stuffed
The Giants, meanwhile, stopped Johnson three times from inside the 3-yard line late in the first half, forcing Kansas City to settle for a 19-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes. The play loomed large late in the game when Johnson on a 1-yard run with 8:29 left to pull the Chiefs to 20-17.
Barber then carried seven times for 46 yards on the Giants' next drive and ran off-tackle for 20 yards and a touchdown to give New York a 27-17 lead with 2:48 left.
It took Kansas City all of six plays to erase a 10-3 halftime deficit early in the third quarter. After a 20-yard completion from Trent Green to Samie Parker, Johnson ran four straight times for 34 yards. He ran the last 14 untouched through a gaping hole on the right side for his first score of the day.
Jay Feely kicked field goals of 35 and 41 yards for New York.
The Giants played without starting linebackers Carlos Emmons (strained right pectoral muscle) and Antonio Pierce (ankle), defensive tackle William Joseph (ankle) and starting right tackle Kareem McKenzie (hamstring).
Starting left tackle Luke Petitgout played despite back spasms that had him listed as questionable all week.