Inspired Dante gives his Chiefs divine start to season

THANKS to Dante Hall, the Kansas City Chiefs have started the National Football League season 5-0 for the first time in club history.

The only player to return kicks for touchdowns in three consecutive weeks, Hall did it again Sunday, scoring on an electrifying 93-yard punt return with 8:20 left in the fourth quarter to lead the Chiefs to a thrilling 24-23 victory over AFC West division rivals, Denver Broncos.

The Chiefs have plenty of weapons on offence with Priest Holmes, Trent Green and Tony Gonzalez, but Hall has inflicted the most damage on opponents, victimising the Broncos with a dazzling touchdown. Fielding a punt inside his own 5, Hall somehow evaded three defenders, darted to his right, and then reversed field and raced to his left. With a wall of three blockers in front of him, Hall sprinted down the left sideline. With no Broncos player in sight past midfield, Hall jogged into the end zone.

Hall returned a kick-off 97 yards for a touchdown with 5:08 left in the fourth quarter last week to give the Chiefs a 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. Two weeks ago, he returned a punt 73 yards for a score in a win at Houston and on September 14, Hall took a kick-off 100 yards for a touchdown against Pittsburgh.

Minnesota also improved to 5-0, doing without Daunte Culpepper in a 39-26 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Gus Frerotte threw two touchdowns and Moe Williams ran for a pair of scores in the second half as the Vikings scored 17 consecutive points to remain unbeaten. Frerotte made his second straight start in place of the injured Culpepper, who is sidelined with three broken bones in his back. He engineered a second-half comeback for the Vikings, who have won their first five games for their best start since opening the 2000 season 7-0.

Frerotte completed 14-of-24 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings remained one of four unbeaten teams in the NFL.

One of those is Carolina, who improved to 4-0 for the first time in club history with a 19-13 victory over New Orleans in Charlotte. Stephen Davis rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown against struggling NFC South rivals New Orleans.

Indianapolis had a chance to move to 5-0 when they visited Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay last night. But Seattle’s stay among the unbeaten ranks ended Sunday as the Seahawks fell at Green Bay.

Ahman Green rushed for 118 yards and two touchdowns and Brett Favre passed for two scores to lift the Packers to a 35-13 victory over Seattle. Green had touchdown runs of one and three yards in the second quarter, when the Packers (3-2) built a 21-13 lead.

In Chicago, the Bears overcame a 15-point half-time deficit and Paul Edinger booted a field goal at the buzzer to give Chicago their first win of the season, 24-21 over Oakland.

In Dallas, the Cowboys gave Emmitt Smith a rude welcome when he returned to the city where he spent 13 NFL seasons with his new team,

Arizona. The NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Smith had minus-1 yard before leaving with a shoulder injury as the Cowboys beat the Cardinals 24-7.

Former San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci’s return to the Bay Area was spoiled as Jeff Garcia ran for a touchdown and hit Terrell Owens with a six-yard scoring play to lead the 49ers to a 24-17 win over Detroit.

The Philadelphia Eagles held on for a 27-25 victory over NFC East rivals Washington.

In other games, Miami Dolphins beat the New York Giants 23-10, New England downed Tennessee 38-30, Buffalo edged Cincinnati 22-16 in overtime.

Jacksonville won for the first time this season, 27-21 over San Diego, and Cleveland beat Pittsburgh 33-13.