NFL PLAYOFFS : Dolphins Take Ball, Game Away From Chief Stars : AFC: After first-half shootout, Montana's interception and Allen's fumble put an end to Kansas City hopes, 27-17.

By STEVE SPRINGER

Jan. 1, 1995 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

MIAMI — It was supposed to be the Great Shootout. But in the end, it was the Miami Dolphin defense that delivered the biggest shots.

When it began, everybody was talking about Dan Marino and Joe Montana. When it ended, everybody was talking about J.B. Brown and Michael Stewart.

Those two Dolphin defensive backs came up with the biggest plays of the second half of Saturday’s AFC first-round playoff game at Joe Robbie Stadium, turning the much-heralded Marino-Montana confrontation into a clear decision for Marino, giving the Dolphins a 27-17 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

That sent the Dolphins to San Diego for a second-round match against the Chargers next Sunday and the Chiefs home after yet another disappointing postseason.

There could be little second-guessing about this Kansas City loss, the fifth consecutive year in which the Chiefs have made it into the playoffs only to fall short of the Super Bowl. The two turnovers that did them in Saturday--an interception by Brown and a fumble recovered by Stewart--were committed by Kansas City’s two veteran clutch players, Montana and running back Marcus Allen. Who else’s hands would the Chiefs want the ball in?

This one began in a manner befitting a game featuring two men considered among the best to play quarterback in the NFL. Up and down the field Marino and Montana marched, like two chess masters making all the right moves. Defense seemed useless. This seemed as if it was going to be one of those classics in which the last team to have the ball would win.

Nobody punted in the first half. Nobody blinked. And nobody among the crowd of 67,487 dared to leave their seat.

The half went as follows:

--Ball to Montana: He put together an 11-play, 80-yard opening drive, connecting with Derrick Walker on a one-yard touchdown pass.

--Ball to Marino: He took the Dolphins 72 yards in 10 plays, Bernie Parmalee going up the middle to score from a yard out.

--Ball to Montana: He drove Chiefs 83 yards in four plays, Kimble Anders scoring on a 57-yard pass play. Anders avoided tackles by Dolphins Aubrey Beavers, Frankie Smith and Bryan Cox in a memorable run down the right sideline.

--Ball to Marino. He moved 35 yards in seven plays, culminating with a 40-yard field goal by Pete Stoyanovich.

--Ball to Montana: He matched the field goal by going 69 yards in 12 plays, enabling Lin Elliott to kick a 21-yarder.

--Ball to Marino: He pushed his club 80 yards in 13 plays, hitting tight end Ronnie Williams with a one-yard touchdown pass.

Whew! It was tied, 17-17, and there was still a half to play.

In the Miami locker room, the Dolphins’ defense thought they hadn’t begun to play.

“We missed tackles,” Cox said. “It was as simple as that.”

Linebacker Jesse Solomon, who started in place of injured Dwight Hollier, told his teammates, “It’s 0-0. We get the ball first. Let’s score and let’s stop these guys.”

Marino took care of the first part, picking up where he left off. He drove down to the Kansas City seven-yard line, where, out of the shotgun, he faced a blitz.

No problem.

Marino stepped back, surveyed the field with a glance, spotted Irving Fryar a step behind the defense and delivered him the ball for the touchdown that put the Dolphins on top for good.

Then, the Miami defense finally made its presence felt, shutting out the Chiefs in the second half.

Montana won the statistical battle against Marino, completing 26 of 37 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns. Marino was successful on 22 of 29 attempts for 257 yards and a pair of touchdowns. And Allen won the rushing battle against Parmalee, gaining 64 yards to Parmalee’s 57.

But, ultimately, it came down to two plays.

After Stoyanovich’s second 40-yard field goal had extended the Dolphin lead to 27-17, Montana drove to the Miami five-yard line early in the fourth quarter.

From there, he tried to hit Eric Martin at the goal line, but Brown stepped in and picked the ball off.

“Maybe I should have thrown to the other side,” Montana said. “Hopefully, he (Martin) would get inside of him.”

Said Brown: “(Montana) let it go early. I jammed the receiver, looked up and the ball was coming.”

When he got to the sideline, still clutching the football, Brown was told by fellow defensive back Troy Vincent that he ought to get it painted to mark the occasion.

“You just got an interception from a legend,” Vincent said.

The Chief defense forced a punt. On Kansas City’s next possession, Allen picked up 10 yards around the left side, but, as he struggled for a couple of extra yards against Stewart, a former Ram, the Miami defender ripped the ball from Allen’s grasp.

“It’s a play that I should have gone out of bounds,” Allen said. “But I tried to get a little more than I should. It’s very disappointing. At the beginning of the year, we expected a great deal of ourselves.”

Said Stewart: “I was able to get my arm inside of his. Any time you have a chance for a turnover, you take a shot at it.”

The victory gave the Dolphins a 3-0 mark against the Chiefs in postseason play and improved Miami’s overall mark this season to 11-6.

Kansas City finished at 9-8. A week ago, it had been Montana and Allen who catapulted the Chiefs past the Raiders in the regular-season finale and into the playoffs.

“We would not be in this locker room right now if it were not for Joe Montana and Marcus Allen,” Kansas City Coach Marty Schottenheimer said after the game. “As long as I’m the coach here, he (Allen) always has a job.”

* MONTANA TO RETURN

Quarterback says he feels bad after loss to Dolphins, but “the game is fun” and he will play a 17th NFL season. C8