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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Chiefs’ Holmes out


Kansas City running back Priest Holmes, right, had his season end Thursday when he was placed on injured reserve. 
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press

Kansas City Chiefs star running back Priest Holmes will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Holmes, who was leading the NFL in scoring and rushing when he got hurt Nov. 7, was placed on injured reserve Thursday but will not require surgery.

“It was the best thing to do for Priest Holmes and his future,” coach Dick Vermeil said. “I think he’ll be 100 percent within a month, two months at least.”

Vermeil said Holmes might have remained on the roster if the Chiefs (4-8) were headed for the playoffs. But he had already been declared out for Monday night’s game at Tennessee, and the Chiefs will play only three more times after that.

“The rehab is taking longer and with the season only four weeks to go and Priest feeling the pressure to get ready to play … obviously he wasn’t going to be able to,” Vermeil said. “There was some talk that in a couple of weeks he might start practicing with a brace on the knee.

“But we aren’t going to do that to Priest Holmes.”

Holmes was injured on what appeared to be a routine tackle at Tampa Bay, forcing an early end to what was shaping up as a terrific year.

He had been the NFL’s player of the month for October, when he had three 100-yard rushing games, rushed for nine touchdowns and caught 10 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown.

One year after setting an NFL record with 27 touchdowns, he was on pace to be the first NFL player to score 20 or more touchdowns rushing in three consecutive seasons.

Holmes ends 2004 with 892 yards rushing on 196 carries, with 15 touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 187 yards and one score. His season highlight came in the Chiefs’ 56-10 win over Atlanta, when he and Blaylock each scored four of the Chiefs’ NFL-record eight TDs rushing.

Broncos waive Knorr

Several weeks of lackluster punts and kickoffs cost Micah Knorr his job with the Denver Broncos.

Denver waived Knorr and signed Jason Baker, cut a day earlier by Indianapolis.

Knorr’s 41.5-yard average is 12th in the AFC and his net of 34.2 is tied for 14th. He leads the league in touchbacks on kickoffs with 15, but only four of those have come in the last seven games.

Seattle’s Rice, Jackson probable

Seattle’s Jerry Rice didn’t practice, one day after leaving a Seahawks workout with a strained left quadriceps.

Rice and fellow receiver Darrell Jackson, who missed his second day of practice with an undisclosed illness, are listed as probable for Seattle’s game Sunday at Minnesota.

Burress out for Jets game

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the New York Jets after missing practice with a sore hamstring, a day after he felt confident he was close to returning.

Burress, the Steelers’ top downfield receiving threat, will miss a third consecutive game. He hasn’t played since getting hurt 3 minutes into the second quarter of a 19-14 victory Nov. 21 in Cincinnati.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returned to practice after sitting out Wednesday with a bruised thigh and didn’t appear to be favoring the injury.

Finalists picked for ‘09 Super Bowl

Atlanta, Houston, Miami and Tampa, Fla., were selected as the four finalists for the 2009 Super Bowl.

The four were recommended by a committee of owners at a meeting in Atlanta on Wednesday.

One of the four will be chosen as host by the league’s owners next May.

This season’s game will be played Feb. 6 in Jacksonville, Fla.

The 2006 game will be in Detroit, with Miami host for the 2007 game and Phoenix in 2008.