Kansas City, Mo. ? Offensive linemen typically get singled out on two occasions: when they blow assignments and when they get flagged for holding.

But the Kansas City Chiefs’ front five, the guys who clear the way for All-Pro running back Priest Holmes, have been attracting plenty of positive attention lately — even if they would rather have anonymity.

The unit has built a reputation as one of the NFL’s best, and the league put its official stamp on that assessment this week. After the Chiefs set a league record with eight touchdowns rushing in a 56-10 victory over Atlanta, left guard Brian Waters was chosen the AFC’s offensive player of the week.

“It’s great to see an offensive lineman get some recognition,” coach Dick Vermeil said. “I’ve said all along that he’s becoming an outstanding offensive guard. I believe that within two years he’ll be in the Pro Bowl, if not sooner.”

The recognition, though, carried fines from the offensive linemen’s kangaroo court, which punishes what it considers any undue media attention paid to a lineman.

Waters, the first guard to win weekly offensive honors since the award was instituted in 1984, wasn’t saying how much it cost him.

“They’re big,” he said, pausing to argue — apparently without success — that he should not be fined both for winning the award and being interviewed about it. “For our boys, that’s about as big as they get. But I can’t say how much.

“The offensive line, we’ve been bred not to like too much attention, so this right here is kind of a lot right now. But it’s OK. It’ll probably take another 20 years for it to happen again.”

Holmes ran for 139 yards and four touchdowns, and Derrick Blaylock had 90 yards and four more TDs against what had been the NFL’s best run defense.

Chiefs running back Priest Holmes (31) runs for a short gain as center Casey Wiegmann takes out Atlanta linebacker Jamie Duncan (59). The offensive line helped the Chiefs rush for eight touchdowns in a 56-10 victory over the Falcons on Sunday in Kansas City, Mo.

“The offensive line is definitely doing something right,” Holmes said after the game. “They’re getting downhill, getting on their blocks and being professionals. The one thing that you can never take away from an offensive line is that if they get their (running) back into the end zone, that means they’re good.”

Waters tried to spread the credit — and perhaps a little financial liability, too — to left tackle Willie Roaf, center Casey Wiegmann, right guard Will Shields and right tackle John Welbourn.

“In order for it to work, all five guys have to play well, so I don’t see how they could individualize one guy,” Waters said. “It just happened to be me.”

Shields and Roaf are perennial Pro Bowlers, and Wiegmann has few equals in the league for his ability to pull ahead of sweep plays.

“Most good offensive lines have one or two marquee names, and the rest of the guys are kind of role players, and guys that aren’t as well-known,” said Welbourn, who joined the team this season when right tackle John Tait left for Chicago as a free agent. “On this offensive line, there are a lot of marquee players who all play well together.”

Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy, whose team will travel Sunday to Arrowhead Stadium, called Kansas City’s linemen “old enough to be veteran guys, but young enough to where they’re still athletic.”

They’re not all that young, though.

Waters, 27, and Welbourn, 28, are the only ones under 30. Wiegmann is 31 and in his ninth season, and the 33-year-old Shields and 34-year-old Roaf are in their 12th seasons.

“These guys are really solid, and I’m always amazed at how fast Willie Roaf is,” Welbourn said. “You get a guy like Willie, who has played that long, to do what he does is impressive.”

Roaf, Vermeil said, was playing his best football in years.

“I can’t prove it, but our left tackle is probably playing left tackle as well as he’s played left tackle in a long time,” Vermeil said. “He’s playing it better than he played it last year. He’s playing some dominating football and having some fun.”

On the right side of the line, Shields has been the most durable player in Chiefs history.

He has played all 182 games of his career with Kansas City, starting all but the first of those, and holds the team record for consecutive starts.

“I’ve never worked with a more disciplined, dedicated guy on the field than Will Shields. Never,” Vermeil said. “I’ve never seen a guy, day in and day out, do what he does to maintain his skills and to be as good as he is.

“I don’t care if it’s a walkthrough or a pregame warmup. Put the glasses on him, watch him. Everything he does is a deliberate attempt to carry something over to do it right.”

Welbourn, acquired in a draft-day trade from Philadelphia, is an aggressive blocker, but has a lingering knee injury that has forced him to share duties with Chris Bober.

“He’s a tough guy and keeps on getting better,” Vermeil said.

As does the Chiefs’ O-line. Just ask the Falcons.