The Kansas City Chiefs had too much of a good thing in their latest victory, their coach says.

Herm Edwards said at his weekly news conference that Larry Johnson carried the ball too much in the Chiefs’ 35-28 victory against Seattle on Sunday.

The guy whose 39th and final carry of the day won the game for Kansas City had too many carries.

“Yeah, that’s too much,” Edwards said. “Thirty is about the number. It got away from us at the end.”

A runner as bruising, talented and important to his team as Johnson should average almost 30 carries per game. When the Chiefs are playing catch-up, he’ll naturally have fewer carries. When they’re protecting a vulnerable lead and milking the clock, as they were for most of Sunday’s game, he should carry more.

“I’ve got a chart, and I lost track,” Edwards said Tuesday. “I mark who’s getting the ball during a certain series.”

If Edwards had realized Johnson was about to get his 37th, 38th and 39th carries on the game-winning goal-to-go series late in the fourth quarter, would he have taken Johnson out of the game?

He was named AFC offensive player of the week Tuesday. If the Chiefs had scored – or, more likely, not scored – the winning touchdown without Johnson in the game, the self-applauding running back could kiss that accolade goodbye.

Johnson has never shied away from his intention to become the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. You can bet the almost-27-year-old wants as many carries in his prime as Edwards can give him.

“He’s probably sore,” Edwards said of Johnson, who, after Sunday’s game, said he was not tired.

Before Tuesday’s news conference began, Johnson entered the room, sat at the microphone and, using his best Edwards impersonation, conducted a mini-press conference.

Asked whether 39 carries was too many for the star running back, the incognito Johnson replied: “I tried to check on him, see if he was alright. He said he was fine, said he was fine.”

The Halloween prank sparked questions about the usually reserved Johnson’s influence in the locker room.

“I think he understands his role,” the real Herm Edwards said. “His role is a little bit of a leader now.”

A leader should be on the field until he decides he’s ready to rest.