Grasp of Raiders Slipping : Pro football: After 23-17 loss at Seattle, club needs upset victory at Giants Stadium to sustain postseason hopes.

The Raiders have had their backs against the wall before and lived to tell about it.

Of course, they had George Blanda in those days or Ken Stabler or Jim Plunkett.

This is their modern era and unless these wet-behind-the-ears successors to the dynasts pull off an upset as storied as any in their history next week against the red-hot Giants in the ice-cold Meadowlands, they’ll miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

The game they knew they could win slipped away late Sunday night, when Steve Beuerlein overthrew Mervyn Fernandez at the goal line in the closing seconds, leaving the Seahawks with a 23-17 victory, a last agony of the decade in their Big Shop of Horrors, the Kingdome.

In Al Davis’ nightmares, does he see a four-receiver set and Dave Krieg’s cherubic face, and Mike Haynes in civilian clothes on the sidelines while a first-year free-agent cornerback named Dan Land gets undressed?

Without a running game, Krieg dinked the Raiders to death. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 270 yards. He converted 9 of 14 third-downs, three of them to receivers covered by Land, playing in place of the injured Russell Carter, dressed in place of Haynes. Ask not whose Land this was, he was Krieg’s.

“They say Krieg’s hot,” said Howie Long. “I like to say he’s more smart than on. Shoot, you could complete that eight-yard pass underneath the zone . . .

“Second-and-7, third-and-6, they dump it off. He gets the ball with four yards to go and he rambles and rambles. Typical Chuck Knox strategy. If you can’t run the ball, throw the ball short.”

“He” was Seahawk fullback John L. Williams, who had 12 catches, not one of them more than 10 yards downfield, for 129 yards. The Raiders held the Seahawks to 82 yards--53 after the opening drive--and what good did it do? The Seahawks still controlled the ball for 38:05 to their 21:55.

The Seahawks dominated the first half, but the Raiders escaped trailing only 13-3.

Their season was passing before their eyes, but back they came in the third period, behind the embattled Beuerlein. He was 22 for his last 53. The letter-writers were calling for Jay Schroeder. He’d gone belly-up here a year ago. For good measure, Seahawk defensive end Jeff Bryant almost sawed him in half with a second-period blind-side sack.

In the third period, with only a token presence by Bo Jackson, Beuerlein marched the Raiders to touchdowns on their first two possessions, throwing a 36-yarder for the first to Willie Gault and a one-yarder to Trey Junkin for the second. Suddenly, the Raiders led, 17-13.

Krieg responded with passes into the flat to his backs, slants against the inexperienced Land and Dennis Price.

He drove the Seahawks 76 yards, finishing it by tiptoeing through the Raider rush a last time and feathering a lob into Williams for a 13-yard touchdown and a 20-17 lead.

Then, after Beuerlein threw his first interception in four games, and Seattle took over at its one-yard line, Krieg marched them 74 yards in 8:03, setting up a 43-yard field goal by Norm Johnson.

Back came Beuerlein and the Raiders one last time.

Every time Beuerlein would throw a bad pass--and he threw several, resulting in hands with heavy rings slamming the press tables back where the Raider brass and you-know-who were sitting--he would come back and throw a good one.

He hit tight end Mike Dyal for nine yards. He hit Fernandez for 11. He sent Jackson up the middle for 13 on a draw. He hit Fernandez for 12. On third and 8 at the Seattle 27, he threw a 13-yard sideline pattern to Fernandez.

There, the drive bogged. Steve Smith rushed for a yard off the left side. Beuerlein’s pass for Dyal in the end zone went off his fingertips. On third and 9, right tackle Steve Wright broke early. On third and 14, Beuerlein threw over the middle to Smith, who was dropped quickly.

On fourth and 11, Beuerlein fired a pass over a leaping Fernandez at the goal line.

Yes, Fernandez was open.

“I threw it too high for Mervyn Fernandez,” said Beuerlein. “He missed it. Not that much to explain.

“We had a hook route called. There was really nobody open all across the board but him.

“He had double coverage but he hooked up right between them. They were on him pretty good, but I would have liked to have had the ball down where he had a chance to catch it. He can make that play with people on his back.

“There’s really no way to describe how we feel right now. This is about as crushing a defeat as I’ve ever been associated with.

“This much on the line. To get all the way down there, make the big plays we made, just something felt right. It felt like it was meant to be.”

Forget that stuff about “controlling their destiny.” The Raiders needed one more victory to make the playoffs, and they let the team they knew they could beat off the hook.

Now they have to deal with Giants.

Can they forget this one?

“It’s forgot,” Greg Townsend said. “This one’s forgotten.

“It’s just a hard one to swallow but (tapping his stomach), I’ve got it down. It’s over.”

Raider Notes

Bo Jackson took a hit early in the third period, came to the sideline and talked to a Raider team doctor. Jackson stayed in the game, but carried only twice after that. Coach Art Shell said: “He got the wind knocked out of him, so we were kind of careful with him. he got winded after that faster than he would have.” . . . Before getting hurt, Jackson had a big first half: 53 yards in nine carries, including a remarkable 38-yard run.

Playoff picture: Raiders can gain a wild-card spot only by beating the Giants, coupled with an Indianapolis loss at New Orleans. . . . The Seahawks under Chuck Knox are now 10-4 against the Raiders.