Jackson, Allen Still Solo Acts : Raiders: Shell plays them together at Denver but says that he prefers to keep a tailback rotation.

Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson, Raider running acts who tend to work alone, were teamed in the same backfield for much of the second half in Sunday’s victory over Denver, providing a double dose of Heismans and headlines.

Some would suggest it was about time. Allen and Jackson have made cameo appearances together before, most recently in Miami, when fullback Steve Smith was forced from the game after suffering a gash over his right eye.

But Coach Art Shell has preferred a tailback rotation, shuttling Jackson into the lineup on the Raiders’ third offensive series each game. Sunday, the third series didn’t start until 1:49 remained in the half, so Jackson carried only twice before intermission.

In the second half, though, Shell paired Jackson and Allen and the results were impressive. Jackson gained 98 of his 117 yards after the half. His fresh legs and rare speed were obviously too much for a tiring Bronco defense.

In the fourth quarter, Allen lined up in the right slot and helped clear the way on Jackson’s 62-yard scoring run.

So we’ll be seeing this lineup again soon?

“No,” Shell said. “I think you’re asking either one of them to do a lot of blocking, and I don’t want to do that. Not that they can’t block, but that’s not what they’re there for. Their job is to run the football and catch the football.”

Shell said that Sunday’s deployment was a changeup to confuse the Denver defense. It may be used again, he said, but not in the manner some might expect.

“It was working good,” Shell said, “so we stayed with it a little bit to see if we could continue to make it work. It’s like when you have a slider working and you’re striking them out, you continue to use it.”

Shell said the Raiders hired Smith to do the dirty work of blocking, and that’s what he’ll continue to do.

“Smitty is a battering ram,” Shell said. “He knows what his role is. I would not want to subject Bo or Marcus to that kind of activity.”

Shell said that unleashing Jackson in the second half was just what he had in mind.

“It’s part of the purpose of what we’re doing, having someone fresh come in as a change of pace,” he said.

There won’t be any questions about who’s starting at quarterback next week against Detroit. It will be Jay Schroeder, who completed 16 of 23 passes for 164 yards against Denver under adverse conditions.

Schroeder opened the game by completing his first six passes on a 73-yard scoring drive, a sequence some construed as an orchestrated effort from the coaching staff to boost Schroeder’s confidence.

It was not a great week for Schroeder, who sprained his left knee in a loss to Kansas City a week ago Sunday and was cheered by some in the Coliseum crowd as he was led off the field. Speculation arose about Schroeder’s condition, both physical and mental. Deep backup man Steve Beuerlein’s name was dusted off and mentioned again as first backup Vince Evans prepared for his first start since Strikeball in 1987.

Shell said Monday that the Raiders didn’t come out throwing to soothe Schroeder’s psyche.

“It did not cross my mind,” Shell said. “I never even thought about it.”

Shell said he never lost confidence in Schroeder, despite a budding controversy in which Raider fans were beginning to take sides.

“I’m not going to let outside forces disrupt my thinking,” he said. “I feel good about Jay Schroeder. I feel good about what he’s capable of doing. I’m not going to let anything deter me from that.”

Playoff update: With four games remaining, the Kansas City Chiefs still control the AFC West, despite sharing the divisional lead with the Raiders at 8-4. Because the Chiefs swept the Raiders, they win the head-to-head tiebreaker should the teams finish in a tie.

Kansas City has remaining home games against Denver and Houston and finishes on the road at San Diego and at Chicago.

For those anticipating a Chicago victory over Kansas City that could launch the Raiders to a divisional title, consider that the Bears may be lacking for motivation in the Dec. 29 finale if they have already clinched their playoff position and home-field advantage.

The Raiders play at Detroit next Monday night, then are home against Cincinnati, at Minnesota and then home against San Diego.

If the season ended today, the Raiders would travel to Miami for the first-round wild-card game.