Monkey Returns to Schroeder’s Back : Raiders: He hopes to shake the mistakes he made in loss to Chiefs and return to 1990 level against the Broncos.

You can love him, hate him, cheer him or boo him, but Raider playoff hopes down a treacherous stretch are tied to the right arm of quarterback Jay Schroeder, who claims to be ready for the ride.

This, of course, means open season for Schroeder critics, who line up around the block in times of crisis.

The Raiders (5-4) have seven games left, beginning today at Mile High Stadium against the AFC Western Division-leading Denver Broncos (7-2). After today, it will be Seattle, at Cincinnati, at San Diego, Buffalo, at New Orleans and Kansas City.

A loss to the Broncos, with six games left, would all but eliminate the Raiders from repeating as divisional champions.

So the Raiders turn to Schroeder, who can either clear his name with a strong finish, or stoke some off-season fires as the red-headed rookie, Todd Marinovich, itches to make a name for himself.

How things have changed: Last year, the Raiders surrounded Schroeder with a solid supporting cast, dressed him in a conservative suit and produced the AFC’s fourth-ranked quarterback with a rating of 90.8.

Schroeder finished with 19 touchdown passes and nine interceptions, the best ratio of his career.

This season, tailback and team leader Marcus Allen was injured in the season opener. Gone was Bo Jackson, after a career-ending hip injury in last season’s playoffs. Gone was injured guard Max Montoya.

The offense was thrown into chaos. The Raiders now lead the league only in penalties, 15 of those having been holding calls.

Suddenly, Schroeder stands alone in the pocket. He has thrown more interceptions through nine games, 11, than he did all of last season. He also has 10 touchdown passes, but his rating has plunged to 68.9.

“I don’t think I’m doing anything different,” Schroeder said. “I think the situation has been different.”

Schroeder has thrown 71 more passes than he did at this stage last season, and the results have been mixed. Circumstances have forced him to take more chances.

At times, he has never looked better. On Oct. 13, he led a second-half comeback against the Seahawks, bringing the Raiders back from a 17-0 halftime deficit to a 23-20 victory. In the process, Schroeder attempted a career-high 52 passes.

At other times, Schroeder sends Raider fans running for cover. On Oct. 28 in Kansas City, two interceptions cost the Raiders a game they otherwise dominated.

“That’s the thing,” Schroeder said, “my one or two mistakes are a big deal, very noticeable. That just goes with the territory.”

During the fourth-quarter against the Chiefs, with the Raiders leading, 21-10, Schroeder’s off-balance, third-and-goal pass was intercepted by safety Lloyd Burruss and returned 83 yards to the Raider 15 with 11 minutes left.

The Chiefs quickly scored, and eventually won, 24-21.

“The second one was definitely a pass that should not have been thrown in that situation,” Schroeder said. “Third and three or four, you automatically have a field goal, you’re going to keep the momentum . . . there’s no sense trying to be a hero.”

Sometimes, Schroeder’s strong arm gets the worst of him.

“Obviously, because I think I can throw it in there,” he said, “you take your chances, and sometimes it’s a good play and everyone says, ‘Wow!’ And sometimes it’s a bad play and everyone says, ‘You’re an idiot!’ And you have to agree with them.”

Coach Art Shell said Schroeder is taking more chances than he should, but notes that the Raiders’ deep-passing attack has always been feast-or-famine.

Shell said Schroeder must eliminate the big interceptions, adding: “But we can’t shut the engines down and say we’re not going to let him throw the ball in those situations.”

Schroeder has the question before, but here it comes again: Was 1990 the dawning of the new Schroeder, or an aberration in an otherwise checkered career?

“I don’t worry about anybody,” he said. “I worry about what I have to do each week. I’ve never been one, during the course of my career, to get a lot of praise when things are going right, and I take a lot of heat when it goes wrong. It doesn’t matter to me. I got some credit last year, sure, but over the course of my entire career it’s been that way.”

No matter, Schroeder must have a strong finish for the Raiders to stay in the race.

It won’t be easy, but they have no choice. The Dallas Cowboys are the only team that can activate Steve Beuerlein now.

Raider Notes

Who said winning is the only thing? The Broncos, who slipped to 5-11 last season, were rewarded with a cushy fifth-place schedule and the fourth choice in the first round of the NFL draft, which got them linebacker Mike Croel, who leads the AFC with eight sacks. . . . The Broncos’ last four opponents this season: New England, at Cleveland, Phoenix and at San Diego--teams with a combined record of 12-25. Do the Broncos think they have an advantage? “Yeah,” quarterback John Elway acknowledged.