Raiders Lack the Look of a Champion

A field goal here, a tackle there, and today’s game would have been little more than a tuneup for the Oakland Raiders.

Instead, the AFC West champion Raiders, who have lost three of five, need to beat the New York Jets to better their playoff position. For a first-round bye, the Raiders need to win and get either a victory by New England or a loss by Miami. The Patriots play at Carolina and the Dolphins host Buffalo.

Although they looked like the AFC’s best team midway through the season, the Raiders have slipped in recent weeks with losses to Arizona, Tennessee and Denver. Still, hope springs eternal in Raiderland.

“As long as you have a chance to breathe and fight another day in this league, you have to have a smile on your face,” tight end Roland Williams said. “There are some teams in this league right now that don’t have a chance to fight.

“I think we’re a scrappy bunch. I think we’re going to get it right and shock the world.”

And the football world will be watching the Raider-Jet game, the weekend’s only contest with playoff implications for both teams. The Jets will clinch a postseason berth with a victory over the Raiders, or a loss by Seattle, which hosts Kansas City.

The Raiders got a big boost Friday, emotional and otherwise, when Jerry Rice returned to the team after spending time in Mississippi with his father, who is hospitalized with heart problems. Rice, a key component to a pass-heavy offense, will start today.

“I felt like I needed to be there [in Mississippi],” Rice told reporters. “He’s starting to recuperate, so that’s a load off my mind.”

The Jets are 6-1 on the road and have allowed more than 18 points only once in the last nine games.

The Seahawks, who beat San Diego last Sunday with a 54-yard field goal as time expired, have hope. They can clinch a wild-card spot with a victory, and a loss by the Jets or Baltimore, which hosts Minnesota on Monday night.

The Jets and Ravens are in the playoffs with a victory, or a Seattle loss. The way Baltimore tight end Shannon Sharpe sees it, the playoffs are a golden opportunity and he’s not looking for them to arrive on a silver platter.

“I hope we have to win Monday night to get in the playoffs,” he said. “I want Seattle and the Jets to win [today]. I don’t want to get in because somebody else is unfortunate.”

Miami and New England are playoff-bound, but the AFC East crown is up for grabs.

The Patriots have the tiebreaker advantage. If both teams lose, and the Jets win, the Jets win the division.

Pittsburgh lost to Cincinnati last Sunday, but the AFC Central champion Steelers locked up a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the playoffs when Oakland lost to Denver.

All six NFC playoff berths are set, but there is plenty of jostling for position.

Chicago can win the NFC Central with a victory over Jacksonville, whereas Green Bay can win it with a victory over the New York Giants and a Bear loss.

Only momentum is at stake when Philadelphia plays at Tampa Bay. It’s a dress rehearsal for the teams, which will meet in Philadelphia in the first round.

The 49ers will have to go on the road for the first round unless they win at New Orleans and the Packers lose.

St. Louis, NFC West champion, has clinched a first-round bye and can shore up home-field advantage through the playoffs with a victory over Atlanta or a Chicago loss.

An intriguing possibility: If Tampa Bay beats Philadelphia in a wild-card game, the Buccaneers would travel to St. Louis to face the Rams (assuming the Rams are the top-seeded team). Earlier this season, Tampa Bay beat the Rams on “Monday Night Football,” and each of their three games over the past three seasons were decided by a touchdown or less.

Then again, Tampa Bay has never won a road playoff game, and the Buccaneers--who will be playing at Philadelphia--are 0-20 when the temperature dips below 40 degrees at kickoff.

Regardless, Ram Coach Mike Martz refuses to look that far down the road.

“This team’s always been able to focus on the task at hand,” he said.

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Bubble Dwellers

The NFC teams are set for the playoffs with only home field and first-round byes to be determined today. The AFC has three teams fighting for two berths:

* NEW YORK JETS--First it was Carson Palmer, now it’s Vinny Testaverde who is struggling under former USC coach and current Jet assistant Paul Hackett. Testaverde must manage burden better than Palmer did for Jets to advance.

* BALTIMORE--Ravens get in for sure with a win or tie against the Minnesota Vikings. If they lose, they need help. Problem is, their game is Monday night, and those are the ones for which Randy Moss and his ego get motivated.

* SEATTLE--Even if they win they need other teams to lose to reach the playoffs. But a coach who starts Shaun Alexander at running back only when over-the-hill Ricky Watters is injured doesn’t deserve to have a team in the postseason anyway.

NFL Playoff Paths

The following are the playoff scenarios in each conference and division as determined by the NFL.

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Clinched AFC playoff berth.

Can clinch AFC East title with:

1) Win OR

2) Tie plus Miami loss or tie OR

3) Miami loss plus NY Jets loss or tie

Can clinch first-round bye with:

1) Win plus Oakland loss OR

2) Tie plus Miami loss or tie plus Oakland loss or tie

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Clinched AFC playoff berth.

Can clinch AFC East title with:

1) Win plus New England loss or tie OR

2) Tie plus New England loss

Can clinch first-round bye with:

1) Win plus New England loss or tie OR

2) Tie plus New England loss plus Oakland loss or tie

NEW YORK JETS

Can clinch AFC playoff berth with:

1) Win or tie OR

2) Seattle loss or tie

Can clinch AFC East title and first-round bye with

1) Win plus New England loss plus Miami loss.

*

AFC CENTRAL

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Clinched AFC Central division title and home-field advantage throughout playoffs

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Can clinch AFC playoff berth with:

1) Win or tie OR

2) Seattle loss or tie OR

3) New York Jets loss

*

AFC WEST

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Clinched AFC West division title

Can clinch first-round bye with:

1) Win plus Miami loss or tie, OR

2) Win plus New England win, OR

3) Tie plus Miami loss plus New England loss

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Can clinch AFC playoff berth with:

1) Win plus New York Jets loss, OR

2) Win plus Baltimore loss

*

NFC EAST

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Clinched NFC East title

1) Will host Tampa Bay in wild-card game.

*

NFC CENTRAL

CHICAGO BEARS

Clinched NFC playoff berth

Can clinch NFC Central title and first-round bye with:

1) Win or tie OR

2) Green Bay loss or tie

Can clinch home-field advantage throughout playoffs with

1) Win plus St. Louis loss.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Clinched NFC playoff berth.

Can clinch NFC Central title and first-round bye with

1) Win plus Chicago loss

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Clinched NFC playoff berth

1) Will travel to Philadelphia for wild-card game

*

NFC WEST

ST. LOUIS RAMS

Clinched West title and a first-round bye

Can clinch home-field advantage throughout playoffs with:

1) Win or tie OR

2) Chicago loss or tie

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Clinched NFC playoff berth

*

The following teams have been eliminated from playoff contention: Arizona, Atlanta, Buffalo, Carolina, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Minnesota, New Orleans, New York Giants, San Diego, Tennessee and Washington.

Source: NFL