Tuesday, November 18, 2008

By JOSH DUBOW
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

last updated: December 30, 2007 02:56:24 AM

OAKLAND -- For three straight weeks, the Oakland Raiders have served as the perfect patsy for playoff-bound opponents looking to hold clinching parties.

First, it was Green Bay wrapping up the NFC North. Then, Indianapolis beat the Raiders to win its division, and, last week, Jacksonville clinched its playoff berth with a 49-11 thrashing of Oakland.

San Diego has already locked up its second straight AFC West title, but a win at Oakland today would give the Chargers something almost as important: the No. 3 seed.

By beating out Pittsburgh for that coveted spot, the Chargers (10-5) would play Tennessee of Cleveland in the opening round instead of Jacksonville, and would be assured of not playing top-seeded New England until at least the AFC title game.

"Honestly, at the end of the day, we were the first seed last year and it didn't matter," defensive lineman Luis Castillo said. "We still lost and we still got knocked out. The whole focus this year was just to get to the playoffs. Get to the dance and we can take it from there. That's the focus right now. Let's get right.

"We're going to play an intense game in Oakland and we're going to do things the right way."

While many of the Chargers downplay the importance of seeding after losing to New England as the top seed a year ago, Raiders coach Lane Kiffin thinks it's clear who San Diego would rather play.

The Jaguars (11-4) are the last team to beat the Chargers, winning 24-17 last month, while San Diego already won at Tennessee (9-6) earlier this season.

That's probably why coach Norv Turner isn't planning to sit his starters for this game against the Raiders (4-11) like Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden did last week in San Francisco with only seeding on the line.

"I think it's obvious who they'd rather play," Kiffin said. "They have a lot to play for, so you do see them at their best."

The biggest obstacle standing between the Chargers and the three seed is a talented but untested rookie quarterback set to make his first start in the NFL. If history is any guide, the Chargers don't figure to have much to worry about when they take on JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders.

While being a quarterback picked first in the draft usually generates big contracts and loads of hype, it rarely leads to a win in the first start. Of the 15 quarterbacks taken with the No. 1 pick since the common draft began in 1967, only David Carr with Houston and Jim Plunkett with New England earned the win in their debuts.

Atlanta did win the first game Michael Vick started and Denver won with John Elway, but the winning scores were thrown by their backups in those games.

Only three of the quarterbacks completed more than 50 percent of their passes, while collectively the 15 quarterbacks completed 47 percent of their passes with 15 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

There are a few other things at stake in the season finale, including LaDainian Tomlinson's bid to wrap up his second straight NFL rushing title for San Diego. Tomlinson heads into the finale with 1,418 yards, 113 ahead of Minnesota rookie Adrian Peterson and 127 ahead of Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook.

The Raiders are also looking to snap an eight-game skid against the Chargers and beat each of their division rivals in the final meeting this season.

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