Columnist Sal DeFilippo: Raiders playing trivial football, in pursuit of MNF turnaround

Sal DeFilippo

Friday, Nov. 8, 2002 | 10:03 a.m.

Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at sal@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4076.

Here's a question that could stump a lot of folks.

Name the team that stayed unbeaten for the longest time this season.

Green Bay? Nope, the surprising 7-1 Packers lost early this season at New Orleans.

It's not Denver, either. The Broncos were 3-0 before losing a Monday nighter. San Diego? Close. The Chargers were 4-0 before losing to Denver in Week 5, leaving, at that time, only one team with an unblemished mark in 2002.

The Oakland Raiders? Seriously?

It's true. The Raiders, who had an early bye week, were 4-0 as recently as Oct. 13. The veterans on offense were clicking on all cylinders and rookies such as top pick Philip Buchanan were making big plays on special teams.

In fact, the Raiders were a double-digit favorite against the then-lowly Rams, and Voter News Service had just projected Oakland as the AFC West champs.

But since that loss at St. Louis, Al Davis' club has done nothing but Just Lose, Baby. The Raiders are in a silver and black hole that has included two overtime defeats and has seen the team drop to 4-4 heading into Monday Night's rivalry game at Denver.

This is a collapse that would make Harvey Pitt jealous. Needless to say, the Raiders didn't expect Monday Night Football's celebrated game number 500 to also match their win-loss percentage.

What's worse, after the Denver game, Oakland faces the defending champion Patriots in game the Raiders have no doubt had earmarked and safely tucked away on their schedule for several months.

Road games against San Diego and Miami still remain as well. But with Rich Gannon, Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Bill Romanowski, Charles Woodson and all the other talented players on this squad, Oakland still can go far in the postseason.

Four weeks ago, who would have argued?

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