Raiders missed a lot of points

The Oakland Raiders went out in style Sunday, at least in the style they developed this season: They did not score a touchdown.

As the New York Jets clinched a playoff berth with a 23-3 victory over Oakland, the Raiders (2-14) clinched the team record for offensive futility.

The league-low 168 points they scored this season were the fewest in franchise history. That includes a strike-shortened nine-game season in 1982, when they scored 260 points, and 28 seasons from 1960-88 when they played fewer games than they played this season.

Sunday was the perfect capper, as it marked the third consecutive game that the Raiders failed to find the end zone.

Of the 168 points the Raiders scored this season, 70 came via Sebastian Janikowski field goals and extra points and 26 came from the defense, which scored four touchdowns and had a safety.

That means the Raiders’ offense scored only 12 touchdowns, or 72 points, in 16 games.

“There’s a lot of work to be done,” Oakland Coach Art Shell said. “There’s a lot of evaluation that has to go on. We have to see where we are and where we’re headed. It’s been a very tough season.”

LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers outscored the Raiders this season with 186 points. The Raiders were held to single digits seven times this season and went the final nine games without topping 14 points.

It’s no wonder that rumors have surfaced saying Shell would be fired after only one season, but the players said it wasn’t his fault.

“It would be very unfair and unjustified to use Coach as a scapegoat,” said quarterback Aaron Brooks. “He did everything he needed to do as a head coach. I hold the players accountable.”

The only consolation, if there is one, is that the Raiders wrapped up the top pick in the 2007 draft as the team with the worst record this season.

The only other time the Raiders had the No. 1 pick was 1962.

Won, but lost

The Detroit Lions had the inside track on the top pick in the 2007 draft but gave it up when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 39-31.

Had they lost, the Lions (3-13) would have tied the Raiders for worst record and would have been granted the top pick by virtue of a tiebreaker.

Still, the victory was worth moving down a spot in the draft.

“It just puts a good taste in your mouth for the whole long off-season,” defensive end Corey Smith said. “If you lose you have to sit with that all through the spring, all through the summer, fall and everything.”

Farewell Favre?

Brett Favre said he would wait a few days before he made an official announcement on whether he would retire, but he sure sounded like a man who was ready to leave the game after Green Bay defeated the Chicago Bears, 26-7.

“It’s tough. It’s tough,” Favre said. “I’m going to miss these guys and miss the game.”

Milestones within reach, however, might bring him back. He is only seven touchdown passes shy of breaking Dan Marino’s career mark of 420 and is tied with Marino for No. 2 in career victories with 147. John Elway holds the record of 148.

When it’s bad, it’s bad

The Houston Texans defeated the Cleveland Browns, 14-6, despite losing two key players to injuries during pre-game warmups.

Running back Ron Dayne aggravated a sprained ankle and tight end Jeb Putzier fractured his foot.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and I ain’t never seen what I saw in warmups,” Texans Coach Gary Kubiak said.

No rest for the dreary

The Seattle Seahawks had already cliched a playoff spot before their 23-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Coach Mike Holmgren used such starters as quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander the entire game.

The Seahawks (9-7) had lost their previous three games and Holmgren said he was hoping to instill some confidence going into the playoffs.

“Our record isn’t what we had hoped, to be honest with you, but there’s something about 9-7 being a lot better than 8-8 even though it’s just one game,” Holmgren said.

Short pass, long in the tooth

Last year, Patriots Coach Bill Belichick let Doug Flutie drop kick an extra point. This season, he gave Vinny Testaverde a chance at his own history.

Testaverde, 43, signed Nov. 14, connected with Troy Brown for a six-yard touchdown with 1:45 left to play in a 40-23 win over the Tennessee Titans. It gave Testaverde a touchdown pass in 20 consecutive seasons, an NFL record.

“I wanted to give it to him,” Belichick said. “I think he deserves that.”

Milestone moments

* Kansas City’s Larry Johnson broke Jamal Anderson’s NFL record for carries in a season, finishing with 416. Anderson had 410 in 1998. Johnson also broke his own team record with 1,789 yards rushing.

* Steve McNair of the Baltimore Ravens became the third quarterback in NFL history with 30,000 yards passing and 3,500 yards rushing. Steve Young and Fran Tarkenton are the others.

* Mike Furrey of the Lions had 98 receptions this season, an NFL record for most receptions by a non-rookie who had none the year before.

Furrey, in his fourth year, was a defensive back for St. Louis last season.

Injury report

Patriots safety Rodney Harrison injured his knee in the second quarter against Tennessee and did not return.... Seattle defensive back Kelly Herndon broke his leg against Tampa Bay.... Chicago rookie Devin Hester, who set an NFL record with six returns for touchdowns, left in the third quarter against Green Bay after injuring his leg while returning a punt.... Detroit offensive lineman Jonathan Scott left the game against Dallas with a hip injury and did not return.... Atlanta quarterback Michael Vick sprained his right ankle in the first quarter against Philadelphia. The Falcons did not make the playoffs.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Scoring drought

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Since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1988, only four teams scored fewer points than the Raiders did this season:

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*--* Points Team Year 140 Seattle Seahawks 1992 143 Indianapolis Colts 1991 161 Philadelphia Eagles 1998 161 Cleveland Browns 2000 168 Oakland Raiders 2006

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Source: Los Angeles Times

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