NEWS » nch the match when Kavcic sent a forehand lo

Jerry Rice was on the roster the last time the Oakland Raiders made the playoffs.Thats how long its been -- way back in the 2002 season.The Silver and Black matter again, thanks in large part to up-and-coming QB Derek Carr, pass-rusher extraordinaire Khalil Mack and kicker Sebastian Janikowski. The Raiders clinched a postseason berth Sunday by beating the San Diego Chargers 19-16 on Janikowskis fourth field goal of the game, a 44-yarder with a little more than 2+ minutes remaining.One thing we know for sure: We are on our way, coach Jack Del Rio told his players in the locker room after they improved to 11-3, alone in first place in the AFC West. We just punched our ticket to the playoffs!A backdrop to this seasons success has been all the talk about how much longer the team will stay in Oakland. Owner Mark Davis -- whose father, Al, was famous for proclaiming, Just win, baby -- says he plans to move the Raiders to Las Vegas, where a nearly $2 billion stadium project has been approved.There is a Feb. 15 deadline for Davis to apply for the right to uproot his club. The window to petition for that begins whenever the Raiders season ends -- and for the first time in a while, no one knows exactly when that will be.Janikowski is the only player from the teams previous playoff run who is still on the roster. Since reaching the Super Bowl 14 years ago, the Raiders have gone through some dark times.As Carr noted on Twitter: We have come a long way from an 0-10 start a couple years ago!Sure have.The frequent failures of teams like the Raiders really make what Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have done all that more remarkable: They set an NFL record with an eighth consecutive division title after a 16-3 victory over the reigning Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. New England also is the only team to win 13 division championships in a 14-year span.You see guys that have played in this league a while, been really good players, and just havent won division championships and things like that, Patriots safety Devin McCourty said, and to see their excitement, to see how excited they are. ... Its a great feeling.In case you missed it, here are the other top topics after the NFL seasons 15th Sunday:GIVE WHAT YOU CANThe Salvation Army got millions of dollars worth of free publicity thanks to Dallas Cowboys rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott, who hopped inside an oversized red collection kettle behind the end zone after a 2-yard TD run during a 26-20 win against Tampa Bay on national TV at night.Had to show them a little bit of love, the running back said.Alas, the Cowboys were penalized for his display, angering coach Jason Garrett, and Elliott could get fined by the league. That prompted NBC announcer Cris Collinsworth to joke: There should be a charitable exemption in the rulebook.BRADLEY FIREDNot much of a surprise here: Gus Bradley was fired as coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars after their 21-20 loss at the Houston Texas, their ninth consecutive loss. Theyve been bad much longer than that, though: The Jags 2-12 record this season brings Bradleys tally to 14-48, a .225 winning percentage thats the worst of anyone who has coached at least 60 NFL games. So with Bradley joining former Los Angeles Rams coach Jeff Fisher on the unemployment line, the question becomes: Who else will be out of a job by seasons end?NONSENSICAL 2-POINT TRIESCoaches just cant seem to figure out when it makes sense to try a 2-point conversion and when it doesnt. Mike Mularkey of the Titans and Doug Pederson of the Eagles both made highly debatable choices to eschew a PAT after a late TD -- and both of their teams blew it. For Mularkey, though, it miraculously didnt cost the Titans a vital win in their playoff bid, because they still edged the Chiefs 19-17 thanks to Kansas City coach Andy Reids own gaffes. For Pederson, it didnt really matter, because the Eagles were going nowhere even before their 27-26 loss to the Ravens was sealed when Carson Wentzs pass fell incomplete on a 2-point try.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter: http://twitter.com/HowardFendrichToronto Blue Jays Store . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . -- Brandon Jennings made the most of his first game with the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Stitched Blue Jays Jerseys .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. Toronto Blue Jays Shirts . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. HAMBURG, Germany -- Roger Federer rallied to beat Daniel Brands 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Wednesday at the German Tennis Championships in his first match since his second-round loss at Wimbledon last month. Using a bigger racket for the first time, Federer served three aces in the opening game but still lost his serve and ultimately the set to the German. The former No. 1 broke once in the second set and twice in the decider to reach the third round. The 17-time major champion is a four-time winner in Hamburg, the city where he won his first title in 2002 to break into the top 10. After losing at Wimbledon to Sergiy Stakhovsky -- who failed to qualify for the main draw in Hamburg -- Federer dropped to No. 5 in the rankings, the first time in a decade that hes been that low. Brands, who celebrated his 26th birthday Wednesday and received a cake after the match, received few presents from the top-seeded Federer in the last two sets. However, the Swiss star needed four match points to close it out. He finished with nine aces on the clay-court surface. "It was a tough match, Daniel is playing a very good season," Federer said.dddddddddddd Federer will play qualifier Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic, who beat 15th-seeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Tommy Haas outlasted qualifier Blaz Kavcic of Slovenia 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 to advance to the third round. The second-seeded Haas blew a 4-1 lead in the third set but held serve and then broke to clinch the match when Kavcic sent a forehand long. "At the end, its the victory that counts," Haas said. Haas was runner-up in the tournament last year and is the oldest player in the top 100 at 35. He is looking for his second title at home this season, after winning in Munich. Fourth-seeded Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, a Wimbledon semifinalist, prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (4) over Robin Haase of the Netherlands. Defending champion Juan Monaco of Argentina, seeded fifth, beat Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4. Four other seeded players lost -- No. 6 Andreas Seppi, No. 10 Tommy Robredo, No. 13 Mikhail Youzhny and No. 16 Martin Klizan. No. 11 Feliciano Lopez, No. 12 Fabio Fognini and No. 14 Fernando Verdasco advanced. ' ' '