Al Davis must decide whether or not he will retain head coach Tom Cable by January 18th. The Raiders hold a one-year, $2.5 million option on Cable's contract for 2011. Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson will be a candidate for several head coaching jobs, but he said on December 16th that he already has the 'best job in football'. "I would say if someone calls, I'm not going to tell you I'm going to say no because it all depends on what the situation is," Jackson said at the time. "But I'm not going to tell you that I'm going to say yes, either, because I've really enjoyed my time here and what's happening here with Oakland Raider football."

The Chiefs plan to play their starters on Sunday in their season finale against the Raiders. Kansas City clinched the AFC West title in Week 16. "We're going to do what we think gives us the best chance to win," coach Todd Haley told the Kansas City Star. A victory also would secure the AFC's third seed for the Chiefs and allow them to avoid the top-seeded Patriots until the AFC Championship Game.

Despite remaining in the playoff picture and hosting Peyton Manning and the Colts, the Raiders failed to sell out Sunday's game. The game will therefore be blacked out locally in the Bay Area. The Raiders did not ask for an extension beyond the deadline for selling out the game, which signifies that plenty of tickets remain.

The Raiders have signed former United Football League punter Danny Baugher to their practice squad as insurance if Shane Lechler is unable to play this week. Lechler strained his hamstring during last Sunday's victory over the Broncos and briefly left the game. Baugher, who has never played in an NFL game, spent this season with Las Vegas of the UFL. He led the league with a 44.6-yard gross average and 36.7 net.

Oakland offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is a candidate for potential openings with the Bengals and the Broncos. The Raiders' offense has gone from 31st in scoring to ninth. The Raiders have scored more than 30 points four times this season, the same number as the previous three seasons combined. Jackson was asked if he is interested in becoming a head coach next season. "Let me say this: I have the best job in football right here ... I like what I do, I like our players. I like the people I'm around every day. I would be wrong to say that everybody who's in my position doesn't want to have that opportunity someday to go be the best they can be. That's what I want to do. That's what we all want to do. "But I love what I'm doing right now. I've got three games to, hopefully, earn a fourth game here. That's the most important thing I've got going."

Oakland defensive tackle John Henderson is excited to return to Jacksonville to play his former team. Henderson played for the Jaguars for eight seasons before he was cut. "It's going to feel good to go and whip somebody's you know what," said Henderson. Jack Del Rio questioned Henderson's commitment after he missed a voluntary workout last offseason. The Jaguars eventually drafted defensive tackle Tyson Alualu and saved $5 million by cutting Henderson five days later.

The Raiders didn't just sweep the season series from the Chargers for the first time since 2001 on Sunday, they also ended a historic run. San Diego had won their last 18 games in December, tying an NFL record for the most consecutive wins in a single month. The Chargers last lost in the month on Dec. 31, 2005.

The Raiders have signed quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan to be their third option behind Jason Campbell and Kyle Boller. Oakland place Bruce Gradkowski on the injured reserve list Thursday, ending his season. O'Sullivan, who joins his 11th team, has played 17 career games, starting eight games for San Francisco in 2008.

The Raiders have placed Bruce Gradkowski on injured reserve, which has ended his season. J.T. O'Sullivan was signed by the club to become their third quarterback behind Jason Campbell and Kyle Boller. O'Sullivan was last on San Diego's roster before being cut in October, and could help prepare for the Raiders' game against the Chargers on Sunday.

Antonio Gates was asked this week how he expects the Raiders to defend him on Sunday. "The Raiders are one of the few teams that are not a sugarcoat kind of team," Gates said. "They believe in their abilities to cover, they believe in their athletes, you just got to go out and beat them. They put themselves in position to match athlete against athlete. That's what they strive on. They are tremendously athletic. "Their secondary, going through our game (film), when you think about some of the better secondaries in the league, the Raiders are definitely a secondary that comes up. So, we got our hands full in the passing game and the running game. It's a situation where they basically say, we're going to line up and beat you. They believe in their athletes on defense."