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/HowardFendrich Nike Air Max Kengät Ale . That gave fans outside Joe Louis Arena another chance to ask for autographs from the 19-year-old whose stardom in the NHL has arrived earlier than most expected. Nike Air Max Kengät . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. http://www.suomiairmax.com/ . Badenhop was 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 63 relief appearances for Milwaukee this season. He is 18-20 in his career with three saves and a 3. Halvalla Nike Air Max . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Nike Air Max Osta . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Missing his first All-Star Game since 2008 was a tough blow for Yadier Molina.Even though the 34-year-old catcher welcomed the respite, he was deeply disappointed in his performance in the first half of the season with the St. Louis Cardinals.I hate to look bad, said Molina in a recent conversation with ESPN.com. I hate losing. Im a bad loser.When I am performing poorly and the team is losing, I feel terrible. I am a very proud man in what I do. I want to be the very best. And sometimes thats not going to happen. In baseball, we play too many games, there are so many moments when you are going to fail, but I simply dont like to lose.And struggle the Cardinals?did.St. Louis finished the first half barely four games above .500 (46-42), seven games behind the division-leading Chicago Cubs?and far from the team that was 56-33 at the break in 2015 and went on to win 100 games on its way to securing a third consecutive National League Central title.Molinas batting average in his first 82 games in 2016 was .259 with only 28 RBIs, evidence of the much-noticed decline his offense has shown his past two injury-ridden seasons.Nonetheless, Bengie and Jose Molinas younger brother said he paid no attention to the multiple criticisms writing him -- and the Cardinals -- off.We are a good team that never gives up, Molina said. We have had a lot of injuries, players that we have missed, but every time we put someone in the lineup, whatever their last name is, they give their best.We are a team of tradition and know how to win. It hasnt been an easy season for us, yet here we are.It has been a tale of two halves for Molina, and his resurgent offense has gone hand in hand with the Cardinals re-establishing themselves as solid wild-card playoff contenders.Molina said he has no explanation for his remarkable improvement, beyond feeling healthier. With a batting average of .357 and 13 doubles and two home runs in his past 34 games, Molina has had the best offfensive production among all catchers that have played at least 20 games in the second half of the season.ddddddddddddI play ball the same way every day, Molina said. Sometimes things go your way, sometimes they dont. But I have been playing baseball for a long time, and the key is always making adjustments. And each game its different.I also have felt healthier lately, better than the first couple of months. I had two surgeries back in December. A lot of people dont realize that. It has taken a while for my hand to feel 100 percent. I cant say Im at a 100 percent, because I really am not, but it has felt better, and that helped me perform better.The Cards currently hold a 1? game lead over the Miami Marlins for the National Leagues second wild-card slot after losing two out of three games to the New York Mets. But while Molina c