The Miami Dolphins (1-15) earned the No. 1 pick, followed by the St. Louis Rams (3-13). The next four selections came down to a tiebreaking procedure among the Atlanta Falcons, Raiders, Chiefs and New York Jets at 4-12.

Atlanta, Kansas City, and Oakland had the same strength-of-schedule (.516). The Raiders won a tiebreaker with the Chiefs based on their having a worse record in common games. The Raiders were 2-12 in such games, the Chiefs 3-11.

So, the Raiders will get the rights to a pick ahead of the Chiefs. That pick will be either the No. 3 or the No. 4, pending a coin flip between the Falcons and Raiders at the scouting combine in February.

The Falcons will pick third if they win the coin flip, the Raiders fourth and the Chiefs fifth. If the Raiders win the flip, they will pick third, and the Falcons and Chiefs will be involved in another coin flip to determine the fourth and fifth slots.

The Raiders had the rights to a top-seven selection each of the past four years. With those selections, they drafted left offensive tackle Robert Gallery (No. 2), traded the No. 7 pick to the Minnesota Vikings as part of compensation for receiving receiver Randy Moss, drafted strong safety Michael Huff (No. 7), and drafted quarterback JaMarcus Russell (No. 1).

Free agents abound

The Raiders have 20 players on their roster who will become restricted or unrestricted free agents unless the Raiders re-sign them between now and Feb. 29:

Quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown, running back Justin Fargas, wide receivers Jerry Porter and Tim Dwight, center Jeremy Newberry, right offensive tackle Cornell Green, defensive ends Tommy Kelly and Chris Clemons, defensive tackle Tyler Brayton, linebackers Sam Williams and Jarrod Cooper and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha are set to become unrestricted free agents.

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Kiffin: The thing about it is one game will never define you as a player or as a team. To think he’s going to play great all the time, we know that probably won’t be the case, but he’s going to get so much better because he’s going to get stuff he’s never had before. He didn’t have a true offseason from the beginning, he didn’t have a training camp, he didn’t have preseason. If you believe in coaching, and you believe that’s how players get better, he didn’t have that, so it was really good to see him play that well and I’m glad that we managed it the way we did because I don’t believe there was any way he was able to play the way he did yesterday in Week 6 or 7 because of the amount of practice reps that he’s had and the amount of exposure to other guys playing and all the game plans has helped him and prepared him for that game. It wasn’t just last week, it was all the time leading up to it.

Q: How critical for JaMarcus to go into the offseason on a good note?

Kiffin: I think it was really important for our whole franchise. I think it was really important for our fans, our building, our players, everyone, to see him play very well and make some dynamic plays at times that he did. It’s very valuable because it just increases their faith and trust in him and where we’re going. I think it was really, really powerful and important. Would have been much better if we won the game, but it was very good for him.

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That’s just part of what JaMarcus Russell missed as the business side of football kept him out of training camp and the first week of his rookie season.

There’s another part of the business Russell missed while away from the team while his contract was being negotiated all summer.

Cutdown day before the season. And if the prolonged contract talks that led to his $68 million contract as the first overall pick in the 2007 draft didn’t show it, seeing players continually cut and re-signed during the season reminded Russell the game he loves is no longer fun and games.

That ranks at the top of what has surprised Russell in his first four months in the NFL.

“I’ve just seen the life and the business part of football,” Russell said. “I’ve seen some guys come, some guys go in the middle of the season, with one week left. You just really know that it’s a business.”

Since Russell signed with the Raiders on Sept. 12, there has been a collective effort to make the most of his truncated rookie season.

That work culminates today when he makes his first start against the visiting San Diego Chargers.

Although Russell completed just 7 of 23 passes, including his first career touchdown, with three interceptions and a lost fumble in last week’s blowout in Jacksonville, coach Lane Kiffin concluded that the rookie’s education needed to continue with a start.

“I just feel that it’s a good opportunity to get a start, not going into next season having never started a game,” Kiffin said.

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Now, Ryan will be lucky if he gets through next week without being fired, several team insiders told the San Francisco Chronicle.

It could happen Wednesday, when Ryan is scheduled to meet with owner Al Davis, according to a team source. Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said he’ll evaluate the entire staff and roster after Sunday’s season-ender against the Chargers. If Ryan is fired, few inside the organization will be surprised. Right or wrong, when seasons go 4-11 bad, someone invariably gets thrown under the bus as an example.

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Today he gets his first look at Raiders rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell in a game setting. However, Turner already has a strong opinion about Russell’s potential as an NFL quarterback.

“When the Raiders were down here (Oct. 14), JaMarcus … went through an extensive workout before the game, and I got a chance to watch him for the first time in person,” Turner said in a conference call with Bay Area media Wednesday. “I was just kind of blown away, impressed with his ability, his physical ability, his ability to throw a football, his accuracy and all that. He’s going to be an outstanding player.”

Don’t pay much attention to Russell’s early struggles in his limited action so far, Turner said. That is to be expected.

“He’s going to go through what all young guys go through,” Turner said. “There’s a process … you get to where you’re ready to play.”

That time is now. Russell is making his first NFL start today, against Turner’s Chargers. He has appeared in three games this season but has yet to enjoy sustained success.

How soon Russell succeeds is tied to his makeup and the talent surrounding him, Turner said.

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The Raiders won the opening coin toss and elected to receive. CB Chris Carr returned K Josh Scobee’s opening kickoff to the Raiders 13, where the Raiders offense took the field with .Josh McCown at quarterback. The Jaguars forced and three-and-out and Pro Bowl P Shane Lechler came on to punt. WR Dennis Northcutt called for and made a fair catch of the 46-yard punt at the Jaguars 33.

Jacksonville’s offense opened with David Garrad at quarterback. After a 5-yard penalty on the Raiders for too many men on the field, RB Fred Taylor broke loose for a 62-yard touchdown run. Scobee’s extra point gave the Jaguars a 7-0 lead with 12:02 left in the first quarter.

Carr returned the ensuing kickoff to the Oakland 15. The Raiders moved out to their 42 before the Jaguars forced a punt. Northcutt returned Lechler’s second punt of the day two yards to the Jacksonville 16.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew capped off a 7-play, 84-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown burst. Scobee’s extra point gave the Jaguars a 14-0 lead with 3:21 left in the first quarter.

Carr returned the ensuing kickoff 29 yards to the Raiders 37. The Raiders took over with rookie QB JaMarcus Russell at the controls. A few plays later, S Reggie Nelson picked off a Russell pass intended for rooki TE Zach Miller and fumbled the ball back to the Raiders. Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio challenged the ruling. The ruling on the field was upheld and the Raiders had a first down at the Jacksonville 25. K Sebastian Janikowski got the Raiders on the board with a 41-yard field goal that cut the Jaguars lead to 14-3 with 13:54 left in the second quarter.

CB Scott Starks returned the ensuing kickoff 10 yards to the Jaguars 16. The Jags moved out to their own 39 before the Raiders forced a punt. P Adam Podlesh’s booming 57-yard punt was returned by rookie WR Johnnie Lee Higgins to the 7-yard line.

The Jaguars held the Raiders to a three-and-out. Starks took a reverse hand off and returned the 53-yard punt 56-yards to the 2-yard line. Garrad hit RB Greg Jones for a short touchdown pass. Scobee’s extra point gave the Jaguars a 21-3 lead with 9:12 left in the second quarter.

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That puts the Raiders right back where training camp started, when Jordan and Rhodes were frontrunners for the starting job, only for Fargas to take the spot at midseason.

“We’ll let them battle it out this week and we’ll go from there,” Kiffin said.

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Manning threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Gonzalez with 4:49 remaining for the Colts’ first offensive touchdown of the game, and Indianapolis rallied to beat the Oakland Raiders 21-14 Sunday and clinch a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.

“It’s one of those drives that you just do at the right time,” Manning said. “Part of it kind of makes you wish we could have done that earlier in the game and not have to rely on that, but it’s always nice to know that you’re capable of doing it — starting on our own 9, backed up, and a hostile crowd. It feels good to be able to get that touchdown.”

The win clinched Indianapolis’ fifth straight AFC South title, made the Colts (12-2) the first team ever to post five straight 12-win seasons and gave them the No. 2 seed in the playoffs because Pittsburgh lost 29-22 to Jacksonville earlier in the day.

Now the defending Super Bowl champions can take it easy for the final two weeks of the regular season and get a week off before opening the playoffs at home.

“Everybody was shooting for us,” coach Tony Dungy said. “People talk about the post-Super Bowl letdown and everything like that. We haven’t experienced that. Our guys have fought and worked and played as a unit, and today we got a lot of contributions from a lot of people. It’s really been gratifying the way we had to do it.”

The Colts trailed 14-13 after Justin Fargas’ 2-yard run early in the fourth quarter. But Manning completed all seven passes on the ensuing drive, including a key third-down conversion to Reggie Wayne, to drive Indianapolis 91 yards for the go-ahead score. Joseph Addai ran in the 2-point conversion to make it a seven-point game.

Kelvin Hayden broke up a fourth-down pass to Jerry Porter from the Indianapolis 16 with 1:50 remaining and the Colts ran out the clock to win it. Raiders coach Lane Kiffin thought Porter was interfered with on that play and an earlier one on the drive.

But the Raiders (4-10) didn’t get the calls and are now assured of their fifth straight double-digit loss season.

“We’re too far along to feel good because we played the world champs down on the 14-yard line to win the game,” Kiffin said. “Who cares? We lost. We got to start winning these games. Some day we’ll be that team that makes the plays and finishes people off like that.”

The Raiders held the high-powered Colts offense in check most of the game as Indianapolis’ first 13 points came on T.J. Rushing’s 90-yard punt return in the first quarter and two field goals by Adam Vinatieri.

Addai was held to 44 yards on 15 carries by the league’s second-worst rush defense, and Manning was just 15-for-31 until the go-ahead drive.

But Manning was sharp when it counted, finishing 22-for-39 for 276 yards and the touchdown on the perfectly thrown pass to Gonzalez’s back shoulder.

“Play after play after play they were just making plays,” Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. “We just couldn’t get one. We couldn’t get them in a situation where we had them and needed to make a play and got it done.”

Fargas had 26 carries for 89 yards, giving him 1,009 for the season, but left in the fourth quarter with what he described as a sprained MCL in his right knee. Josh McCown finished 13-for-24 for 94 yards and a touchdown for Oakland, sitting out three series in the third quarter to allow No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell to play.

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And maybe they’re bringing a running game with them.

Green Bay didn’t need Brett Favre to throw the ball all over the field to clinch the NFC North on Sunday, relying on the rushing of Ryan Grant and a pair of special teams touchdowns from Will Blackmon in a 38-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

The Packers (11-2) assured an end to their two-year absence from the postseason with three games left.

“I don’t know if too many people gave us a shot to be at this position,” Favre said. “It says a lot about this team. I’m feeling good about my decision to come back, obviously.”

Grant’s hard running and sharp cutbacks came in handy on a day when Favre’s aching right elbow and left shoulder hindered the Packers’ passing game. Favre left last week’s loss at Dallas because of the injuries and was limited in practice this week, but still made his 250th straight start.

Grant, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Giants just before the season and took over as the starter last month, rushed for a career-high 156 yards and a touchdown. It was his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season. Grant’s presence has boosted what had been one of the league’s worst rushing offenses.

“I can’t say enough about Ryan Grant,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think he’s really coming into his own.”

Just at the right time — as the weather turns colder in Green Bay.

Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said the chilly 18-degree conditions didn’t affect his team. The Raiders (4-9) trailed only 14-7 at halftime despite struggling on offense, only to unravel in the second half.

“I don’t think the cold didn’t tackle today,” Kiffin said. “I don’t think the cold threw incompletions today. I don’t think the cold had nine penalties. We did.”

Raiders quarterback Josh McCown, starting in place of the injured Daunte Culpepper, was 7-of-15 for 110 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions before he was replaced by Andrew Walter early in the fourth quarter.

McCown woke up with a stomach virus and took intravenous fluids before the game.

“I battled as much as I could,” McCown said. “It is what it is. It’s unfortunate.”

Raiders running back Justin Fargas also left the game in the fourth quarter with a bruised rib. He had only 57 yards on 15 carries.

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