Whether Lane Kiffin actually will find an escape route from the Raiders to become head coach at Arkansas is open to question, but there clearly is a whiff of truth in the rumors that he’s at least looking for an exit strategy.

It’s hardly a coincidence that, in recent years, everyone who coached the Raiders was eager to leave them or, at least, was very relieved when he finally did.

That even includes coaches who were fired, particularly Norv Turner, who looked 10 years younger when he was the 49ers’ offensive coordinator after he was fired in Oakland.

The common thread is that, near the end of each of these increasingly sour seasons, Al Davis gets more and more ornery, goes behind the coach’s back more and more and complains, and nothing ever gets better. Even when the team succeeds, as it did winning the AFC championship in 2002, the coach is allowed to become a lame duck rather than get a new contract the following season.

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There’s a side story to Dallas’ 37-27 victory over Green Bay on Thursday night, and it concerns the 49ers.Let’s get to the point: In more than two full seasons, has Alex Smith shown anything that makes you think he was a better choice for the first draft pick than Aaron Rodgers, based on how Rodgers performed in his first extended appearance for the Packers?Didn’t think so. Read the rest of this entry »

Oakland appears to have a slightly better team than San Francisco simply because the Raiders can generate more offense, despite the 49ers’ scoring explosion against Arizona.

But the 49ers have the better chance at a two-game winning streak because they are playing a dreadful Carolina team that has lost five games in a row without scoring more than 17 points. Ever since the Panthers lost starting QB Jake Delhomme, their offense has been almost as feeble as the 49ers.

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I don’t know if either Dallas or Green Bay can hang with New England in the Super Bowl, but Thursday night’s game at least will give one of them the inside track in the NFC.

There is great intrigue around Brett Favre’s resurrection at age 38, which is ancient for a championship quarterback. It’s amazing that Favre can have the best statistical year of his career after the down period he went through with a rebuilding team.

With Tony Romo at quarterback for Dallas, this game presents a nice contrast: A three-time former MVP against an up-and-comer. Romo and Favre rank second and third in the league in passer rating and Favre is second, behind Tom Brady, in passing yardage.

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This was one of the strangest Sundays in recent memory in the NFL.

The Chicago Bears survived four turnovers and a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Denver, 37-34, in overtime. The difference: Two more kick returns for touchdowns by Devin Hester. Why in the world would anyone kick to him? His touchdowns let the Bears stay in the game and then Rex Grossman, 9 of 22 for 96 yards after three and a half quarters, completed 8 of 11 for 97 yards in the rest of the fourth quarter and overtime. Weird.

Eli Manning of the New York Giants threw three interceptions that were returned for touchdowns in a 41-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Going into the game, the Vikings had the worst-ranked pass defense in the NFL. Just when you think Manning and the Giants, who collapsed in the second half in two of the last three seasons, are ready to show that things are different, they revert. This is Manning’s fourth year; he should be playing better and more consistently.

Washington knocked out Tampa Bay quarterback Jeff Garcia in the first quarter. But the Redskins lost six turnovers to none for the Bucs, who beat the Redskins, 19-13. The Bucs got their first 16 points from just 32 yards of offense, which is why it didn’t matter that Washington had more than twice as many first downs and more than twice as much yardage as Tampa Bay. Jon Gruden is saving his job with a defense that seems to have regained its teeth.

And, oh, yes. Our two little teams, the 49ers and Raiders, both won. This was just the second time in five seasons the 49ers and Raiders both won games on the same day, joining that momentous Oct. 30, 2005, celebration when the Raiders beat Tennessee, 34-25, and the 49ers beat Tampa Bay, 15-10.

Whooopee…

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Why would anyone kick to Devin Hester instead of kicking to the sideline, out of bounds, or anywhere else? He had gone more than a month without scoring and then scored touchdowns on two consecutive touches because the Broncos challenged him by kicking to him. When will people learn? . . .

Last week, seven points behind in the last two minutes, Mike Nolan opted for a field goal. This week, four points behind and almost six minutes remaining, he has Frank Gore try to make the first down on 4th-and-1. And Gore didn’t make it, which might prove Nolan made the right call the first time . . .

Why wouldn’t Kansas City try for a game-tying field goal instead of running the ball on fourth down, needing a full yard in the fourth quarter? The Chiefs didn’t make it and never got the ball back. I suppose there’s some justice for some of the narrow escapes they have had against the Raiders, but a couple weeks ago KC was in the thick of the AFC West race and now it has a 4-7 record and is out of it . . .

Is the Donovan McNabb era coming quickly to a close in Philadelphia? Last year, after McNabb was hurt, Jeff Garcia rallied the Eagles into the playoffs. On Sunday night, with McNabb out, A.J. Feeley came close to upsetting New England. I know the Eagles have grown tired of McNabb’s injury history, but it also seems they play better with other quarterbacks. Remember, the Eagles drafted a QB, Kevin Kolb, on the second round last spring . . .

Top 5:

1. New England (11-0). I still think the Patriots will go undefeated, but Sunday night’s game against Philadelphia demonstrated why it is going to be so difficult.

2. Indianapolis (9-2). Right now, it’s hard to say whether the banged-up Colts could beat the Cowboys or Packers on a neutral field, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.

3. Dallas (10-1). Thursday night’s game against the Packers will be the biggest game of Tony Romo’s career, even bigger than that wild-card loss at Seattle. Expectations have been raised.

4. Green Bay (10-1). If nothing else, Mike McCarthy has proved he’s a much better coach than Bay Area fans thought during the dreadful 2005 season as 49ers’ offensive coordinator.

5. Jacksonville (8-3). That was a nice second half rally to beat Buffalo, and we’ll find out fast if the Jaguars can stay in the division race to the end. They play the Colts next Sunday.

Bottom 5:

32. Miami (0-10). The gap between the Dolphins and the other weak teams is as wide as the gap between the Patriots and the other good teams.

31. N.Y. Jets (2-9). The season is a loser for the Jets, and there could still be a lot of rebuilding ahead.

30. San Francisco (3-8). Sorry, but two victories over Arizona are no reason to make me think the worst is over for the 49ers.

29. Atlanta (3-8): It will take the Falcons at least another year to recover from the Michael Vick fallout.

28. Oakland (3-8). Finally, a victory over a division opponent. What’s next? Well, perhaps a look at JaMarcus Russell. Perhaps.

Player of the week: Devin Hester, Chicago’s superlative kick returner. It’s not stretching a point to already anoint Hester as the best kick returner in history, and the closest thing the NFL had had in years to a one-man team. His team-leading six TDs, five of them on returns, leads the Bears. In less than two full seasons in the NFL, Hester already has 10 kick return TDs (six punts, four kickoffs) in regular-season games. The record is 13 by Brian Mitchell, who needed 223 games. Hester has played 27 games. Hester also has scored on the return of a missed field goal and a long pass reception and, of course, he also returned a kickoff for a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Interesting week for the 49ers, huh?

Normally, Mike Nolan’s decision to bring in “another set of eyes,” Ted Tollner, to work with offensive coordinator Jim Hostler, would be a pretty major story.

But since the season is shot and Nolan simply is coaching for survival, and because of the words that came out of Youngstown, Ohio, the move with Tollner barely registered as a blip on the horizon.

No, what’s significant is not so much what Denise DeBartolo York told the Chron’s Nancy Gay the other day, it’s that she told her anything, although the timing is three years too late: That she says the 49ers are likely to hire a strong general manager after the season and turn over to him the power that Nolan has had for three years to build the roster and make all the football decisions.

What’s significant is also what York did not say, but is clear from reading between the lines: Her hubby, John York, screwed up the franchise so severely that Denise now feels compelled to get involved.

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On the season’s opening weekend, the 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals at Candlestick because Arizona went into a soft defense at the end of the game and allowed the 49ers, who had been stifled all night long, to drive for the winning score.

Presumably, first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt has learned since then. The Cardinals have a chance to get their record over .500 after Thanksgiving for the first time since 1998, when they finished 9-7 – their only winning record in two decades in Arizona.

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With the Arizona Cardinals next on the schedule for the 49ers, it might be time for a warning. Fans may think the team’s five-year collapse can’t go on forever, but the Cardinals are living proof that it can.

Or at least close to forever.

There are serious parallels between the franchises, starting with clueless owners and organizations that are put together poorly. For years, the Cardinals drifted aimlessly with no real football leadership in the front office, and that’s where the 49ers find themselves in Mike Nolan’s regime.

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