Raiders not overconfident

"You have to be like, 'Look, we've done well, but let's not get over excited or go too far with it, because we could be doing so many things better than we do now," safety Anthony Dorsett said. "I think that's what keeps us hungry every game."

Wait, these can't be the "Just win, baby" Oakland Raiders. Where's the talk of the "Greatness of the Raiders?"

"There's not a lack of excitement or enthusiasm, it's just the way we approach it," left tackle Matt Stinchcomb said. " We just want to stay on an even keel and focus on what we need to do."

The only team to beat the Raiders this season has been the AFC West rival Denver Broncos. The teams will face each other Monday night in Denver.

"They're in the way," receiver Andre Rison flatly said.

The Raiders are methodically led by Rich Gannon, who some have dared to suggest put on an MVP-worthy performance in the first half of the season.

Gannon, a 34-year-old journeyman who came to the Raiders from the Kansas City Chiefs, is sixth in the league with a passing rating of 91.8.

He was selected the NFL's AFC offensive player of the week for his performance Sunday against his former team. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 242 yards and four touchdowns, tying a career high.

Rison, who caught two touchdown passes in Sunday's 49-31 win, said Gannon reminds him of Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre in his heyday.

"When I played with Brett, all he had on his mind was winning and dominating. And that's how Rich is," he said.

After the Chiefs game, Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez said Gannon made the difference for the Raiders this season. The 6-foot-3 quarterback shrugged off the praise.

"I think I'm part of an organization and a team that's worked very hard to clean up some things that have hurt this team and this organization in the past," he said. "We're more disciplined. We're more structured. We're more professional in our approach."

Tyrone Wheatley, who has seven touchdown runs for the Raiders, ran for 112 yards against Kansas City despite bad ankles. The Raiders currently top the AFC in rushing with 144.4 yards per game.

And Shane Lechler, the Raiders' punter, filled in admirably for ailing kicker Sebastian Janikowski, handling kickoffs and making every extra point.

But the Raiders did give up a scary 504 passing yards to Elvis Grbac.

"We got the win, that's cool and everything," cornerback Charles Woodson said. "But there's no way in the world they should have had 500 yards passing and 31 points. It showed us we still have work to do."

The main problem in the foreseeable future is that the Raiders are hurting from the usual halfway-point bumps and bruises. Fullback Jon Ritchie is nursing both a calf strain and an aggravated groin injury.

Janikowski remained hospitalized Wednesday with cellulitis, a bacterial infection, in his kicking foot. The Raiders put their top draft pick in the hospital for aggressive antibiotic treatment.The feeling is Janikowski will be able to play Monday.