In reality, that's exactly the way the Patriots wanted it. Knowing the Patriots would be on the road in San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle and Oakland, team officials requested that the games be played one after the other at two different points of the season, according to two people familiar with the Patriots' desires.

Turns out that that scheduling strategy could very well be a deciding factor in an AFC East race that now features a three-way tie for the top spot at 8-5 among the Patriots, Jets and Dolphins.

The Patriots are 2-1 in West Coast games and are favored to beat the Raiders when they play their final West Coast game of the season today. That follows last week's game in Seattle, won by the Patriots. Earlier this season, the Patriots faced the 49ers and Chargers in consecutive weeks, splitting those games.

The Jets, who made no special travel requests, are 0-3 on the West Coast, having lost to the Chargers, Raiders and 49ers. They play next week in Seattle.

Could it be that jet lag will play a role in figuring out which teams make the playoffs?

"It's only a three-hour time difference," Jets tackle Damien Woody said. "I don't know what the big deal is. You just have to adjust."

Jets coach Eric Mangini isn't so sure. Though he can't say if there's a definitive trend behind the West Coast travel situation, he's taking no chances. After flying to the first three coast road games on Friday, thus giving the players two days to acclimate themselves to the time change, Mangini is likely to take the team to Seattle on Saturday, the day before next Sunday's game.

"There's a good chance," he said of leaving Saturday. "That's definitely being talked about. I haven't really seen the value in doing it the other way."

Travel issues for the teams on both coasts have been an issue since the NFL expanded all the way to the West Coast, with coaches trying any number of approaches to deal with the challenges. Most teams travel two days before playing in a game across the country, allowing sufficient rest and adjustment to the time zone change. But it's no guarantee of success on game day.

This year in particular, there is a decided advantage in favor of the eastern playing on the West Coast, with the Jets being a notable exception.

Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego and Oakland are a combined 1-12 in games played at least three time zones eastward this season. Throw in the Arizona Cardinals and it's 1-15.

The teams that play their home games in East Coast states are a combined 9-4 in games on the West Coast. Of the five of those eastern teams to have played at least two games in the West, the Jets are the only team with a losing record.

Of course, much of the discrepancy with the records has to do with the quality of the teams themselves. This year, the West Coast teams have struggled (all have losing records) and the East Coast teams have been much more successful.

But the travel situation compounds matters, especially for the West Coast teams.

"I wish I had an answer," said Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, who has lost all four games played in the Eastern time zone. "We've tried to figure that one out, but it's been very frustrating."

The East Coast teams have their own issues. Patriots coach Bill Belichick was concerned enough about the travel situation that he figured the path of least resistance was to piggyback the games that were farthest away. So they made the request.

"Every team is asked to provide input prior to the construction of the schedule each year - stadium availability, potential conflicts, wish list, and generally any other information that they would like to be considered," NFL senior vice president of public relations Greg Aiello said.

Spending the week on the road has allowed Belichick and his staff ample time to install the game plan without the hassle of spending an entire day traveling. The team stayed in San Jose each time between West Coast games, which offers a sense of familiarity for the players.

"It's been a good week for us," Belichick said of his preparations for today's game at Oakland. "We have gotten a lot of good meeting time, even extra time with everybody being around the hotel. Hopefully, we will be ready to go."

There's no guarantee, of course. The Patriots were beaten by the Chargers the last time they stayed out west between games.

A win over the Raiders, though, and things look a lot better. All the more need for the Jets to win next week in Seattle in order to stay in the tightest race for an AFC East crown in years.

FEAR OF FLYING

Western time zone teams have only won once in East Coast states this season (overall record in parentheses):

ARIZONA (8-5) 0-4

SEATTLE (2-11) 0-4

OAKLAND (3-10) 0-3

SAN FRANCISCO (5-8) 1-2

SAN DIEGO (5-8) 0-2