If interim coach Tom Cable can get his players to overcome the losing culture that has permeated the locker room and enveloped the franchise for five-plus seasons, that would place him in rare company.

"There's a culture of failure here, and there has been for a few years," Cable said. "And you've got to overcome more than just winning (last Sunday), winning a few weeks ago. It's far bigger than that."

Cable inherited more than a 1-3 team when Al Davis fired Lane Kiffin as coach Sept. 30. He took over a roster mostly consisting of players who have suffered nothing but losing seasons since they joined the NFL. The only uncertainty, it seems, is, whether the final tally will reach 10, 11, 12 or 13 losses.

The Raiders are a league-worst 22-69 since their Super Bowl appearance at the end of the 2002 season. They enter today's game at 3-8 but feeling energized by a 31-10 victory over the AFC West-leading Broncos in Denver last Sunday.

The Raiders remain in playoff contention though they can finish no better than 8-8. That record would require victories in the final five games. The Raiders haven't won more than two in successions since the 2002 season.

An improbable playoff berth would be nice, but Cable no doubt would settle for a few more victories and the comfort of knowing he succeeded where every one of his predecessors except Jon Gruden failed since the Raiders returned to Oakland in 1995.

Beating the Broncos in convincing fashion represented a nice start, Cable said, and nothing more.

"In terms of turning the corner and all that, you have to answer that after (today)," Cable said. "You win a game, it makes you feel good. You win two (straight) games, now you can start to believe. That's the approach we're taking this week. This is a huge game for us, just like Denver was. We're going to prepare that way and get after it."

Strong safety Gibril Wilson said his teammates are just looking for a reason to believe, needing validation in the form of victories, not pats on the back.

For too long the Raiders played well from the outset only to fall apart in the fourth quarter. That's indicative of a team mired in a losing mind-set, Wilson said.

"We have to reach the point where we close out games in the fourth quarter, like we did against Denver," Wilson said. "Once you know what it's like, it becomes second nature and your confidence soars."

Dispatching the losing culture probably would go a long way toward Cable being named the permanent coach next season.

"That stuff is going to take care of itself," Cable said. "Truthfully, I'm not worried about it. If we continue the path we're on and continue to move forward, the right things will happen. So, right now it's Kansas City, and that has to be the focus. Worrying about all that other stuff would take away from this team, and I'm never going to do that."