Stumbling Raiders Lose Fifth in Row : Pro football: Seahawks peaking after 44-10 rout; Hostetler sidelined again.

SEATTLE â€”  The Seahawks still are soaring toward the playoffs, while the Raiders might be reeling right out of them.

Chris Warren ran for three touchdowns and Seattle made its longshot playoff chances more of a reality with a 44-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday night.

The Seahawks (8-7) won their third game in a row and their sixth in seven in handing the fading Raiders (8-7) their fifth loss in a row.

“Who would have thought it about this team seven weeks ago?� Seattle’s Eugene Robinson said. “We were 2-14 three years ago, and now we have a chance to go to the playoffs.�

Warren, Seattle’s three-time Pro Bowl running back, had his eighth 100-yard rushing game of the season. It included a 35-yard run when he reversed himself on a sweep and went around right end for a third-quarter touchdown. He also ran 15 and 14 yards for scores to give him a club-record 15 rushing touchdowns for the season.

Warren carried 17 times for 105 yards.

Harvey Williams became the first Raider running back to get 1,000 yards in a season since Marcus Allen in 1985 with a 12-carry, 67-yard night.

“One thousand yards?� Williams said. “It doesn’t matter when you get blown out like this.�

A jubilant Kingdome crowd of 58,428--the only home Seattle crowd of more than 50,000 this year--watched the Seahawks position themselves for an AFC wild-card berth. The fans noisily celebrated the win with the same enthusiasm they showed in the 1980s, when the Seahawks were playoff contenders.

“We’re so excited,� Warren said. “We just realize what we have to do on the field.�

In order to get into the playoffs for the first time since 1988, the Seahawks must win their regular-season finale at Kansas City next Sunday, and one of three other wild-card contenders--Miami, San Diego or Indianapolis--must lose.

Despite their five-game losing streak, their longest since 1987, the Raiders can still make the playoffs. They need to beat Denver in Oakland next Sunday and have two losses--by either Seattle, Miami, San Diego and Indianapolis.

“It’s a minor miracle,� said Raider Coach Mike White about his team still being in the playoff hunt. “When things don’t go our way, we unravel.�

The Seahawks, only 2-6 in the first half of their season and without a winning season since 1990, scored their most points ever against the Raiders. It also was the first time they beat the Raiders in Seattle since 1989.

Michael Sinclair knocked Raider quarterback Jeff Hostetler from the game with a sack early in the third quarter. Hostetler, who was sidelined for 3 1/2 games because of a bruised left shoulder, landed heavily on his left shoulder and was replaced by Billy Joe Hobert with Seattle ahead, 34-3.

White said Oakland’s team doctors told him Hostetler’s left shoulder wasn’t injured any further by Sinclair’s sack, but Sinclair told a different story.

“He was just hollering when I sacked him,� Sinclair said. “I didn’t mean to hurt him, but he landed on his shoulder pretty hard. When I got back to our sideline, I said, ‘I think he’s done for this game.’ �