OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Raiders signed Rich Gannon to provide steady, mistake-free leadership at quarterback. On Sunday, he added a dose of heroism as Oakland rallied from a 17-point deficit and beat the New York Jets with 26 seconds left.

Gannon, who led the Raiders to three touchdowns in the final 16 minutes despite a sore left wrist, threw a 5-yard pass to James Jett to give Oakland a 24-23 win over New York, which got 123 yards rushing from Curtis Martin and a solid performance by quarterback Rick Mirer.

	Rich Gannon escaped the Jets' Jason Ferguson before throwing the winning TD pass.

The Raiders (4-3) have had all their games decided by a touchdown or less this season.

"This football team is killing me," Oakland coach Jon Gruden said with a grin. "It was a great win, it wasn't always pretty. But we knew it would come down to the fourth quarter."

Trailing 20-3 late in the third period, Gannon threw a 45-yard scoring pass to Tim Brown and then led the Raiders on an 83-yard drive capped by Zack Crockett's 3-yard scoring run.

After John Hall's third field goal for the Jets (1-6), Gannon led a 90-yard drive in the final two minutes. It included a 17-yard pass to Brown on fourth-and-1 at the Oakland 19 and a 36-yard pass to Brown that got the ball to the New York 5.

"We couldn't tackle the quarterback all day. He scrambled and made improvised plays right up until the last play of the game. All we have to do is make one or two of those and it's over," Jets coach Bill Parcells said. "I'm just disappointed, I'm just fed up with the situation."

Gannon was 26-of-51 for 352 yards and led the Raiders with 60 yards rushing. Oakland tailback Tyrone Wheatley, held to 18 yards on eight carries, fumbled twice and was knocked out of the game in the third period with a back injury and was taken to a hospital for examination.

Brown had 11 catches for 190 yards.

The Raiders, who entered the game first in the NFL in rushing with 140 yards per game, were held to 117 yards on 23 carries. Gannon, a backup for most of his career until signed by the Raiders as a free agent before this season, had more than half his team's rushing total.

"Rich has always been that leader," offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy said. "We're probably the first team that has given him that chance and said, `You're our quarterback, now lead us to the promised land."'

Martin had 123 yards on 26 carries for the Jets, who forced four turnovers. Mirer, who was 13-of-22 for 158 yards, threw a 2-yard scoring pass to Eric Green and ran 9 yards for another score. Hall had field goals of 32, 37 and 43 yards.

The Jets said they underestimated Gannon's speed.

GAME NOTES

Zack Crockett dropped a sure TD pass on the play before James Jett's deciding score. The Jets played in Oakland for the first time since 1972. Curtis Martin got his 24th game of more than 100 yards rushing and his 10th for the Jets, moving into a tie with John Riggins for third place on the team list. Oakland's Eric Allen had his 47th career interception, tying him with Baltimore's Rod Woodson for tops among active AFC players. Keyshawn Johnson had five catches for 72 yards to lead the Jets. Four of New York's six losses this season are by a touchdown or less.

"You flush him out of the pocket, and we're coming at him from all angles, he's right there in our grasp. But he's an athletic quarterback," Jets nose tackle Jason Ferguson said. "He was like a running back back there. They were making plays and we weren't stopping them."

Particularly in the fourth quarter.

The teams traded field goals in the opening 20 minutes. Mirer ran for his score midway through the second period, on the first play after Ferguson stripped the ball from Wheatley and Bryan Cox recovered on the Oakland 9.

The Raiders responded with a 76-yard drive, but Gannon fumbled on the New York 4 while scrambling and the half ended with the Jets leading 10-3.

New York went 88 yards on its first possession of the second half, scoring on the pass to Green. Dwight Stone went 36 yards with a reverse and Martin ran 21 yards to the Oakland 4 to set up the touchdown.

Wheatley's second fumble, on which he hurt his back, led to Hall's 37-yard field goal and a 20-3 lead.

But Gannon lofted his scoring pass to Brown in the closing seconds of the third period and Crockett scored with 8:23 left to pull the Raiders within 20-17.

The Raiders got the ball back with 6:02 remaining, but Aaron Glenn intercepted a pass near midfield and the Jets took a six-point lead on Hall's 43-yard field goal with 1:55 left.