Week 6 and 20 teams are within one game of first place in their divisions. Could this be the year that everybody finishes 8-8?
Buddy Ryan swaggers into Dallas with one notch finally on his belt and a warning to Emmitt Smith that he’ll never run on his Arizona Cardinals. Though Smith was listed as questionable with a sore hamstring, coach Barry Switzer said Friday night he would play.
Kansas City is the latest test for the only undefeated team left, San Diego, which won three of its first four on the road and now gets three of its next four at home.
San Francisco and Detroit are coming off shocking losses and meet in the Silverdome. Minnesota and the New York Giants also come off surprising losses and try to rebound against each other Monday night in New Jersey.
Games of the week
Chiefs (3-1) at Chargers (4-0)
Three of the top AFC teams are led by ex-NFC quarterbacks and these are two of them. The last time Joe Montana and Stan Humphries met, both had to leave the game with concussions. Montana returned. Kansas City won both games last year in 17-14 and 28-24 thrillers, but Humphries didn’t play at all in the first one and threw only one pass in the second, a touchdown. The Chiefs are coming off a shutout loss against the Rams and a bye week to figure out why. The third winning AFC team led by an ex-NFC quarterback? Vinny Testaverde’s Browns. 3 p.m.
49ers (3-2) at Lions (2-3)
Last time these two met San Francisco prevailed 55-17 in a game Erik Kramer would prefer to forget. It was in the Silverdome last year after Kramer finally had been given the Detroit quarterback job. He threw two touchdown passes, but was behind 31-3 in the second quarter. In fact, the 49ers and George Seifert have dominated the Lions and Wayne Fontes 114-26 in 1991-92-93. Scott Mitchell is completing only 47 percent of his passes and has Deion Sanders to beat. Noon.
Dolphins (4-1) at Bills (3-2)
In the first of two AFC East clashes sure to have an effect on home field in the playoffs, Miami goes to Buffalo, where it has won the last two years, only to fall to the Bills in Miami later in the year. The Bills kept Thurman Thomas out of the Bears game last week to be ready for Miami. QB Jim Kelly kicked coaches out of a meeting to have a players-only session after losing to Bears. Noon.
Cardinals (1-3) at Cowboys (3-1)
Buddy Ryan has pointed toward this first of two games against Dallas in the next three weeks. By the night of Oct. 23, Ryan’s intention of being a factor in the playoffs may be blown out of the water. QB Jay Schroeder played well against the Vikings, but defense remains Arizona’s only chance. Usually, QB Troy Aikman responds to heat with touchdown passes. 3 p.m.
Vikings (3-2) at Giants (3-1)
These two last met in the playoffs, with QB Jim McMahon staggering on and off the field in a gallant loss that convinced Minnesota it needed a better offensive line and a more durable quarterback. The Vikings have both, but neither fared well against the Cardinals last week. The undefeated bubble burst for New York in New Orleans. RB Rodney Hampton is supposed to back. 8 p.m. Monday. Ch. 7.
Games worth a peek
Saints (2-3) at Bears (3-2)
New Orleans is one of those teams in last place, a game out of first. It also is last in the league in rushing, the perfect test for the Bears’ 27th-rated running defense. “We haven’t been able to run it a toot against anybody,” said coach Jim Mora. “We haven’t run since 1989.” This is Steve Walsh’s “revenge” against a team that paid No. 1, 2 and 3 draft choices to get him, yet never handed him the ball. Noon. Ch. 32.
Redskins (1-4) at Eagles (3-1)
The runner-up surprise team of the season behind San Diego is Philadelphia, where new owner Jeff Lurie is going to have a hard time firing coach Rich Kotite if this keeps up. Rookie Redskins QB Heath Shuler can only hope his team holds on to the ball long enough for him to utilize some of Norv Turner’s game plan. The Eagles aren’t only winning; they’re winning impressively, ranked third in both offense and defense. No other team is ranked so high on both sides of the ball. 7 p.m. TNT.
Raiders (1-3) at Patriots (3-2)
Nobody has thrown more passes or completed more than New England’s Drew Bledsoe, the kind of quarterback Al Davis dreams about for his Raiders. Jeff Hostetler is playing all right, but the Raiders are 25th in rushing and have defeated only the winless Broncos. New England remains first in offense and last in defense, a combination that puts extra pressure on Bledsoe. 3 p.m.
Games of the weak
Rams (2-3) at Packers (2-3)
Los Angeles is ranked 20th on defense, but it just held Atlanta to eight points and shut out Kansas City the week before, two top-10 offenses. So Chuck Knox again has put together a defense than can do more than compete. The problem is an offense that is hindered by injuries to quarterbacks Chris Miller and Chris Chandler. Miller is expected to play instead of young Tommy Maddox. The Packers rank 26th in run defense, which must make the eyes of Jerome Bettis get big. Noon.
Colts (2-3) at Jets (2-3)
Did anybody notice Jim Harbaugh is ranked just above Joe Montana in this week’s AFC passer ratings? Harbaugh’s numbers are also nearly identical to those of Stan Humphries. Indianapolis is last in passing, but fourth in rushing, so Harbaugh hasn’t forgotten how to hand off to Marshall Faulk. New York is in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Suddenly, Pete Carroll isn’t having any fun. Ex-Colts QB Jack Trudeau expected to start. Noon.
Buccaneers (2-3) at Falcons (3-2)
Both teams coming off wins. Tampa Bay got along without LB Hardy Nickerson against RB Barry Sanders last week, so new Atlanta starter Craig Heyward should pose no problem. The Bucs have 49ers, Vikings and Bears coming after next week’s bye. Noon.
Broncos (0-4) at Seahawks (3-2)
Denver is in a tough spot. Like Cincinnati, it is at the point in the season where everyone is aware of becoming its first victim. Secondly, the Seahawks are coming off an embarrassing loss themselves in Indianapolis and don’t want to lose ground in the tight AFC West race. Wade Phillips needs a win in the worst way before playing the Chiefs at Mile High next Monday night, when things could really get ugly. 3 p.m.
