TODAY’S GAMES

Cleveland at New York Giants

The Giants (8-4) need a victory to move back into a tie for the NFC East lead with Dallas, which beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Thanksgiving Day. The Browns (6-6) are tied with Pittsburgh for the AFC Central lead. Cleveland quarterback Gary Danielson, nursing a sore shoulder, returned after six weeks on the sidelines and hooked up with Clarence Weathers on a 72-yard touchdown pass play. With Danielson still ailing, Bernie Kosar gets the start today. The Giants, who lead the NFL in sacks with 55 (Leonard Mitchell has 13 1/2), are 5-1 at Giants Stadium.

Denver at Pittsburgh

The Broncos (8-4) are tied for the AFC West lead with the Raiders after losing in overtime, 31-28, last week at the Coliseum. They play a rematch next week in Denver. The Steelers (6-6) are even with the Browns atop the AFC Central. The Steelers have won four of the last five meetings, including a 24-17 playoff victory last season in Denver. The Steelers lost, 30-23, last week to the Redskins. Scott Campbell, thrust into the starting quarterback job after injuries to Mark Malone and David Woodley, passed for 224 yards. Woodley will start today.

Houston at Cincinnati

The winner remains in the hunt for the AFC Central title, while the loser drops into the division cellar and out of the playoff race. The Bengals (5-7) lost, 44-27, on Oct. 20 at Houston. Oiler quarterback Oliver Luck replaced an injured and ineffective Warren Moon and led the Oilers to a 37-35 victory over San Diego last week. Tony Zendejas kicked a 51-yard field goal with two seconds left to win the game. The Bengals (5-7) were held to six points for the second week in a row and lost to Pittsburgh, 24-6. Quarterback Boomer Esiason suffered a hip-pointer against the Steelers and is questionable.

San Francisco at Washington These recent Super Bowl champions are struggling to make the playoffs. The 49ers (7-5) are two games behind the Rams in the NFC West and the Redskins (7-5) need a victory to stay one game behind in the NFC East. The 49ers’ Roger Craig leads the NFL with 12 touchdowns and 70 receptions and is second in total scrimmage yards (1,606). Joe Montana has passed for 2,530 yards and 18 touchdowns but has been a bit erratic. The Redskins’ rushing offense, second-ranked in the NFC, is led by George Rogers (642 yards), John Riggins (638) and Keith Griffin (393). Jay Schroeder has led the Redskins to two straight victories since Joe Theismann went out with a broken leg.

Kansas City at Seattle The Chiefs’ 20-7 victory last week over Indianapolis was their first win since beating Seattle, 28-7, on Sept. 29. The win snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Chiefs (4-8). Kansas City quarterback Todd Blackledge passed for 246 yards. The Seahawks (6-6), whose playoff hopes are rapidly slipping away, scored only on a blocked punt in Monday night’s 19-6 loss to San Francisco. Steve Largent needs 29 yards to tie Lance Alworth for the NFL career mark of seven 1,000-yard seasons.

Buffalo at San Diego The Chargers (5-7) beat the Bills, 14-9, on opening day. Buffalo (3-9) fell to Miami, 23-14, last week, while the Chargers’ playoff hopes were dashed by Houston, 37-35. The Bills are 0-5 on the road. The Chargers lead the NFL in total offense (398 yards per game) and passing offense (298), but are last in total defense (389) and passing defense (261). Dan Fouts has 2,789 passing yards and 21 touchdowns.

New England at Indianapolis The Patriots (8-4) are coming off a 16-13 overtime loss to the Jets last week that dropped them into a second-place tie with Miami in the AFC East. That was New England’s first defeat in the division after five victories. The Colts (4-8) are 1-6 against the rest of the East and have lost four straight games. New England scored a 34-15 victory on Nov. 10 at Foxboro, Mass. The Patriots have Tony Eason at quarterback after Steve Grogan underwent surgery for a season-ending knee injury suffered against the Jets. When the Patriots were struggling at 2-3, Grogan replaced Eason and led New England to six straight wins.

Tampa Bay at Green Bay These teams are going nowhere, but at least the Buccaneers (2-10) have found a ray of hope with million-dollar quarterback Steve Young. The former BYU All-American and L.A. Express quarterback started slowly in his NFL debut last week, but rallied Tampa Bay to a 19-16 overtime victory over Detroit. Young passed for 167 yards and ran for 60. Green Bay (5-7) probably spent all week working on its special teams after the Rams’ Ron Brown ran two kickoffs back for touchdowns in a 34-17 Packer loss to the Rams last week.

Minnesota at Philadelphia The Eagles (6-6) had their playoff hopes tempered by a 34-17 defeat to Dallas last week. Earlier in the season, it appeared Coach Bud Grant hadn’t lost his touch by taking a year off, but the Vikings (5-7) lost their third straight game last week when they were beaten by New Orleans, 30-23. With Tommy Kramer injured, Wade Wilson opens at quarterback and will be tested by Philadelphia’s pass defense, ranked first in the NFC.

Washington at Philadelphia

MONDAY NIGHT GAME Chicago at Miami Only the 1934 Bears (13-0) and the 1972 Dolphins (14-0) have won more games from the start of the regular season than the 1985 Bears (12-0). The Bears routed Atlanta, 36-0, last week. However, a few other numbers favor the Dolphins (8-4). Miami has won the only three games the teams have played and is 19-10 on Monday nights, including six straight victories at home. The Dolphins have won 17 of their last 18 games at home, the only loss coming to the Raiders last season. The Bears are 0-8 on the road in Monday night games and 5-11 overall. The Bear defense registered its second straight shutout last and has not allowed a point in 10 quarters or a touchdown in the last 13. Miami’s offensive line has only allowed 13 sacks. Dan Marino will need his quick release to avoid the Bears’ vicious pass rush, which has recorded 50 sacks. Steve Fuller will likely start at quarterback for Chicago. It is Fuller’s fourth straight start in place of injured Jim McMahon.