PRO FOOTBALL / Week 13 : THE OTHER GAMES

GAME OF THE DAY Cincinnati (8-4) at Denver (9-3), 1 p.m. Losses to lowly Pittsburgh and Houston have hurt the Bengals, who now must slay a giant every week to keep pace with Cleveland in the AFC Central. The Bengals have a real mountain to climb at Mile High Stadium against a Bronco team that suddenly feels the hot breath of the Raiders, whom they thought they left for dead. Defense hasn’t always been enough for the Broncos, who have lost twice while holding the opponent without a touchdown. Coach Dan Reeves got the team’s attention by firing punter Chris Norman--for the second time this season. Reeves had cut Norman in the exhibition season but brought him back when Jack Weil failed to live up to expectations. Former Eagle punter Mike Horan will replace Norman this time. Reeves and counterpart Sam Wyche love to tinker with trickery, but Reeves may play it straight and count on John Elway to regain his long-lost form against the Bengals’ marshmallow defense. The Bengals’ strong running game will hit the Broncos’ strength head-on.

OTHER AFC GAMES San Diego (2-10) at Indianapolis (0-12), 10 a.m. Since Coach Al Saunders replaced Don Coryell, the Chargers are the best-looking losers in football. But the Colts put pressure on every opponent. Nobody wants to be the first team to lose to them. Dan Fouts’ shoulder is better, and he’ll start at quarterback for the Chargers. Colt quarterback Jack Trudeau will play despite sundry aches and pains, but don’t tell him that the Chargers lead the NFL in sacks (48). Coach Rod Dowhower says his team’s motivation is “you don’t want to go 0-16.”

Buffalo (3-9) at Kansas City (7-5), 10 a.m. There is bickering in the Bills’ locker room, with nose tackle Fred Smerlas responding to quarterback Jim Kelly’s criticism of team play with the observation that “sometimes you have to check your own laundry.” While they’re at it, they can hang up their 23rd straight road loss, equaling the NFL record. The Bills usually find a way. They have blown six fourth-quarter leads to lose and are last in turnovers (minus-15). Their best hope is that new Coach Marv Levy can arouse them against his former employers, the Chiefs.

Houston (3-9) at Cleveland (8-4), 10 a.m. Cleveland quarterback Bernie Kosar is hot, but this game has upset possibilities. Since Oiler Coach Jerry Glanville loosened the reins on quarterback Warren Moon, the offense has come to life. The Browns’ Matt Bahr is out for the season with a knee injury. The new kicker is Mark Moseley, recently cut by Washington.

NFC GAMES Washington (10-2) at St. Louis (3-9), 10 a.m. The Redskins have been the NFL’s best team down the stretch over the last six seasons. They can clinch a wild-card playoff spot here, but tight end Clint Didier is out with a broken hand, and running back George Rogers will see how his injured shoulder feels after he warms up. The Cardinals have played tough at home, getting blown out only once and winning twice. Quarterback Neil Lomax looked good after returning from the bench last week, but running back Stump Mitchell’s ribs are hurting, and Mitchell also has an injured toe.

Tampa Bay (2-10) at Minnesota (6-6), 10 a.m. The Buccaneers rank last in every significant defensive category, and their offense wouldn’t be much better without workhorse running back James Wilder. The defensive line hasn’t had a sack in six games. The Vikings, who were knocked out of the playoff picture last week, need quarterback Tommy Kramer to make their offense go, but they won’t know until warmups if Kramer can play with his injured thumb.

INTERCONFERENCE GAMES Atlanta (5-6-1) at Miami (6-6), 10 a.m. The Falcon offense hasn’t scored a touchdown in two weeks. After going 1-6-1 against a string of tough defenses, it looked as if the Dolphins would offer welcome relief until they destroyed the Jets, 45-3, last Monday night. Don Shula has a new contract to coach the Dolphins, but receiver Mark Clayton is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

New England (9-3) at New Orleans (6-6), 10 a.m. Receiver Irving Fryar is out with a shoulder injury, but the tree into which he drove his car will recover. Can the Patriots, who have won six in a row, keep winning as the injuries accumulate? Three starters went on injured reserve last week, and three more, including Fryar, will miss this game. The Patriots have won five of six road games and are returning to the site of their Super Bowl humiliation. The Saints, playing mostly for pride and their first winning season, can hang in there but must beware of Patriot quarterback Tony Eason’s last-minute lightning.

Pittsburgh (4-8) at Chicago (10-2), 10 a.m. The Bear offense has scored only one touchdown in two weeks, but that’s all it takes with the league’s toughest defense. What hope have the Steelers with the league’s least productive offense? Now that the Bears are resigned to quarterback Jim McMahon’s absence for the rest of the season, maybe the offense will settle down, too.

MONDAY NIGHT New York Giants (10-2) at San Francisco (7-4-1),

6 p.m. Both teams are in dogfights in their divisions. The 49er offense has been far more effective with quarterback Joe Montana back, while the Giants have dodged disaster in winning five straight games by a total of 18 points. The Giant offense has scored one touchdown in two weeks. Running back Wendell Tyler, cut earlier this season, returns to the 49er fold and will start if ailing Joe Cribbs can’t make it. Tyler’s blocking may give Montana time to throw deep to Jerry Rice against the Giants’ ferocious pass rush.