PRO FOOTBALL / Week 15 : THE OTHER GAMES

TODAY Cleveland (10-4) at Cincinnati (9-5), 10 a.m. The Browns, who have lost 7 of last 9 to the Bengals, have been waiting for this game since a 30-13 beating at Cincinnati in the third week of the season. Cleveland, which has won 6 of 7 games, can wrap up the AFC Central title with a victory, but with a defeat today may have to beat San Diego at home next week to make the playoffs. The Browns have won five games on late field goals. Cincinnati, coming off perhaps its best game of the season, a 31-7 drubbing of New England, rushed for 257 yards against the Browns last time--and that was before Stanley Wilson started running like Jim Brown. However, the Bengals need to beat the Browns and next week the New York Jets to nail down the division title. A split might leave them out of the playoffs.

Seattle (8-6) at San Diego (4-10), 1 p.m. The Seahawks have breathed life into their playoff chances by blowing out the fading Cowboys and Raiders. Seattle beat the Chargers, 33-7, 10 weeks ago, but that was before Al Saunders took over at San Diego. The Chargers are 3-3 under Saunders, and with some luck could be 6-0. However, the only contender the Chargers beat was Denver, losing to Kansas City, Dallas and the Raiders. Seattle has beaten the Chargers in 7 of 8 meetings, and, with quarterback Dave Krieg on one of his hot streaks, the trend figures to continue.

Buffalo (4-10) at Indianapolis (1-13), 10 a.m. Even though they needed two fluky plays to get their first victory, the Colts looked more stable on offense with veteran Gary Hogeboom returning to replace rookie Jack Trudeau at quarterback. Buffalo won, 24-13, at home earlier this season, but the Bills have lost 22 of their last 23 road games.

San Francisco (8-5-1) at New England (10-4), 10 a.m. TV: Channels 2 and 8 (San Diego).

Both teams have a chance for division titles and are in good position for at least wild-card berths, but they could find themselves on the outside looking in if they stumble. The 49ers need a victory coupled with a Miami upset of the Rams to make the NFC West title hinge on Friday’s game with the Rams at San Francisco. The 49er running game is back in gear, with Roger Craig healthy and All-Pro guard Randy Cross clearing the way, to complement Joe Montana’s passing. They could have easy pickings against the weakened New England defense, which hopes to finally get linebacker Andre Tippett back. The Patriots’ once-powerful ground game ranks last in the league, and quarterback Tony Eason threw two interceptions in a 31-7 loss to Cincinnati last week, the Patriots’ worst game of the season.

Minnesota (8-6) at Houston (3-11), 1 p.m. Coach Jerry Burns has the Vikings battling for the final wild-card playoff berth. But Minnesota, which plays host to New Orleans next week, needs two victories and some outside help. The Vikings, who have outscored opponents, 142-67, in the first quarter, would like to put this game away early and rest banged-up quarterback Tommy Kramer. The Oilers were blown out by San Diego, 27-0, last week and don’t figure to turn it around even if injured Warren Moon returns to replace Oliver (No Such) Luck at quarterback.

St. Louis (3-10-1) at New York Giants (12-2), 10 a.m. The Giants clinched their first division title since 1963 when Denver beat Washington, 31-30, Saturday. New York has won seven straight games, including four straight over playoff contenders Minnesota, Denver, San Francisco and Washington, but can’t afford a letdown because it is battling Chicago for the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Giants have won a number of close games, including a 13-6 victory over the Cardinals, but this looks like the spot for a much-needed breather. Quarterback Neil Lomax has played well in last three games for the Cardinals, but he will have to deal with Lawrence Taylor and a New York defense that intercepted six passes by Washington’s Jay Schroeder last week. Leonard Smith had 15 tackles, 5 assists, 2 sacks and a blocked field goal for St. Louis last week.

Philadelphia (4-9-1) at Dallas (7-7), 10 a.m. If the Cowboys lose this one, they will be staring Tom Landry’s first losing season since 1964 in the face because they finish next week with the Chicago Bears. Dallas has lost three straight games, and its playoff chances are slim. With Steve Pelluer replacing Randy White at quarterback, the Cowboys have scored more than 14 points just once in six games--losing five of them. Philadelphia quarterback Randall Cunningham is questionable because of a sprained right thumb. Coach Buddy Ryan replaced Cunningham with Matt Cavanaugh late in last week’s overtime tie with St. Louis. Ryan showed struggling Keith Byars some of the rookie’s college films, and Byars rushed for 127 yards.

Green Bay (3-11) at Tampa Bay (2-12), 10 a.m. The Buccaneers will be trying to bring the Packers down to their level--the NFC Central cellar. That may be hard to do, since Tampa Bay has been outscored by 131 points in its last five games. Green Bay beat the Buccaneers, 31-7, four weeks ago, but the home team has won 6 of the last 8 times in this series. The Packers showed they can score some points in that game and a 44-40 victory over Detroit on Thanksgiving. Leeman Bennett expects to be back as coach of the Buccaneers, but observers in Tampa Bay say he can’t read the handwriting on the wall.

New Orleans (6-8) at Atlanta (6-7-1), 10 a.m. The Falcons beat the Saints, 31-10, in the season-opener on the way to a 5-1-1 start, but their season has since deteriorated. Despite the collapse, Turk Schonert has played well at quarterback (46 of 75, 592 yards, 2 touchdowns) since replacing injured David Archer. Three straight defeats, including close ones to Miami and New England, have cost the Saints a shot at their first winning season, but Coach Jim Mora seems to have them going in the right direction. Saints’ running back Rueben Mayes is a good bet for Rookie of the Year.

MONDAY NIGHT Chicago (12-2) at Detroit (5-9), 6 p.m. TV: Channel 7.

Coach Mike Ditka says he will again split the quarterback duties between Mike Tomczak and Doug Flutie. Speculation is that he’s getting Flutie ready for the playoffs, even though Tomczak is 6-0 as a starter this season. The Bears barely got past the Lions in October, 13-7, when Walter Payton was held to 67 yards, but to beat Chicago you have to score some points against that defense. Joe Ferguson’s ailing knee limits his mobility, which would be suicide against the ferocious Bear pass rush, so Lion Coach Darryl Rogers will go with rookie Chuck Long at quarterback.