PRO FOOTBALL : THE OTHER GAMES

GAME OF THE DAY Cleveland (7-3) at San Francisco (8-2), 5 p.m.

TV: ESPN.

In a season searching for superpowers comes this week’s possible Super Bowl preview. By destroying the Oilers last week, the Browns asserted some command of the AFC Central, although Coach Marty Schottenheimer insists: “We are not elite. We haven’t accomplished anything yet.” Tell it to the statisticians. The Browns lead the National Football League in scoring and scoring defense and will confront pass-happy 49ers Joe Montana and Jerry Rice--Montana has thrown 23 touchdown passes and Rice has caught 11 of them--with the league’s toughest pass defense. The 49ers, being pressed hard by the Saints in the NFC West, also haven’t faced a quarterback who is playing as well as Cleveland’s Bernie Kosar.

OTHER INTERCONFERENCE GAMES New Orleans (7-3) at Pittsburgh (6-4), 10 a.m.

History will be made if the Saints clinch their first winning season in the franchise’s 21 years, but they’re shooting higher than that. If they extend their club-record winning streak to five, they will fly home rooting for the Browns to boost them into first place in the NFC West by beating the 49ers tonight. Quarterback Bobby Hebert will attack the league’s most porous pass defense. The Saints lead the league in turnover ratio at plus-12. Steeler quarterback Mark Malone still ranks last in passing but is looking better and should be helped by the return of receiver John Stallworth and runner Earnest Jackson.

Philadelphia (4-6) at New England (5-5), 10 a.m.

The Cardinals might have shown how to stop Eagle quarterback Randall Cunningham: Make him throw and don’t let him run. One more loss in a tough finishing schedule will kill the Eagles’ playoff hopes. The Patriots, with so-so running and Tom Ramsey at quarterback, beat the Bills on five turnovers and will need some kind of breaks again against Buddy Ryan’s desperate squad. Cornerback Raymond Clayborn is gone with a knee injury.

AFC GAMES Denver (6-3-1) at San Diego (8-2), 1 p.m.

TV: Channels 4 and 39 (San Diego).

Can the Chargers patch the sudden hole in their beautiful balloon? Dan Fouts, who missed most of last week’s Seattle shocker (34-3) with a sore leg, will start. Without a running game, the Chargers need a strong Fouts to restore some offense. Even before Seattle, they hadn’t dominated anybody except hapless Kansas City. Charger tight end Kellen Winslow said Seattle was only “one game,” and not the first sign of collapse. Bronco quarterback John Elway, locked in on his “Three Amigo” receivers, is playing well and may exploit some weaknesses the Seahawks exposed. Pressuring Elway isn’t the answer because he’s twice as dangerous when he’s on the move.

Miami (5-5) at Buffalo (5-5), 10 a.m.

Bill rookie linebacker Cornelius Bennett, whose NFL career consists of three games, says, “I’m surprised how easy the adjustment (to pro football) has been.” Meet Dan Marino, kid. If Dolphin rookie Troy Stradford, who gained 169 yards rushing last week, also is for real, their offense might get back into gear after scoring only 61 points in the last 3 weeks. The Bills, who won at Miami a month ago, 34-31, have been in a similar rut in the log-jammed AFC East. They haven’t swept this series since 1966.

Houston (6-4) at Indianapolis (5-5), 10 a.m.

Both of these upstart outfits and their quarterbacks are trying to shake off the shock and doubts from last week’s blowouts. Against the Browns, the Oilers abandoned their quick-strike attack and killed themselves with gadget plays. This will be Eric Dickerson’s second look at the Oilers. He got 149 yards against them in the season opener in his previous life as a Ram.

Cincinnati (3-7) at New York Jets (5-5), 10 a.m.

Jet Coach Joe Walton, who spends more time motivating than coaching, says he doesn’t ask much of his players: “You play one day a week. Three hours. Sixty minutes. That’s all there is to it.” It should be enough here, especially with tight end Mickey Shuler returning. The Bengals, however, have played better on the road (2-1) and, even with Boomer Esiason struggling, have produced more yardage than any team this season.

NFC GAMES New York Giants (3-7) at Washington (7-3), 1 p.m.

The Giants are finished, and Coach Bill Parcells concedes it. If it makes any difference now, they will be in better shape today than they were at New Orleans last week, with quarterback Phil Simms and running back Joe Morris returning, although linebacker Lawrence Taylor’s hamstring injury will prevent him from playing. Taylor had played in 106 consecutive games since joining the Giants in 1981. The Redskins stumbled badly against the Rams, but keep in mind that they have won 16 straight Sunday games after Monday night games. Jay Schroeder will start at quarterback. Doug Williams was supposed to start but a sprained back will keep him out. He was deactivated Saturday.

Green Bay (4-5-1) at Chicago (8-2), 10 a.m.

TV: Channels 2 and 8 (San Diego).

Mike Ditka’s “We stink” speech got the Bears’ attention last week, and now he’s modified that to, “We’ve beaten nobody with a winning (record).” Three weeks ago, they needed a 52-yard field goal to beat the Packers on the final play. Historically, the Packers play the Bears tougher than they should, but the Bears’ 27-3 record at Soldier Field since 1984 is the best home record in the league. The Packers’ tight pass defense could shift the Bear offensive emphasis from Jim McMahon to Neal Anderson. Bear center Jay Hilgenberg and tackle Jimbo Covert were questionable because of injuries. Packer quarterback Randy Wrightwon back his job in relief last week.

St. Louis (4-6) at Atlanta (2-8), 10 a.m.

Although quarterback Neil Lomax is hot, the Cardinals play well only about every other week and haven’t won two in a row in two years. The Falcon regulars haven’t won at all in more than two months and the defense is flattened by injuries. They’re at the opposite end of the chart from Cleveland, scoring less and allowing more points than anyone else, and their special teams are lousy, too.

NOTE: All times PST. Statistical references exclude the three strike games.