THE OTHER GAMES

GAME OF THE DAY

Minnesota (1-0) at Chicago (1-0), 1 p.m.

TV: Ch. 2 and 8

First place in the NFC Central will be on the line in this game, which matches the two best defenses in the National Football League. The Bears, who have won five consecutive division titles, are still adjusting to new quarterback Mike Tomczak, who completed 10 of 24 passes for 159 yards in the Bears’ 17-14 season-opening win over Cincinnati. Viking quarterback Wade Wilson had a good day in Minnesota’s 38-7 win over Houston, completing 16 of 25 passes for 218 yards.

INTERCONFERENCE

Phoenix (1-0) at Seattle (0-1), 1 p.m.

The Seahawks started eight new players and it showed in a 31-7 loss at Philadelphia. Seattle’s offense will be without wide receiver Steve Largent, who is out for six weeks with a fractured right elbow. Largent, who caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Dave Krieg last week, has caught at least one pass in 168 consecutive games. Gary Hogeboom, who has replaced Neil Lomax at quarterback for the Cardinals, is coming off a good performance in last week’s 16-13 win over Detroit--completing 21 of 35 passes for 264 yards.

AFC

New York Jets (0-1) at Cleveland (1-0), 10 a.m.

Cleveland Coach Bud Carson faces another of his former teams in the Browns’ home opener. The Browns defeated the Steelers, 51-0, in Carson’s debut. Carson was the Steelers’ defensive coordinator from 1973-77. Carson was the defensive coordinator for the Jets from 1985-88 before leaving to replace Marty Schottenheimer as the Browns’ head coach. The Jet offense has been hampered by injuries. Wide receiver Al Toon, who sat out last week’s 27-24 loss to New England with a shoulder injury, is questionable, but wide receiver JoJo Townsell had a big day, catching five passes for 97 yards and one touchdown.

Houston (0-1) at San Diego (0-1), 1 p.m.

Quarterbacks Jim McMahon and Warren Moon, who were benched last week, hope to rebound this week. McMahon played poorly in his debut with the Chargers, completing just seven of 18 passes for 91 yards. Coach Dan Henning benched McMahon in the third quarter of the Chargers’ 40-14 loss to the Raiders. Moon was pulled after completing eight of 20 passes for 69 yards in the Oilers’ 38-7 loss to Minnesota. Moon was sacked eight times. The Oilers’ rushing game should get a boost with the return of running back Mike Rozier, who signed last week.

Miami (0-1) at New England (1-0), 10 a.m.

Coach Don Shula, in the final season of his contract, is under fire in Miami. Shula has had to endure three consecutive losing seasons and this one doesn’t look much better, either. After the Dolphins blew a 24-13 lead to Buffalo and lost, 27-24, last week, Shula said it was his worst-ever loss. The Patriots have been plagued by injuries. New England has dominated the Dolphins in recent years, winning seven in a row.

Pittsburgh (0-1) at Cincinnati (0-1), 10 a.m.

Were the Steelers really as bad as they looked in last week’s 51-0 loss to Cleveland? Or are the Browns that good? Chuck Noll should get some answers to those questions as the Steelers try to rebound from the worst defeat in club history. They might start with the offense, which gained just 53 yards on the ground and gave away eight turnovers. But the Jungle hasn’t been a friendly place for weak teams trying to rebound. The Bengals were 10-0 at home last season. Boomer Esiason’s aching shoulder looked fine last week as he threw for 184 yards and one touchdown. And the signing of wide receiver Eddie Brown should bolster the Bengals’ passing attack.

NFC

San Francisco (1-0) at Tampa Bay (1-0), 1 p.m.

Tampa Bay’s Vinny Testaverde, who set a league record with 35 interceptions last season, didn’t throw an interception in last week’s 23-21 win at Green Bay. Testaverde completed 22 of 27 passes for 205 yards and one touchdown. San Francisco’s Joe Montana completed 15 of 26 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown in a 30-24 win over the Colts last week. Roger Craig also had a big game with 131 yards rushing.

Philadelphia (1-0) at Washington (0-1), 10 a.m.

The Eagles looked like the Super Bowl contenders they are supposed to be, beating Seattle, 31-7, last week. But they haven’t been able to win at Washington since 1985 and have lost five of six to the Redskins in the Buddy Ryan era. The Eagles, who had the worst pass defense in the NFL last season, must find a way to stop Redskin quarterback Mark Rypien, who completed 22 of 32 passes for 349 yards in Monday night’s 27-24 loss to the New York Giants.

Detroit (0-1) at New York Giants (1-0) 1 p.m.

Barry Sanders looked impressive in his pro debut, rushing for 71 yards in the second half of the Lions’ 16-13 loss to Phoenix. But the Lions miss quarterback Rodney Peete, sidelined with a knee injury. Quarterback Bob Gagliano, who started in place of Peete, completed just seven of 20 passes for 116 yards as he directed Mouse Davis’ run-and-shoot offense last week. The Lions’ defense, which gave up 264 yards through the air last week, will have to stop quarterback Phil Simms, who threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns in Monday night’s win over the Redskins.

Dallas (0-1) at Atlanta (0-1), 10 a.m.

After a deceiving 3-1 exhibition season, the Jimmy Johnson/Troy Aikman era got off to miserable start last week as the Cowboys were shut out, 28-0, by the Saints. Aikman discovered that it isn’t going to be as easy to pass it was at UCLA. Aikman completed 17 of 35 passes for 180 yards, but he threw two interceptions. Deion Sanders scored a touchdown in his first game with the Falcons, returning a punt for a score.

New Orleans (1-0) at Green Bay (0-1) 10 a.m.

Tony Mandarich, who signed with the Packers last weekend, is likely to make his pro debut today. The Packers may need Mandarich to bolster their rushing game against the Saint defense. New Orleans held Dallas to just 20 yards on the ground last Sunday.

MONDAY NIGHT

Denver (1-0) at Buffalo (1-0), 6 p.m.

TV: Ch. 7, 3, 10, 42

John Elway and Jim Kelly, two of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, will be the focus in this game. Kelly rallied the Bills to a 27-24 win over Miami, scoring his first rushing touchdown as time ran out. Elway looked awful in last week’s 34-20 win over Kansas City, passing for just 150 yards with two interceptions.

NOTE: All times PDT. Standings, Page 18.