THE OTHER GAMES

GAME OF THE DAY

Indianapolis (4-5) at Buffalo (6-3), 10 a.m.

Frank Reich played well in Jim Kelly’s absence, but Kelly returned to the Buffalo lineup and rallied the Bills three times last week at Atlanta before coming up short. Eric Dickerson, out with a hamstring injury in last week’s loss to Miami, is expected back. Tom Ramsey will replace Colt quarterback Jack Trudeau, who has a broken finger on his left hand. The Colts trounced the Bills, 37-14, five weeks ago, and the teams split their series last season.

INTERCONFERENCE GAMES

Chicago (5-4) at Pittsburgh (4-5), 10 a.m.

The Bears have lost four of five. The offense has been a primary culprit, scoring only 40 points in three games, with neither Mike Tomczak nor Jim Harbaugh able to make the big plays at quarterback. The Steelers will have to keep Richard Dent off Bubby Brister, who hasn’t had a pass intercepted in his last 179 attempts. The Bears haven’t won at Pittsburgh since 1945.

New Orleans (4-5) at New England (3-6), 10 a.m.

The surging Saints were beaten by San Francisco Monday night, ending a three-game winning streak, but New Orleans has the No. 1 defense and has moved the ball with Bobby Hebert and Dalton Hilliard. The Patriots have lost twice recently on last-minute field goals. Former Raider Marc Wilson replaced injured Steve Grogan last week and could become the Patriots’ fourth starting quarterback this season.

AFC GAMES

Denver (7-2) at Kansas City (4-5), 10 a.m.

TV: Channel 4.

By mortal standards, John Elway is struggling, but he’s done enough positive things to keep the Broncos winning. Denver has beaten the Chiefs in seven of their last nine games, but Kansas City’s two victories came at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City has regained respect by giving the ball to Christian Okoye and playing tough defense. The Broncos beat the Chiefs in the season opener, 34-20, and the teams split two games last season.

Cleveland (6-3) at Seattle (4-5), 1 p.m.

The Seahawks, AFC West champions last season, are fighting to stay in the playoff race. Usually strong at home, the Seahawks are 1-3 at Seattle this season. The Browns, one game ahead of Cincinnati and Houston in the AFC Central, are getting enough running from Eric Metcalf to make it easier on Bernie Kosar. The Seahawks have been unable to run consistently, and quarterback Dave Krieg has felt the pressure. He was sacked five times and fumbled six times last week. Seattle beat the Browns, 16-10, last season at Cleveland. The Seahawks lead the series, 8-2, but both Brown wins have come in the Kingdome.

Miami (5-4) at New York Jets (2-7), 10 a.m.

Rookie Sammie Smith has given the Dolphins the running game they need to take the pressure off quarterback Dan Marino. Last week’s victory at Indianapolis put Miami one game behind AFC East-leading Buffalo. Ken O’Brien and the New York offense came alive last week as the Jets beat New England. The Jets have beaten the Dolphins in four of their last five games, including a 40-33 victory seven weeks ago, and swept the two games last season.

NFC GAMES

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

This is another big step in the Packer resurgence because Green Bay is 0-3 on the road. It could be an offensive show with Detroit rookies Rodney Peete and Barry Sanders against the Packers’ Don Majkowski, who leads the NFL in passing with 2,602 yards and 18 touchdowns. Green Bay beat the Lions, 23-20, in overtime two weeks ago and has won three of the last four games at the Silverdome. The Lions swept the two games last season.

Minnesota (6-3) at Tampa Bay (3-6), 10 a.m.

In his return as starting quarterback, Wade Wilson couldn’t get the Vikings a touchdown but got them close enough for Rich Karlis to kick seven field goals in a victory over the Rams. Vinny Testaverde, who had four more passes intercepted last week, has led Tampa Bay to big numbers, but the defense has given up even bigger numbers in four consecutive defeats. Minnesota beat the Buccaneers, 17-3, six weeks ago and has beaten Tampa Bay in nine of the last 10 games, including a two-game sweep last season.

Washington (4-5) at Philadelphia (6-3), 10 a.m.

Two teams coming off real downers. The Eagles had a four-game winning streak end with a 20-17 setback at San Diego. Washington became Dallas’ first victim, 13-3. Doug Williams will remain at quarterback for the Redskins despite the rust he showed in his first game of the season, but he has three starters missing from his offensive line. The Redskins have lost to the Eagles only four times since 1981, but Philadelphia rallied from a 20-0 deficit for a 42-37 victory in the second game this season.

Dallas (1-8) at Phoenix (4-5), 1 p.m.

Paul Palmer has sparked the Cowboys recently; he had 110 rushing yards in Dallas’ victory a week ago. Troy Aikman will start in place of struggling Steve Walsh at quarterback for the Cowboys. Cardinal quarterback Gary Hogeboom is having his troubles, reportedly because of an arthritic elbow in his throwing arm. He has lost J.T. Smith, the NFL’s leading receiver with 62 catches, with a broken leg. The Cardinals beat the Cowboys, 19-10, two weeks ago and can sweep the series for the first time since 1970.

Atlanta (3-6) at San Francisco (8-1), 1 p.m.

Joe Montana showed no ill-effects from a three-week layoff in leading the 49ers past New Orleans, but he has Jerry Rice, Roger Craig and friends to work with. Atlanta’s Chris Miller is one of the league’s better quarterbacks, but doesn’t have nearly the supporting cast. Miller hasn’t had a pass intercepted in six games. The Falcons have beaten the 49ers once in their last 10 meetings, last season at Candlestick Park. The Falcons are 0-5 on the road this season.

MONDAY NIGHT

Cincinnati (5-4) at Houston (5-4)

TV: Channel 7, 6 p.m.

The extra day off may give Boomer Esiason’s bruised lung time to heal. Otherwise, Bengal quarterback Erik Wilhelm, a rookie, will make his first NFL start. Cincinnati, already without Ickey Woods for the season, also had backs James Brooks and Eric Ball injured last week against the Raiders. Warren Moon of the Oilers has passed for 2,255 yards and 14 touchdowns. Houston has beaten the Bengals four consecutive times in the Astrodome.

NOTE: All times PST.