SPOTLIGHT : A GLANCE AT THIS WEEK IN THE NFL

TOP PERFORMANCES

Passing

Quarterback, Team Att. Cmp. Yds. TD BOOMER ESIASON, Bengals 27 20 326 4 CHRIS MILLER, Falcons 35 17 310 2 MARC WILSON, Patriots 56 27 297 1 MARK RYPIEN, Redskins 27 17 284 1 JIM EVERETT, Rams 26 16 273 2 DAVE KRIEG, Seahawks 34 24 270 2 JIM KELLY, Bills 42 26 265 0 BERNIE KOSAR, Browns 38 17 254 2 DON MAJKOWSKI, Packers 36 21 244 1 JIM HARBAUGH, Bears 28 20 205 3

Rushing

Player, Team Car. Yds. TD MARION BUTTS, Chargers 39 176 0 NEAL ANDERSON, Bears 12 119 0 KEITH WOODSIDE, Packers 10 116 1 ERIC DICKERSON, Colts 21 107 2 ROGER CRAIG, 49ers 25 105 1 TIM WORLEY, Steelers 19 104 1 BARRY SANDERS, Lions 21 104 1

Receiving

Player, Team No. Yds. TD JOHN L. WILLIAMS, Seahawks 12 129 1 HART LEE DYKES, Patriots 10 130 0 JASON PHILLIPS, Lions 10 115 1 ANDRE REED, Bills 10 115 0 ERIC DICKERSON, Colts 9 63 0 THURMAN THOMAS, Bills 8 62 0 RICKY SANDERS, Redskins 7 167 0 STERLING SHARPE, Packers 7 94 0 JIM JENSEN, Dolphins 7 62 0 MICHAEL HAYNES, Falcons 6 190 2 TIM McGEE, Bengals 6 147 1 REGGIE LANGHORNE, Browns 6 140 1 ART MONK, Redskins 6 131 2 EDDIE BROWN, Bengals 6 107 2 NEAL ANDERSON, Bears 6 90 2 STEVE JORDAN, Vikings 6 87 1 DREW HILL, Oilers 6 77 0

BIG PLAYS

Holder Mike Pagel, Cleveland’s backup quarterback, threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to linebacker Van Waiters on a fake field-goal attempt in overtime as the Browns remained in contention for the AFC Central Division title with a 23-17 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

Quarterback Mark Rypien, who was sidelined with a sprained neck less than three minutes into the first quarter, returned midway through the second period and sparked three touchdown drives in a span of 3:38 in the third quarter to lift the Washington Redskins to a 31-30 victory over Atlanta.

Roger Craig rushed for 105 yards and the go-ahead touchdown as San Francisco turned three of Buffalo’s five turnovers into touchdowns in a 21-10 victory over the Bills.

LOWLIGHTS

Houston quarterback Warren Moon completed only nine of 20 passes for 96 yards and threw two interceptions before being replaced in the third quarter of the Oilers’ 61-7 loss to Cincinnati.

Rookie linebacker Derrick Thomas of Kansas City was ejected in the fourth quarter for kicking a player in the Chiefs’ 20-13 loss to San Diego. Thomas refused to comment on the incident, but Chief Coach Marty Schottenheimer said: “He was frustrated. They were holding him all day, but you can’t respond in the way that he did. You’ve got to go out and find a way to get the job done.”

INJURIES

Atlanta quarterback Chris Miller left the game with blurred vision following a sack in the third quarter of the Falcons’ 31-30 loss to Washington.

Tampa Bay quarterback Vinny Testaverde left the game with a sprained left ankle after a sack with 10:54 remaining in the second quarter of the Buccaneers’ 33-7 loss to Detroit.

Pro Bowl safety Deron Cherry of Kansas City was lost to a knee injury in the Chiefs’ 20-13 loss to San Diego. Cherry was injured after recovering a fumble in the second quarter and did not return.

STREAKS

The Chicago Bears’ 40-28 loss to Green Bay was their fifth loss in a row, their longest losing streak in 11 years. It also guaranteed that Chicago, 6-9 after losing nine of its last 11 games, will finish under .500 for the first time since 1982.

Jet receiver Al Toon, with six catches for 53 yards against the Rams, extended to 62 his streak of games with receptions. . . Chief reciever Stephone Paige had four catches for 42 yards against San Diego, giving him receptions in 63 consecutive games. . . Anthony Carter of Minnesota extended to 64 his streak of games with receptions with four catches against Cleveland. . . Art Monk of Washington has caught a pass in 99 consecutive games after making six receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns against Atlanta.

MAKING THEIR POINTS

Cincinnati Coach Sam Wyche offered a simple explanation for running up the score in the Bengals’ 61-7 rout of Houston: He doesn’t like the Oilers or their coach.

The Bengals had been waiting for a rematch since a fight-filled game in the Astrodome Nov. 13, and their mood was as raw as the weather at Riverfront Stadium, where the temperature was nine degrees with a wind-chill factor below zero.

“We don’t like this team,” Wyche said. “We don’t like their people. When you get a chance to do it (run up the score), you do it. I wish today this was a five-quarter game.”

The Bengals had plenty of time to rub it in. Leading 45-0, they attempted an onside kick. On two fourth-

quarter possessions, the Bengals, leading 58-7, ran the ball 13 times and passed eight times. They even had Jim Breech kick a 30-yard field goal that gave them their final points--with 21 seconds to play.

The 61 points matched the Bengals’ scoring record and gave them the most lopsided victory in the franchise’s history.

Glanville had little to say in regard to Wyche’s tactics.

“They played excellent. They did a great job. There are no excuses,” Glanville said. “It’s our job to stop them.”

But Wyche wasn’t as guarded in his comments about the Oilers in general and Glanville in particular.

“Jerry is an unusual coach. He really is an unusual coach,” Wyche said. “Drop me a note if you find somebody who likes this guy, will you?”

IN QUOTES

Coach John Robinson after the Rams’ 38-14 victory over the New York Jets: “We’re determined now. We’re in a tournament now where if we win, we keep playing. Our position is that we have to win next weekend to make the playoffs. Then, if we keep winning, we go all the way to New Orleans (and the Super Bowl). It’s simple. We have a chance, probably the best chance of any team I’ve coached, to go into postseason and play well.” Chicago Coach Mike Ditka after a 40-28 loss to Green Bay, the Bears’ fifth loss in a row: “Take all your hurts and put them together and you can’t even imagine how much I hurt.”

CLASS ACT

First in line to offer congratulations after Barry Sanders set a team record for rushing yards by a rookie was Billy Sims, the player Sanders supplanted in the Detroit Lion record books.

Sanders, the NFC’s leading rusher, gained 104 yards in 21 carries and scored on a four-yard run in the Lions’ 33-7 victory over Tampa Bay. The performance gave him 1,312 yards. Sanders had an 11-yard run with 6:34 to play in the third quarter to surpass Sims’ previous mark of 1,308 yards, set in 1980.

Sims, whose promising career was cut short by a knee injury, rushed onto the field to congratulate Sanders.

“I appreciate his support,” Sanders said. “I don’t know any other running back that would have done that. It’s something I can look back on and be thankful for. It’s not something I anticipated. It just happened.”

It was the sixth 100-yard game for Sanders, who has rushed for more yardage than the entire Detroit team rushed for a year ago. With one game remaining, he is 125 yards shy of Sims’ single-season club mark of 1,437 set in 1981.

“I knew it was just a matter of time after they drafted Barry,” said Sims, who postponed his return home to Hooks, Tex., by a day to be on hand. “Anybody who ever played sports and had some kind of record knows somebody’s going to break it. I’m just proud I was here to see Barry break mine.”

MILESTONES

George Seifert became the winningest first-year coach in NFL history when the San Francisco 49ers improved their record to 13-2 with a 21-10 victory over Buffalo. Seifert bettered the previous mark of 12 victories shared by John Madden (Raiders, 1969), Chuck Knox (Rams, 1973) and Red Miller (Broncos, 1977)--each set in 14-game seasons.

San Francisco safety Ronnie Lott became the team’s all-time interception leader with his 48th career theft. Lott picked off intercepted a pass from Jim Kelly that was tipped by receiver Andre Reed. The play set up a touchdown that gave the 49ers a 21-3 lead in the fourth quarter. Lott moved past Jimmy Johnson on the 49ers’ all-time list.

Don Majkowski passed for 244 yards to become only the second quarterback in Green Bay history to pass for more than 4,000 yards in a season. Lynn Dickey is the other one. Majkowski threw for a touchdown and ran for two others as the Packers secured their first winning season since 1978 with a 40-28 win over Chicago.

Keith Millard of Minnesota had two sacks, giving him 18 for the season to match Alan Page’s team record. Millard surpassed teammate Chris Doleman, who has 17.

Eric Dickerson, bothered most of the season by a hamstring injury, scored his first rushing touchdown in a month and tied Jim Brown for second place in NFL history with the 58th 100-yard rushing game of his career in the Indianapolis Colts’ 42-13 victory over Miami. Colt quarterback Jack Trudeau, knocked unconscious and hospitalized with a concussion a week ago, completed 23 of 35 passes for 195 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.

Marion Butts, a rookie who spent his college career at Florida State blocking for Sammie Smith, rushed for 176 yards in a club-record 39 carries in San Diego’s 20-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kansas City kicker Nick Lowery became the 15th player in NFL history to score more than 1,000 points in the Chiefs’ 20-13 loss to San Diego. Lowery, who converted field-goal attempts of 36 and 30 yards and an extra point, has scored 1,004 points.

A FINE MESS

Not a good day for sorting out the playoff races when three teams that had a chance to clinch their respective division titles with a victory lose.

Minnesota, Buffalo and Houston blew opportunities to wrap up berths. A fourth contender, Washington, staged a furious comeback to defeat Atlanta but was eliminated when the Rams beat the Jets.

Entering the final week of the season, it appears that the only thing certain about the playoff picture is that the tiebreaker formulas will be put to the test. In fact, the AFC races are so muddled that the NFL was unable to list the full range of possibilities Sunday.

A look at the various races:

THE NFC

West Division: The San Francisco 49ers (13-2) have clinched the title and the home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

The Rams (10-5) can clinch a wild-card berth with a victory at New England next week. Even if they lose, the Rams can make it if Minnesota, Green Bay or Washington loses.

(Washington is already eliminated, but can still get involved in a tiebreaker situation at 10-6 with Green Bay and the Rams that would put the Packers into the playoffs by conference record; if there is a two-way tie, the Rams are in because they beat Green Bay; but if Washington is involved it becomes a three-way tie, with conference records the determinant).

Central Division: The Minnesota Vikings (9-6) must win the division title to reach the playoffs; they cannot be a wild card. Minnesota can clinch with a victory over Cincinnati next Monday night, or if Green Bay loses to Dallas. The Vikings hold the tiebreaker over the Packers because of a better division record.

The Green Bay Packers (9-6) must win next week to make the playoffs. If the Packers beat Dallas and Minnesota loses to Cincinnati, the Packers win the division title. If the Rams and Philadelphia each lose their remaining games and Green Bay wins, the Packers are a wild card.

East Division: The Philadelphia Eagles (10-4) need one victory to clinch a wild-card spot and would clinch the division title with two victories or, if the Giants lose their final game, would clinch with one victory. The Eagles have the tiebreaker advantage over New York because they have beaten the Giants twice this season.

The New York Giants (11-4) have clinched a wild-card playoff spot and can win the division title by winning their last game if Philadelphia loses one of its last two.

THE AFC

West Division: The Denver Broncos (11-4) have clinched the division title and the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Raiders (8-7) can gain a wild-card berth only by defeating the New York Giants on the road next week, coupled with an Indianapolis loss at New Orleans.

The Kansas City Chiefs (7-7-1) and Seattle Seahawks are a long shots. Both must win next week and hope virtually all other contenders lose.

Central Division: The Houston Oilers (9-6) will clinch the division title if they win next week at home against Cleveland. Even if Houston loses, it will earn a wild-card berth.

The Cleveland Browns (8-6-1) will win the division title if they beat Houston. If Cleveland loses, it can be a wild card.

The Cincinnati Bengals (8-7) must win and get a great deal of help to win a wild-card berth. Cincinnati could be eliminated by the time it plays next Monday night against Minnesota.

The Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7) must win next week and have almost all the other contenders lose.

East Division: The Buffalo Bills (8-7) can clinch the division title by winning Saturday against the Jets. Buffalo holds the tiebreaker advantage in the division because it beat Miami twice and has a better AFC East record than Indianapolis. If the Bills lose, they can win the division title if Indianapolis and Miami both lose, or can be a wild card if Indianapolis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Seattle and the Raiders all lose.

The Miami Dolphins (8-7) must win to reach the playoffs. They will win the division title if Buffalo and Indianapolis both lose. Miami can still be a wild card.

The Indianapolis Colts (8-7) will clinch the division title if they win at New Orleans next week and Buffalo loses. They also clinch a wild card with a victory.

TONIGHT’S GAME

Philadelphia at New Orleans, 6 p.m.--The Eagles (10-4) can clinch a wild-card berth with a victory. The Saints (7-7), eliminated from contention for a playoff berth, are down to one goal: posting their third consecutive winning season.

John Fourcade, who replaced the Bobby Hebert and passed for 302 yards in a victory over Buffalo last week, will start again for the Saints.