SPOTLIGHT : A GLANCE AT THIS WEEK IN THE NFL

NO FAVORITISM

It was just three weeks ago when the NFL season started. Everyone was a contender. But fans of the Eagles, Vikings, Steelers, Browns and even those lovable, perennial Super Bowl runners-up Broncos had to believe their teams would be right there come playoff time.

Well, they might still be there, but not if one goes by how they have played at the beginning of the season.

Eagles (1-3): Yes, they did beat the Rams last week, but they have also lost to the Phoenix Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts, arguably the two worst teams in the NFL.

Vikings (1-3): Minnesota appeared to be at .500 again Sunday when it took a 20-13 lead over Tampa Bay with less than two minutes to play. Any team that can give up a game-tying drive to Vinny Testaverde can’t really be a Super Bowl contender, can it?

Steelers (1-3): OK, maybe they couldn’t be expected to continue their roll from the end of the 1989 season, but you think they might score a touchdown one of these days?

Browns (1-3): Revenge is a sweet motive, so it may be a little harsh to put too much into the 34-0 thrashing by old Coach Marty Schottenheimer’s Chiefs Sunday. The Browns have reached the AFC championship game three of the past four seasons, but Bud Carson’s crew might be hard-pressed to reach the playoffs this year.

Broncos (2-2): After a 29-28 loss to Buffalo Sunday, they are this close to being 4-0, but about the same distance from being 0-4. John Elway is always dangerous, but even if Denver does turn things around and reach the Super Bowl again . . . well, no Bronco fan really enjoys thinking about their other four appearances.

IN A HURRY

Fans who did some morning chores and tuned in for the final half-hour or so of the Giants-Cowboys game at 12:30 p.m. got a bit of a surprise.

By 12:30, there were CBS announcers Pat Summerall and John Madden calmly (or as calm as Madden can ever be) discussing this and that, but there was no action on the field.

Had there been some act of nature causing a stoppage in the game? A hurricane making its way through New Jersey? A day of mourning declared in respect to Met fans?

No, it was just that the game had ended in about 2 1/2 hours, the latest and greatest example of how this season’s rules have quickened games.

The NFL, to combat games running more than 3 1/2 hours and cutting into “60 Minutes” on the East Coast, shortened halftime from 15 to 12 minutes this season. It also decided to keep the clock running when the ball went out of bounds, after kickoff returns and on declined penalties (except in the final two minutes). It has worked so far, the average going from 3 hours 11 minutes last year to less than three hours.

A CALL TO ARMS

Behind every successful NFL quarterback is . . . someone just waiting for an injury?

With an assortment of bruises knocking out the usual quota of starting quarterbacks, backups got their chance Sunday and went 2-2.

The first victory was probably the most unlikely. Jack Trudeau, filling in for top draft choice Jeff George, passed for 329 yards, including a six-yard touchdown to Billy Brooks as time ran out in Indianapolis’ 24-23 upset of Philadelphia.

In the evening game, Stan Humphries, starting in place of Mark Rypien, passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another as Washington defeated Phoenix, 38-10.

Minnesota’s Rich Gannon, usually No. 2 to Wade Wilson, threw for 253 yards, but had two interceptions as the Vikings lost to the Buccaneers in overtime, 23-20.

And Marc Wilson (yes, that Marc Wilson) was 19 of 41 for 184 yards as the troubled Patriots were hammered by the Jets, 37-13, with Steve Grogan on the sidelines.

TOP PASSERS

Player, Team Cmp. Att. Yds. TD WARREN MOON, Oilers 27 46 355 2 JACK TRUDEAU, Colts 19 40 329 2 DON MAJKOWSKI, Packers 28 46 289 3 KEN O’BRIEN, Jets 19 29 282 1 R. CUNNINGHAM, Eagles 22 34 274 2 STAN HUMPHRIES, Redskins 20 25 257 1 RICH GANNON, Vikings 19 36 253 2 TROY AIKMAN, Cowboys 21 26 233 1 JOHN ELWAY, Broncos 15 28 221 1 RODNEY PEETE, Lions 17 34 200 0 PHIL SIMMS, Giants 16 22 188 2

BIG PLAYS

Jack Trudeau passed six yards to Bill Brooks for a touchdown on the last play of the game to lift the Indianapolis Colts to a 24-23 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Vinny Testaverde threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Bruce Hill with 24 seconds remaining in regulation to force an overtime period and Steve Christie converted a 36-yard field goal in the extra period as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 23-20.

Kevin Ross and Chris Martin each scored touchdowns off blocked punts and Albert Lewis blocked a punt for the third consecutive week as the Chiefs mauled the Browns, 34-0.

NAMES AND NUMBERS

Dolphins Coach Don Shula improved to 9-5 against Chuck Noll of the Steelers in a matchup of the NFL’s two winningest active coaches.

Steeler bashing: The Pittsburgh offense has gone four hours, 30 minutes and 26 seconds without scoring. . . . The offense hasn’t scored a touchdown in five of its last six games, counting the final two preseason games. . . . The Steelers entered the game last in the NFL in total offense, passing offense, average gain per play, average gain per pass, first downs and third-down efficiency.

Until Anthony Toney gained 103 yards last week against the Rams, the Eagles had gone 35 games without a 100-yard game from a runner. The Eagles started a new streak against the Colts--quarterback Randall Cunningham led the rushers with 61 yards.

Green Bay tackle Tony Mandarich, an All-American at Michigan State, played his second pro game in Michigan against the Lions Sunday. He was hit with three penalties, two for false starts and one for holding.

The Lions-Packers series is the NFL’s longest uninterrupted rivalry. Green Bay increased its lead in the series to 58-50-6.

TOP RUSHERS

Player, Team Car. Yds. TD BOBBY HUMPHREY, Broncos 34 177 1 GARY ANDERSON, Buccaneers 22 108 1 BLAIR THOMAS, Jets 20 100 0 RICK FENNEY, Vikings 18 97 0 GERALD RIGGS, Redskins 19 95 1 BARRY SANDERS, Lions 20 94 1 DON MAJKOWSKI, Packers 8 88 0 JOHN STEPHENS, Patriots 14 79 0 OTTIS ANDERSON, Giants 17 79 0 RICH GANNON, Vikings 9 65 0

ONE OF THOSE DAYS

Eddie Murray couldn’t hit anything in the Detroit Lions’ 24-21 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

In each of the past two years, Murray converted 20 of 21 field goals to tie the all-time NFL accuracy mark of 95.2. But he missed four field-goal attempts against the Packers, including a 44-yarder with three seconds remaining.

After his third miss, Murray took a swing at Packer cornerback Jerry Holmes, a former Lion who taunted Murray before each of his attempts.

Concluded Murray: “Hopefully, this will be the worst day I ever have.”

TOP RECEIVERS

Player, Team Rec. Yds. TD ROB MOORE, Jets 9 175 1 GARY CLARK, Redskins 8 162 2 KEITH BYARS, Eagles 12 133 1 BRUCE HILL, Buccaneers 5 104 1 WILLIE GAULT, Raiders 4 103 0 HASSAN JONES, Vikings 5 101 1 ANTHONY CARTER, Vikings 8 97 1 ERNEST GIVINS, Oilers 6 97 1 BILL BROOKS, Colts 8 94 1 JAY NOVACEK, Cowboys 9 85 1

INJURIES

Minnesota lost defensive standouts Keith Millard and Reggie Rutland on the same play in the third quarter of a 23-20 overtime loss to Tampa Bay.

Millard, the NFL’s defensive player of the year in 1989, sprained his right knee while trying to rush Tampa Bay quarterback Vinny Testaverde. Rutland, a defensive back, sustained a concussion when hit by teammate Darrell Fullington after tackling receiver Frank Pillow, who had caught a six-yard pass.

Millard’s injury is thought to be more serious, although details won’t be known until today.

IN QUOTES

Pittsburgh cornerback Rod Woodson after the Steelers dropped to 1-3 with a 28-6 loss to the Miami Dolphins: “We were down, 14-0, and people were walking on the field with their heads down. Fourteen-0, that’s nothing. We’ve got to get a new attitude. If we have to buy an attitude, then buy it. But we need something.” Dolphin safety Louis Oliver on the Steeler offense, which hasn’t scored this season: “It got to the point where you could hear them arguing with each other.”

Steeler quarterback Bubby Brister: “If I were in the stands, I’d boo, too. There’s something to boo about.”

New York Giant quarterback Phil Simms, who completed 16 of 22 passes and had three touchdown passes in a 31-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys: “Everything we did today was simple. It was nothing complicated or tricky. We weren’t trying to fool anyone.”

Detroit Coach Wayne Fontes on Green Bay quarterback Don Majkowski, who rallied the Packers to a 24-21 victory. “He makes $1 million, and some of the guys covering make $65,000.”

Buffalo Coach Marv Levy after the Bills scored 20 points in 77 seconds to edge Denver, 29-28: “I told our players, ‘If you don’t quit, sometimes you get lucky.”’

Philadelphia Coach Buddy Ryan, whose 1-3 team has a bye next week, after a 24-23 loss to Indianapolis: “It’s going to be tough living around here for the next two weeks.”

Cleveland Coach Bud Carson after a 34-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs: “It’s a sad commentary on this coaching staff when somebody like Kansas City, who had blocked two the previous two weeks, gets in and blocks two kicks against us. I’ve never been so sick about something in my life.”

Houston Coach Jack Pardee after San Diego penalties aided both Oiler touchdown drives in a 17-7 Charger loss: “They did a lot more to hurt themselves than we did to hurt ourselves.” Charger linebacker Gary Plummer: “You can’t give a team like Houston a second chance. If you’re the 49ers maybe you can recover, but we’re the Chargers, and we’re a team trying to find ourselves.”