SPOTLIGHT / A GLANCE AT THIS WEEK IN THE NFL : ‘PHIN-TASTIC?

The Miami Dolphins won Super Bowls with a No-Name defense. They went to Super Bowls with a defense nicknamed The Killer B’s.

But what is one to make of this current bunch, which has given up the fewest yards and points in the NFL while racing to a 7-1 record?

The Dolphins kept the opposition out of the end zone for the second consecutive week Sunday in a 23-3 victory over the Phoenix Cardinals. The defense has allowed one touchdown in 14 quarters and limited Phoenix rookie Johnny Johnson, the NFC’s leading rusher going into the game, to 27 yards in 11 carries.

Cornerback Tim McKyer, the former 49er, has been one of the keys to the rejuvenated Miami defense. He recently offered these opinions on his teammates.

--On linebacker John Offerdahl: “Johnny Quest? He doesn’t have Mike Singletary size, but he has Singletary heart.”

--On cornerback J.B. Brown, a 12th-round draft choice in 1989: “He’s playing so well, he’s taking my Pro Bowl votes.”

--On 270-pound defensive lineman Jeff Cross, who played tight end at Riverside City College: “Not only is this guy big, but he’s nimble, quick and good on his feet. I saw him out there before practice with (wide receiver) Mark Duper one day, and he actually covered up Duper on a bump-and-run.”

Linebacker E.J. Junior, who came to the Dolphins from Phoenix last season, had two sacks against his old team, but he didn’t care who it came against as long as the Dolphins keep winning.

“Maybe I’m a little strange,” Junior said. “Maybe last year it might have mattered. But now it’s two years later. Times have changed.”

The Dolphins certainly hope so. They haven’t been to the playoffs since 1985.

ROAD WORRIERS

The closest the San Francisco 49ers have come to perfection was in 1984, when a three-point loss to Pittsburgh on a disputed call was all that separated them from an unbeaten season. In their other championship years, they were 13-3 before the playoffs in 1981, 10-6 in 1988 and 14-2 last year.

This year’s team is 8-0 after a 24-20 victory over Green Bay Sunday. The 49ers have won 16 games in a row over two seasons and two consecutive Super Bowls.

They must feel tremendously confident about winning the rest of their games, right?

“To be honest with you, I think we’ve been lucky in a lot of games this year,” tackle Harris Barton said recently.

“People think that we should blow everybody out,” Joe Montana said Sunday, “but that’s not reality.”

“Green Bay is a team on the upswing and we are lucky to come out of here with a win,” Coach George Seifert said.

The 49ers have had uncanny success on the road, where they have won a record 14 games in a row. A look at their streak:

Date Score 11-27-88 49ers 48, San Diego 10 12-4-88 49ers 13, Atlanta 3 9-10-89 49ers 30, Indianapolis 24 9-17-89 49ers 20, Tampa Bay 16 9-24-89 49ers 38, Philadelphia 28 10-8-89 49ers 24, New Orleans 20 10-15-89 49ers 31, Dallas 14 10-29-89 49ers 23, N.Y. Jets 10 12-3-89 49ers 23, Atlanta 10 12-11-89 49ers 30, Rams 27 9-10-90 49ers 13, New Orleans 12 10-7-90 49ers 24, Houston 21 10-14-90 49ers 45, Atlanta 35 11-4-90 49ers 24, Green Bay 20

The last road defeat? It came on Nov. 6, 1988 at Phoenix: Cardinals 24, 49ers 23.

NAMES AND NUMBERS

Cleveland tight end Ozzie Newsome caught three passes against Buffalo, moving him past Charley Taylor into fourth place on the NFL’s all-time reception list with 651 catches.

Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers moved past John Hadl into fifth place on the NFL’s career pass yardage list. Montana passed for 411 yards against Green Bay and has 33,599 in his career.

Washington tied an NFL record for first downs by recording 39 in a 41-38 overtime victory over Detroit. . . . Washington’s Chip Lohmiller has kicked a field goal in 28 consecutive games, which ties him for second on the NFL’s all-time list with Jim Turner. Fred Cox holds the record at 31 games. . . Art Monk caught at least one pass for the 108th game in a row. . . . Detroit hasn’t beaten Washington since 1965, six months before Lion quarterback Rodney Peete was born.

Warren Moon’s 43 passes increased his career total to 2,815, breaking the Houston Oilers’ club record of 2,784 set by Hall of Famer George Blanda. . . . Ram quarterback Jim Everett threw his 100th touchdown pass, a two-yarder to Damone Johnson in the second quarter.

Atlanta has lost 14 consecutive road games dating to a 12-6 victory over the Raiders in 1988. . . . Pittsburgh’s defense hasn’t allowed a touchdown in eight quarters.

The Dolphins are 7-0 against the Cardinals and 9-0 at home against NFC East teams. . . . Miami’s Pete Stoyanovich made field goals of 19, 21 and 19 yards to extend his streak without a miss to 13. He’s 12 for 12 this season.

Detroit’s Barry Sanders rushed for 100 yards on 10 carries, the first back to gain 100 yards against the Redskins since Week 11 of last season when Bobby Humphrey of the Denver Broncos picked up 110.

Chicago’s Neal Anderson has scored a touchdown in seven games in a row against Tampa Bay. . . . Buccaneer first-round draft pick Keith McCants had his first sack of the season.

CENTRAL FIGURE

The AFC Central is usually one of the tightest races in the NFL. This season is no different, with the Steelers and Bengals tied for the lead at 5-4 and Houston at 4-5.

The division takes next week off, but things will heat up again when Pittsburgh and Cincinnati meet twice in the next three games--a Sunday night game Nov. 18 at Cincinnati with a return date Dec. 2 atPittsburgh.

Is Pittsburgh Coach Chuck Noll excited? Just ask him.

From his postgame press conference after the Steelers defeated Atlanta, 21-9: “We’re tied for the division lead? Cincinnati lost? Good. You can quote me on that.”

PARITY PARODY

Going into the weekend, it was easy to tell the good teams from the bad ones. Only nine of the 28 teams had records over .500.

Sunday, there was only one matchup of teams that both were over .500 (the Raiders at Kansas City). There were six matchups of plus-.500 teams against sub-.500 teams, and the rich really got richer. The winners won five out of six, the only exception a 21-7 victory for New Orleans (2-5) over Cincinnati (5-3).

A side effect, of course, is some pretty glossy records. San Francisco is 8-0, the New York Giants are 7-0, Buffalo, Miami and Chicago are 7-1 and the Raiders are 6-2.

IN QUOTES

Atlanta’s Deion Sanders on the Falcons’ 3-5 record: “We’ve lost only one or two games all year. The other ones we won. (The other games), they just had more points than we did.”

Miami linebacker John Offerdahl on the Dolphins’ 7-1 start: “It’s a fairy tale. It’s true, though.”

Cincinnati safety David Fulcher, who suffered a separated shoulder in the Bengals’ 21-7 loss to New Orleans: “When things start going bad, they stay bad.”

Cincinnati quarterback Boomer Esiason: “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this low as a professional athlete.”

Terance Mathis of the New York Jets on his 98-yard punt return, tying an NFL record: “I went back to catch the ball over my shoulder, looked down and saw the end zone. I said, ‘Whoa, I’ve got to do something with this.’ ”

San Francisco’s Charles Haley, on Green Bay quarterback Don Majkowski: “We had to try to take that rabbit out of his hat before he could pull it out on us.”

Washington quarterback Jeff Rutledge, who threw for 362 yards after entering the game in the third quarter and rallied the Redskins over Detroit, 41-38 in overtime: “The first thing I did was pray. It was 35-14 when I went in there. I said, ‘Good Lord, let me go in there and relax and come back and take it a little bit at a time.’ ”

INJURIES

Denver quarterback John Elway hurt his toe after leading the Broncos to a 16-0 first-half lead against Minnesota and did not return.

Dallas tackle Mark Tuinei left the game against the New York Jets in the first quarter with a sprained knee and defensive lineman Mitch Willis had a concussion.

New York Jet quarterback Ken O’Brien bruised his left shoulder and sprained his right thumb, but the Jets said he probably would not be listed on the NFL injury report. New York safety Brian Washington sustained a sprained toe.

Cincinnati safety David Fulcher separated his right shoulder against New Orleans and will be out for four to six weeks.

Detroit quarterback Rodney Peete suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter and did not return against Washington.

TONIGHT’S GAME

NEW YORK GIANTS at INDIANAPOLIS

Time: 6 p.m. TV: Channel 7

This shapes up as one of the worst Monday night matchups in recent years. Even Hank Williams Jr. and his rowdy friends will have trouble working up much enthusiasm for a game pitting one of the NFL’s best teams against one of the worst. Not too mention that the bad team is down to rookie Jeff George, 40-year-old Joe Ferguson and castoff Rusty Hilger at quarterback.

New York, off to its best start ever at 7-0, is second in the NFL in total defense, first in pass defense and has a plus-nine turnover ratio that tops the league. Phil Simms is the league’s top-ranked quarterback, throwing only one interception while passing for 1,165 yards and 10 touchdowns.

George, the top pick in the draft, is making his first start in five games. He has been intercepted six times and sacked nine times.

Eric Dickerson, who will be playing in his third game since coming off the non-football injured list, has only 82 yards in 19 carries for the Colts.