SPOTLIGHT : A GLANCE AT THIS WEEK IN THE NFL

LIFE AT THE TOP

The season is already four weeks old, and there are only 12 games to play, so it must be time to rate the rapidly dwindling list of unbeaten NFL teams.

1) Buffalo Bills. They showed their flash early in the season against Miami and Pittsburgh and their grit against the New York Jets last week and Tampa Bay Sunday. Jim Kelly, Andre Reed and Thurman Thomas are tough to stop. Tremendous linebacking and special-teams play help the Bills stop others. The Giants are the Super Bowl champions, but the Bills are the heirs apparent to the title.

2) Washington Redskins. Like the Bills, a solid mix of offense and defense. They are never out of a game. We like Mark Rypien, even if Coach Joe Gibbs sometimes doesn’t.

3) New Orleans Saints. Do you believe this? Well, you would if you were flipping channels between the Raider game and the Saints-Vikings clash Sunday. Jim Everett can vouch for the ferocity of the pass rush. Herschel Walker can do the same for the New Orleans running defense. Morten Andersen never misses. Does anyone wish the Raiders had signed Bobby Hebert?

4) Chicago Bears. The Bears are off to their usual 3-0 September, and they should take care of No. 4 against the Jets tonight. Jim Harbaugh has looked at least as good as Jim McMahon did in his headband days in Chicago. Surprise: They need to get the running game going.

Game to watch next week: Chicago at Buffalo.

CHECK YOUR ROSTERS

There were all sorts of familiar names in the wrong places and unfamiliar names doing the right thing around the league Sunday.

Let’s start with the Raiders and their new Marcus. Marcus Allen was still on the sidelines, and his injury (among others) led to the team using Marcus Wilson in crucial situations. Wilson, a sixth-round pick out of Virginia last year, was in the backfield in the fourth quarter as the Raiders tried to come back against the Atlanta Falcons. He carried six times for 21 yards, but he was stopped cold on a third-and-10 draw play.

Does the name Roy Green mean anything to you? The wide receiver who had a series of remarkable years with the Cardinals, both in St. Louis and Phoenix, right? Didn’t he retire? Wrong. He caught six passes for 114 yards for Philadelphia Sunday, a key to the Eagles’ 23-14 victory over Pittsburgh.

Green, 34, was released by Phoenix as “washed up” and failed to make the cut in Cleveland during preseason. He also auditioned for Washington before the Eagles signed him Wednesday to replace injured Calvin Williams.

Green, who entered the season with 522 catches, second among active receivers behind Art Monk and James Lofton, said he had a lot of help in learning the system in four days.

“All week guys were tutoring me, helping me out. It’s not a simple offense to get a grasp of,” Green said. “But it’s not like I’m a freshman out of college. It’s just a matter of getting the terminology and let everything else take over.”

Most football fans in Los Angeles remember Matt Millen. Probably not many have any feelings about Hugh Millen, who had a short stint as a backup quarterback with the Rams a few years back. Millen became New England’s starting quarterback Sunday, and he led the Patriots to their first victory in 25 games over a team other than the Indianapolis Colts. Millen completed 22 of 33 passes for 244 yards in a stunning 24-20 decision over the unbeaten Houston Oilers.

There were old names and new in Washington’s 34-27 victory over Cincinnati. Gerald Riggs rushed for three touchdowns for the Redskins. Craig Taylor, a third-year back out of West Virginia, rushed for two scores, and had 56 yards in six carries for the Bengals.

THE SOAK IS ON SHULA

The coach being drenched with some liquid after a key victory has been a tradition in the NFL for years. Don Shula has been a tradition in the league for a lot longer.

Sunday, the two traditions came together for the first time.

The Miami Dolphins drenched Shula with ice water near their bench at the conclusion of his 300th NFL victory, a 16-13 decision over the Green Bay Packers.

The victory came on the 28th anniversary of Shula’s first NFL win in 1963, when the Baltimore Colts beat the San Francisco 49ers, 20-14.

“I think that was the first time,” Shula said. “I haven’t been a Gatorade guy. It was cold, but I enjoyed it.”

He has coached teams to six Super Bowls and two world championships. But in the past, players may have been too intimidated to drench Shula.

“I continue to be awed by him because he’s a legend,” linebacker John Offerdahl said.

“He’s got a great desire to win, and it’s nice to be a part of it,” quarterback Dan Marino said. “You’ve got to admire his ability to remain excited every week over 29 years with all the changes in the game.”

Shula’s achievement can be matched by only one other coach, the late George Halas. Shula has a career record of 300-139-6 (.682). Halas was 325-151-31 (.672) in 40 seasons.

BIG INJURY

The Houston Oilers can live with the embarrassment of losing to New England. It will be tougher to lose Lee Williams.

Williams, the starting defensive end who forced a trade from the San Diego Chargers with a holdout in the preseason, is expected to be sidelined from four to six weeks with a fractured left forearm. He was scheduled to undergo surgery today.

And just to add insult to the injury, Williams was hurt on the Patriots’ final drive of the game that ended in the winning touchdown.

ANY PORT IN A STORM

Rookie Chris Port made his first start Sunday at right guard for the New Orleans Saints. He didn’t so much earn the job as fall into it.

A pair of freak injuries led to Port’s start against Minnesota. Veteran Steve Trapilo wrecked his left knee in minimal contact work in preseason camp, and is out for the season. Derek Kennard, acquired in a trade with Phoenix, injured a pectoral muscle high in his right chest on Monday doing bench presses in the team weight room.

How did Port do? Henry Thomas, playing defensive tackle over Port, had six tackles and a sack, making him the leading tackler on the Vikings’ defensive line.

FOOTBALL, ANYONE?

Cincinnati Coach Sam Wyche last week claimed winning is overemphasized in the NFL when the Bengals fell to 0-3. He said the Bengals wouldn’t sit and worry about the skid because there’s “golf to be played and tennis to be served up,”

When the Bengals fell behind against Washington en route to their fourth loss Sunday, several tennis balls flew from the stands.

Wyche, undaunted, stuck to his theme after the 34-27 setback.

“If you miss a putt, you tee it up again. If your serve doesn’t go in, you can tee it up again,” Wyche said. “The same way with a football game.”

He better hope they don’t throw golf balls the next time.

IN QUOTES

Miami Coach Don Shula, on his 300th victory: “I’m glad it’s in the can. It won’t be one I’ll pull out and look at a lot.”

Eric Dickerson, who was held to a career-low 17 yards in 13 carries against Detroit: “I don’t know what happened today. We had a good game plan. I felt fine, and then nothing worked. Anytime I got the ball, it seemed like there were two or three guys right on me. I tried to make some cuts, but there was just nothing there.”

Indianapolis Coach Ron Meyer, on the Colts’ 0-4 start: “Our morale is as good as it can be under the circumstances. I don’t see this team pointing fingers.”

Houston Coach Jack Pardee on the Oilers’ loss to New England: “The more you leave a team that’s an underdog in the game, the harder it is for them to go away.”

Washington’s Gerald Riggs, who scored three touchdowns in the Redskins’ 34-27 victory over Cincinnati: “When this team works together, you can’t stop them.”

Denver quarterback John Elway, on Gaston Green, who rushed for 127 yards, including touchdown runs of five, 20 and 63 yards: “I knew if we could find him some space, he could go all the way.”

TONIGHT’S GAME: NEW YORK JETS at CHICAGO BEARS

Time: 6 p.m.

TV: Channel 7

On paper this doesn’t appear to much of a game, but on closer inspection, it could be a case of a pretty good 3-0 team against a not-so-terrible 1-2 team.

“We’re no longer satisfied in just playing good,” Jet Coach Bruce Coslet said. “We have to take it up to the next level. Monday night is especially important for us since the whole country will be watching.”

Last Sunday, the Jets came close to knocking off another unbeaten team, the Buffalo Bills, before losing, 23-20, at Rich Stadium.

The Jets, with Ken O’Brien at quarterback, are eighth in the league in total offense, and the defense is tied for 12th. The Bears are 20th on offense and 18th on defense.

“An illusion,” Bear Coach Mike Ditka called his team’s statistics.

“Not so,” Coslet said. “They are getting out of the mode of being a run-oriented team. Their quarterback is getting experience and they have guys who can get downfield.”

The Bears, who used to dominate a game with a grind-it-out attack, are averaging 179.7 yards passing and just 97 yards rushing.

“We would like to run the ball better,” said Ditka, “but the bottom line is, what is the result?”

The result has been tight victories over Minnesota (10-6), Tampa Bay (21-20) and the New York Giants (20-17) on the passing of Jim Harbaugh. Except for Neal Anderson’s 42-yard winning touchdown run against the Giants last Sunday, Harbaugh has passed for the other big scoring plays.

Harbaugh is ranked third in the NFC, completing 45 of 69 passes for 560 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.

“He’s doing a heckuva job, I have no gripes,” said Ditka, who would undoubtedly tell us if he had any.