SPOTLIGHT / A GLANCE AT THIS WEEK IN THE NFL : BARELY PERFECT

It started out as a game between two of the NFL’s top teams--the Washington Redskins (8-0) and the Houston Oilers (7-1).

It was run on the field by two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks--Washington’s Mark Rypien and Houston’s Warren Moon.

And it was decided by the kickers.

The Redskins made it nine victories in a row when Chip Lohmiller kicked a 41-yard field goal with 4:01 gone in overtime to give Washington a 16-13 victory at RFK Stadium, but he never should have had the chance to win it.

The Oilers had rallied to tie on Lorenzo White’s touchdown with 1:42 left in regulation, and the golden opportunity came when Washington’s Brian Mitchell fumbled the ensuing kickoff. The Oilers recovered and ran three plays, setting up Ian Howfield for a 33-yard field goal attempt with four seconds to go.

But Howfield missed the kick badly, then the Redskins and Lohmiller capitalized on an interception in overtime.

“Maybe the difference,” Lohmiller said, “was the power of positive thinking.”

Howfield might have had a reason to be thinking negatively. He missed three extra points in a 35-3 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals last week, and he came very close to missing the tying extra point after White’s touchdown Sunday.

This was billed as a Super Bowl preview, but it looked more like a Super Bowl review--an exciting game going down to the wire between two evenly matched teams. All you had to do was substitute Howfield for Scott Norwood.

MOVE OVER, HERSCHEL

This was to be the year that Herschel Walker and the Minnesota Vikings got on the same page, so to speak. Jerry Burns was going to commit to a one-back offense and Walker was to be that back.

Sunday, the Vikings decided to turn the page.

Walker and the Vikings were doing nothing against Tampa Bay at the Metrodome. Walker had rushed six times for 12 yards, the Buccaneers led in the third quarter, 6-0, and the biggest cheers came when a picture of Twin Manager Tom Kelly was shown on the scoreboard.

Then Terry Allen came in at tailback and suddenly the atmosphere was almost as charged as a World Series game.

Allen rushed for 127 yards in 14 carries and had touchdown runs of 55 and 15 yards as the Vikings pulled away to a 28-13 victory.

“Sometimes you’ve got a feeling that a back’s hot,” Burns said. “One week, you feel the flow and tempo of a game might suit Herschel. Today, we were running weak-side sweeps and Terry had a hot hand. He had some big runs.”

Walker was booed when he gained one yard in the fourth quarter.

“It’s not fair to compare their performances,” quarterback Rich Gannon said of Allen and Walker. “We run different plays with the two backs.”

Allen, from Clemson, was drafted in the ninth round last year, but he suffered a knee injury during the preseason and missed the entire 1990 season.

“It was really tough last year,” Allen said. “It’s real boring to just go in each day and lift weights.”

Sunday, he gave the Vikings a lift.

SAME OLD SAM

Give Sam Wyche this. The Cincinnati coach is consistent.

Wyche criticized the media and the officials after most of the Bengals’ eight losses this season. He did so again Sunday after their first victory, a 23-21 decision over Cleveland.

Wyche said the officials were “unbelievably inaccurate,” and opened his postgame remarks by saying, “I told the guys in there not to let the media take this one away from you.”

NAMES AND NUMBERS

Miami’s Don Shula coached his 419th regular-season game Sunday, moving past Tom Landry into second place on the NFL’s all-time list. George Halas holds the NFL mark of 498 games over his 40-year career, compiling a 319-142-31 mark. In 29 years, Shula has compiled a 285-128-6 record in regular season games. Including playoffs, he’s 302-142-6. . . . Eric Dickerson became the first running back to accumulate 5,000 yards rushing with two different teams. Dickerson, who had 7,245 with the Rams, raised his total with the Colts to 5,005 by gaining 63 yards in 17 carries.

The Falcons won their two games against the 49ers, the first time that has been done to San Francisco since Atlanta and the Rams did it in 1980.

The Bears maintained their consistency in stopping Barry Sanders. He was held to 63 yards in 18 carries. In two games last year, he had 61 and 67 yards. “When we got behind, the coaches decided to take the running game out of the game plan,” Sanders said. . . . The last time the Bears and Lions both finished over .500 was in 1962, when Detroit was 11-3 and Chicago 9-5.

Houston cornerback Cris Dishman didn’t have a fumble recovery or interception--the first time in eight games that he did not record a turnover.

Defensive back Eric Turner, Cleveland’s No. 1 pick in the draft out of UCLA, made his first NFL appearance Sunday after cornerback Frank Minnifield went out with a shoulder injury. Turner, the second pick overall in the draft, missed the first eight games with a stress fracture in his leg. He made five tackles and broke up one pass.

With a stiff breeze at his back, New England’s Shawn McCarthy had a 93-yard punt in the third quarter, the longest punt in Patriot history. . . . New England kicker Jason Staurovsky will be out 4-6 weeks after reaggravating a quadriceps injury.

Cleveland’s Bernie Kosar has thrown 293 passes without an interception, one shy of Bart Starr’s NFL record.

STAT OF THE YEAR

If Jim Brown is paying attention, he can’t be very happy with the Cleveland running attack these days.

Kevin Mack scored three touchdowns on the ground for the Browns in their 23-21 loss to Cincinnati Sunday. The touchdowns were on runs of four, two and two yards.

Unfortunately, those represented the three longest rushing touchdowns for the Browns this season, their other four scores on the ground coming from a yard out.

The offense has been able to score, however. Until Mack’s fumble late in the game, the Browns had scored on 17 consecutive drives inside their opponents’ 20-yard line.

NO MAGIC HERE

Ah, the Green Bay Packers. Lombardi. Starr. Titletown, USA.

Not that the Packers have been much to write home about since man walked on the moon, but quarterback Don Majkowski was something else Sunday in a 19-16 overtime loss to the New York Jets.

The Packers reached the Jets’ 34 on the first drive of the second half.

Majkowski then:

--was called for grounding;

--scrambled 45 yards for a touchdown, only to have a holding penalty nullify the score;

--threw a pass from beyond the line of scrimmage, drawing another flag;

--left the game with a hamstring injury.

IN QUOTES

New England Coach Dick MacPherson on the Patriots’ 22-17 loss to Buffalo: “It’s disappointing for us to keep playing so close without coming up with the banana.”

Phoenix Coach Joe Bugel on the Cardinals’ 27-7 loss to Dallas: “We had our opportunities, but bad things, ugly things happened in critical situations.”

Phoenix offensive coordinator Jerry Rhome on Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman: “I’ve never known a player who has no weaknesses, but Troy comes awfully close. I think he really does have a chance to be one of the greatest quarterbacks who has ever played.”

San Francisco safety Dave Waymer, on the 44-yard touchdown pass from Atlanta’s Billy Joe Tolliver to Michael Haynes that gave the Falcons a victory with one second left: “I don’t know what happened. I really don’t. Until I see it on film or on a replay of it, I have no clue.”

Chris Burkett of the New York Jets, who caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Ken O’Brien that was tipped by two defenders and teammate Al Toon on the last play of the first half: “I guess the odds that nothing will happen are too much. It’s about time one of those happened for the Jets.”

Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Floyd Peters, who held the same position with Minnesota for years: “I miss the guys, but I don’t miss the 27 inches of snow. I was playing golf on Friday.”

Washington Coach Joe Gibbs on his team’s 9-0 start: “I’m having as much fun as a coach can have. It doesn’t get you anywhere but it’s still there. It’s the first time I’ve ever been here in pro ball. It’s something to cherish.”

Chicago Coach Mike Ditka on the freezing conditions for the Bears’ 20-10 victory over Detroit: “It was Bear weather, it was the dome-factor in reverse. It was nice to see dirty uniforms again.”