SPOTLIGHT / A GLANCE AT THIS WEEK IN THE NFL : BEST IN THE WEST

If it never made sense why the Atlanta Falcons are in the NFC West, perhaps this season is the best explanation.

The Falcons, who have won six of seven games to tie New Orleans for first place, have struck gold in California in 1991.

The Falcons, who beat the Rams, 31-14, for the second time in six weeks Sunday, are 6-0 against the four California teams, including two-game sweeps against the Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

Here is how Jerry Glanville’s bunch has done it:

Sept. 15: Atlanta 13, San Diego 10.

Sept. 22: Atlanta 21, Raiders 17.

Oct. 13: Atlanta 39, San Francisco 34.

Oct. 27: Atlanta 31, Rams 14.

Nov. 3: Atlanta 17, San Francisco 14.

Dec. 8: Atlanta 31, Rams 14.

Maybe it’s time for Glanville to put away the boots and put on the shorts.

YOU MAKE THE CALL

Strategy. The tough calls. The second guesses. That’s why NFL coaches make the big bucks.

Here’s what two of the league’s most respected field bosses did in similar situations Sunday.

The New Orleans Saints were trailing the Dallas Cowboys, 16-14, with about 10 minutes to play, but the Saints were driving. They moved to the Dallas 37, where the drive stalled on fourth and eight.

A 54-yard field goal is certainly within the range of Morten Andersen, so what do you do, Jim Mora?

Mora decided to keep Andersen on the sidelines, and Steve Walsh’s pass was broken up by Bill Bates.

The decision became crucial when the Cowboys put the game away with a 63-yard touchdown drive. The 23-14 victory improved Dallas’ wild-card hopes and dropped the Saints to 9-5 with their fourth consecutive loss.

“I just had a little better feeling we could get the first down,” Mora said. “I just felt it was better than trying to kick a 54-yard field goal.”

Switch to Cleveland, where the Browns and Denver Broncos were in a 7-7 tie late in the third quarter. Both defenses had played well, but the Broncos were facing fourth and four from the Cleveland 34.

Denver Coach Dan Reeves also declined the long field goal. He had John Elway take the ball in the shotgun formation . . .

. . . and punt.

The ball bounced into the end zone, a net of 14 yards.

Reeves’ decision didn’t matter much in the long run, however, as the Broncos pulled out a 17-7 victory.

Just another day inside the minds of the NFL.

CAN MAC COME BACK?

Jim McMahon apparently has found a way to hurt himself badly enough to bring even his string of miraculous medical recoveries to an end.

McMahon sustained bruised ribs and possible cartilage damage when he was tackled midway through the second quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles’ 19-14 victory over the New York Giants.

The injury occured when McMahon was hit by Lorenzo Freeman as he scrambled out of the pocket on a pass play. He left after the play and did not return.

McMahon, who already was playing with two bad knees, a twisted ankle and tendinitis in the elbow of his throwing arm, was admitted to Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia Sunday night for observation after he had trouble breathing.

The Eagles’ team physician said McMahon probably would miss the final two games of the regular season.

“His status for next Sunday (against Dallas) is very questionable,” a team spokesman said.

McMahon was six for 11 for 51 yards when he was replaced by Jeff Kemp, who led the Eagles to victory for the second game in a row.

NAMES AND NUMBERS

Detroit’s 34-20 victory over the New York Jets gave the Lions an 8-0 record in the Silverdome, their first undefeated home season since the 1962 squad posted a 7-0 record at Tiger Stadium.

The Seahawks lost their final chance against San Francisco when quarterback Dave Krieg lost his 107th career fumble, an NFL record, with 43 seconds to go at the San Francisco 49. Krieg had been tied at 106 with Dan Fouts.

The Indianapolis Colts once went five games without a touchdown, but they scored twice in 27 seconds Sunday. Jeff George threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jessie Hester. After a fumble recovery at the New England one, Eric Dickerson scored.

Warren Moon’s 254 passing yards gives him 4,204 for the season. He is the first player since Dan Marino in 1984-86 to pass for more than 4,000 yards in consecutive seasons.

Ken Willis, with a 50-yarder, became the only Dallas Cowboy to kick three field goals of 50 or more yards in one season. . . . The Saints didn’t get a sack for the first time this year.

IN QUOTES

New York Giant Coach Ray Handley after a 19-14 loss to Philadelphia: “This game was the epitome of our entire season. We didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we were given. We didn’t execute in the red zone. We turned the ball over, took penalties at the wrong time. We didn’t stop them in the fourth quarter. We gave up the big play.”

Chicago Coach Mike Ditka on playing against Green Bay quarterback Mike Tomczak, a former Bear: “You don’t play people, you’ve got to play the team and the concept of what they are doing. He’s a very capable young man.”

Tomczak, asked if he said anything to former teammate Jim Harbaugh: “Jim who?”

Dallas Coach Jimmy Johnson on the victory over New Orleans: “It was a big, big win, but our biggest win is coming.”

IRVIN’S MAGIC

Dallas wide receiver Michael Irvin was in pretty good company Sunday, setting or tying four Cowboy records with five catches for 101 yards against New Orleans.

Irvin has 78 receptions, passing Herschel Walker’s team record of 76 in 1986.

With 1,262 receiving yards, Irvin also surpassed the team season record of 1,232 yards set by Bob Hayes in 1966. And forget about asterisks: They both did it in 14 games.

He also tied Hayes’ record of six 100-yard receiving games in a single season, and he matched Lance Rentzel’s team record of three 100-plus games in a row.

NOWHERE TO RUN

From the What Were They Thinking? Dept.:

Eric Dickerson had 30 carries Sunday for the Indianapolis Colts.

For 53 yards.

That’s 1.77 yards a carry.

Dickerson, who last week became the No. 3 rusher in NFL history, now has 156 carries for 513 yards this season, a 3.3-yard average.

He has two touchdowns. His longest run has been 28 yards. His longest run since he joined the Colts in 1987 is 41 yards.

Oh, well. Maybe he makes up for those statistics with his leadership qualities.

MAD BALL

Detroit nose tackle Jerry Ball, angered by what he considered a cheap shot at his knee, accosted New York Jet Coach Bruce Coslet in the Silverdome tunnel on Sunday.

Ball, the heart and soul of the Lions’ defense, sustained a sprained right knee in the first quarter of the Lions’ 34-20 victory and may be out for the rest of the season.

After the game, Ball--in street clothes and on crutches--yelled something at Coslet as the players trooped toward their locker rooms. Coslet turned his head, but apparently couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from in the crowded tunnel and continued walking.

“I heard someone say, ‘Bruce’ or ‘Coslet’ and I looked back, but I didn’t see anyone,” Coslet said.

The injury, with 5:48 remaining in the quarter, came when the Jets had a second and five at the Lions’ 29-yard line. The Jets’ Blair Thomas ran for five yards, and Ball was injured after being hit on the side of the leg by Brad Baxter.

There was no penalty on the play.

After several minutes, Ball was able to get up and hobble to a cart which carried him off the field.

“The rules instruct that if a guy is engaged, you cannot block him again,” Ball said. “I was engaged. The block is illegal.”

Ball said center Jim Sweeney was holding him up when Baxter hit him.

“If I had my leg straight, I’d go into the Jets’ locker room and kick Baxter’s behind,” Ball said.

Baxter said he tried to apologize. “It was a legal block,” Baxter said. “We do it every week, but it just happened he was engaged with Sweeney.

“I don’t know how it looked on TV, but it wasn’t an attempt to hurt him or a setup. If I wanted to go out and hurt him, I’ll be honest, I could have broken his leg. It was not a cheap shot, and I’m sorry he took it personally.”

The extent of Ball’s injury was not known. He was to be examined today. But Ball said he thought he was finished for the season.

“It don’t look good. It was like the sound of gristle,” Ball said. “You know, the sound of gristle if you could tear it.”

Thanks, Jerry.

TONIGHT’S GAME

CINCINNATI BENGALS (2-11)

at MIAMI DOLPHINS (7-6)

Time: 6 p.m.

TV: Channel 7

The Cincinnati Bengals are streaking after their upset victory over the New York Giants last week.

“It put us on a roll,” Coach Sam Wyche said. “We’re 1-0 in the last week.”

The Miami Dolphins, still with playoff hopes, will try to burst the Bengals’ bubble tonight.

Instead of contending for their third playoff berth in four years, the Bengals are contending for next year’s No. 1 draft choice.

The question is, will Wyche be there next year?

“If I’m not coaching, I think I’ll be a playwright,” he said, adding after a pause, “that was tongue in cheek.”

The Dolphins are still relying on quarterback Dan Marino, who should load it up tonight. The Bengals have the NFL’s worst pass defense, and Marino last week passed the 3,000-yard mark for an NFL-record eighth season.

Boomer Esiason, on the other hand, has gone bust. The Bengal quarterback ranks next-to-last in the AFC in passing.

“We’ve worked real hard to build a reputation over the past four or five years as being one of the top offenses in football,” Esiason said. “In a matter of 13 weeks, we’ve ripped that reputation down. It’s now a slow process of building it back up.”