PRO FOOTBALL : SPOTLIGHT / A GLANCE AT THIS WEEK IN THE NFL

THE PLAYOFFS

Ten of the 12 playoff berths have been determined and the New Orleans Saints can make it 11 with a victory over the Raiders tonight.

A look at the teams that have qualified:

AFC

Buffalo: The Bills have clinched the East Division title and the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Houston: The Oilers have clinched the Central Division title and will play host to a divisional playoff game with a victory over the New York Giants or a Denver loss on Sunday.

Denver: The Broncos can clinch the West Division title with a victory over San Diego on Sunday or a Raider loss in either of their remaining games. The Broncos can only win the division title outright.

Raiders: They can clinch the division title with victories in their remaining two games, coupled with a Denver loss on Sunday.

Kansas City: The Chiefs are in the playoffs but cannot win the division title.

NFC

Washington: The Redskins have clinched the East Division title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Dallas: The Cowboys have clinched a wild-card berth.

Chicago: The Bears can clinch the Central Division title and will play host to a divisional playoff game with a victory over San Francisco or a Detroit loss on Sunday.

Detroit: The Lions can clinch the Central Division title and will play host to a divisional playoff game with a victory over Buffalo and a Chicago loss on Sunday. If the Lions qualify as a wild-card entry, they will play host to their first playoff game.

Atlanta: The Falcons can clinch the West Division title with a victory over Dallas on Sunday or a loss by New Orleans in either of the Saints’ remaining two games.

CONTENDERS

The race for the final AFC wild-card berth comes down to a winner-take-all game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets Sunday at Joe Robbie Stadium.

In the NFC, the Saints control their destiny. They can clinch the final playoff spot with a victory tonight against the Raiders or Sunday at Phoenix, and they can clinch the West title with two victories and an Atlanta loss.

That leaves the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles on the outside looking in.

The 49ers (9-6) have won five in a row, and their losses are by a combined 26 points. But even their late-season rush behind third-string quarterback Steve Bono will leave them out of the playoffs unless the Saints lose both their remaining games and the 49ers beat Chicago in San Francisco on Sunday.

The Eagles need even more help. They must defeat the Redskins in Philadelphia next week, combined with the Saints and 49ers losing their remaining games.

IN QUOTES

Dallas Coach Jimmy Johnson after the Cowboys qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1985: “It’s the biggest win (of my career) up to this point. But we have bigger wins to come.”

Philadelphia tight end Keith Jackson: “There are some teams out there that need to do some things for us to get in the playoffs . I’m going to call some of my buddies around the league for some help.”

Washington quarterback Mark Rypien: “It’s funny. I’ve played so many years and had broken ribs and a knee injury and so many things. You feel funny coming out because of a hangnail, and the linemen were letting me have it. I hadn’t felt that much pain in a while.”

NAMES AND NUMBERS

Miami quarterback Dan Marino, who passed for 313 yards and three touchdowns, moved past Joe Montana into fourth place on the all-time passing list. Marino has 35,131 yards in nine seasons to 34,998 for Montana in 12 seasons.

Houston quarterback Warren Moon completed 26 of 40 passes to set a single-season NFL record for completions. Moon has completed 382 passes, breaking the mark of 378 set by Marino in 1986. . . . Houston’s Drew Hill surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the season, making him the first player in NFL history with four 1,000-yard receiving seasons after turning 30. Hill is 35.

New York Giants’ offensive lineman Brian Williams sustained a neck injury against the Washington Redskins, but an examination revealed no damage to his spine. Williams was hurt on a kickoff midway through the first quarter and lay motionless for almost 10 minutes. Preliminary reports indicated that Williams was complaining of an unspecified numbness. However, he also had feeling and movement in all of his limbs. He was removed from the field on a stretcher, and examined in an X-ray room at RFK Stadium.

San Diego’s 28 fourth-quarter points tied the team record for most points in a quarter, set in 1961 and matched five times. The last time the Chargers scored 28 points in any quarter was in the second quarter of a 55-24 win over Denver on Oct. 20, 1968. The last time they scored 28 points in the fourth quarter was in a 44-10 win over Miami on Oct. 2, 1966.

Jeff George, who had seven completions before leaving the game with a bruised left elbow in the second quarter, set a Colt record for completions in a season with 272, surpassing the mark of 270 set by Greg Landry in 1979. . . . Buffalo’s James Lofton became the second player in league history to top 13,000 yards receiving, making three catches for 48 yards. He has 13,035 and needs only 55 more to top Steve Largent’s record of 13,089. . . . The Bills established team records for points in a season (444), passing yardage (3,747) and total yardage (6,1680.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW

Opponents of instant replay got another example of what can go wrong in the Denver-Phoenix game.

On first and goal from the Denver nine-yard line, defensive back Steve Atwater blitzed, forcing a fumble by Cardinal quarterback Chris Chandler that was recovered by the Broncos.

Field officials ruled the play an incomplete pass, prompting a review--and a six-minute delay.

Instant-replay officials then ruled that Chandler had fumbled and the Broncos had recovered, but they did not overrule the field officials because the whistle had effectively blown the play dead. Phoenix maintained possession.

OUT OF PLACE

Louie Aguiar became the first kicker in 12 years other than Pat Leahy to make a field goal for the New York Jets. But misses by Leahy and Aguiar in a 6-3 loss to New England cost the Jets a chance to win.

Leahy, battling hip and hamstring problems, was wide left on a 23-yard attempt in the first quarter. Aguiar, the team’s punter, stepped in and made a 23-yard attempt in the second quarter.

But Aguiar also missed a 27-yarder at the end of the half.

Said Jet Coach Bruce Coslet: “We’re fairly fortunate to have Louie on our football team, but he’s still a punter by trade.”

HAPPY RETURNS

The last time the Dallas Cowboys were seen heading toward postseason play, running back Tony Dorsett was 10,000 yards into a brilliant career, Danny White was the quarterback and America’s Team was completing its 20th consecutive winning season.

That was 1985.

In the six seasons that followed, the team was sold, Coach Tom Landry was put out to pasture, the rebuilding project got off to a 1-15 start under Jimmy Johnson in 1989 and the Cowboys faded from prominence.

They’re back.

The Cowboys clinched a wild-card berth with a 25-13 victory at Philadelphia, then reflected on how far they had come.

“When we were 1-15, we didn’t lose by much. We just lost games. We needed a winning attitude, and now we’ve got it,” wide receiver Michael Irvin said.

The Cowboys (10-5) also have a new foundation that bodes well for their future. Quarterback Troy Aikman was owner Jerry Jones’ first investment in 1989, Steve Beuerlein has proven a capable replacement following Aikman’s injury, running back Emmitt Smith was named rookie of the year last season and Irvin has established a team record for receptions with 83 and counting.

At least two other fresh faces will be joining the Cowboys in the playoffs.

The Detroit Lions, with a 21-17 victory at Green Bay, clinched their first playoff berth since the days of Billy Sims in 1983.

“We’re in the playoffs, and I can’t believe it,” Lion Coach Wayne Fontes said.

Similar sentiment was expressed in Atlanta, where the Falcons, after finishing in last place in the NFC West four years in a row and seven of the last eight, clinched a wild-card berth with a 26-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

It will be the Falcons’ first postseason appearance since the 1982 season, when Steve Bartkowski was the franchise quarterback, Gerald Riggs a rookie running back and a players’ strike lasted 57 days and eight games.

“Falcons in the playoffs,” Atlanta’s Deion Sanders said. “What is this world coming to?”

HAPPY RETURNS II

Freed hostage Thomas Sutherland stood on the 50-yard line at Mile High Stadium, squinted through the brilliant sunshine and declared that Colorado “is the greatest place on Earth to live and the greatest state of all the 50.”

Sutherland, wearing a Broncos warm-up jacket, and his family were guests at Denver’s game against the Phoenix Cardinals. He spoke privately to Bronco owner Pat Bowlen and quarterback John Elway before addressing the near-capacity crowd of about 75,000 during pregame ceremonies.

Sutherland, a Colorado State professor, was freed Nov. 18 after being held hostage in Lebanon for about 6 1/2 years.

“I’m not quite used to this much open space, this much sunshine or these many people,” he told the crowd.

He said his wife Jean and their daughters Ann, Kit and Joan thanked Coloradans and Americans for the welcome he received.

While a captive, Sutherland said he “used to lie on my back and think about it (the homecoming), but never dreamed it would be this great.”

“Thursday with President Bush . . . Sunday with the Broncos. . . . How can we keep up a high like this?” he asked.

Sutherland also predicted the Broncos would “go all the way to the Super Bowl this year and we will win it!” The family then received a standing ovation.