PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : Buffalo Loses Kelly to Knee Injury; Cunningham Loses Eagle Job to Brister

If the Buffalo Bills are going to make the playoffs, they’ll have to do it without quarterback Jim Kelly.

Kelly, 34, said Monday he is finished for the regular season, having sprained his left knee during Buffalo’s 21-17 loss to Minnesota on Sunday.

An MRI showed a stretched anterior cruciate ligament, but team doctors said they want to check again in three days to make sure there wasn’t also a minor tear.

“I know I’m definitely out for the next two games,” Kelly said. “The way it feels right now, it doesn’t look good. . . . I’ve had knee injuries before, and this one’s a little bit sorer than I’ve ever had before.”

Coach Marv Levy said he would wait for the doctors’ report before making any decisions about Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. If Kelly is unable to play, the Bills (7-7) will be led by Frank Reich.

When Kelly injured his knee at the end of the 1992 season, Reich started two playoff games and won them both, bringing Buffalo back from a 32-point second-half deficit to beat the Houston Oilers in the AFC wild-card game--the biggest comeback in NFL history.

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A day after the Philadelphia Eagles lost their fifth consecutive game, Coach Rich Kotite benched quarterback Randall Cunningham in favor of Bubby Brister, who gets the start in Sunday’s crucial game against the New York Giants.

“I just think that from a standpoint of offense, we need more consistency,” said Kotite, whose Eagles have averaged 11 points a game during a losing streak that has seen them drop from 7-2 to 7-7.

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Eagle owner Jeffrey Lurie would not say whether he will try to hire former Dallas Cowboy Coach Jimmy Johnson.

The Dallas Morning News, citing an unidentified source, reported that Johnson is expected to announce Sunday whether he will return to coaching next season with the Eagles or remain a broadcaster.

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Patrick Haggerty, an NFL referee whose career spanned 28 years and three Super Bowls, has died of complications from prostate and bone cancer. He was 67.

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Seattle Seahawk safety Eugene Robinson and offensive tackle Ray Roberts will be sidelined for the season after suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon and a broken leg, respectively, in a 16-14 victory Sunday in Houston. . . . Pittsburgh Steeler running back Bam Morris has a broken little finger on his left hand to go with the reaggravated left ankle sprain that could sideline him for Sunday’s pivotal game against the Cleveland Browns. . . . San Diego Charger linebacker Junior Seau underwent MRI exams on his neck, left shoulder and left knee. The Chargers will decide by Wednesday whether to give the struggling linebacker some time off. . . . Washington Redskin offensive tackle Jim Lachey was hospitalized because of a six-to-seven-inch-long and one-inch-deep gash on the inside of Lachey’s left calf suffered Sunday against Arizona and is probably done for the season. . . . Indianapolis Colt Coach Ted Marchibroda, who replaced Jim Harbaugh with Don Majkowski six games ago, said another shake-up at quarterback is imminent. Majkowski, 3-3 as the starter, has not given the Colts the improvement they had hoped for when he replaced Harbaugh, Marchibroda said. . . .

Cincinnati Bengal fullback Derrick Fenner was arraigned in Hamilton County Municipal Court on charges of resisting arrest, inciting to violence and disorderly conduct while intoxicated after he allegedly threatened a police officer and incited a crowd in a tavern. A judge set bond at $16,000. . . . New Orleans Saint offensive lineman Richard Cooper has a dislocated right elbow and will be sidelined two to three weeks. . . . Wide receiver Tom Waddle is expected to return this week for the Chicago Bears. He has been out after knee surgery. . . . Denver Bronco Coach Wade Phillips said quarterback John Elway, who did not play Sunday against the Raiders, is listed as day-to-day for Sunday’s game in San Francisco. When asked if he has considered holding Elway out the rest of the season, Phillips said, “You couldn’t hold him out. He wouldn’t let you.”