Pro Football Spotlight

THE COLDER IT GETS, THE HOTTER HE IS

The fact that Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre threw three touchdown passes against Tampa Bay on Sunday, bringing his NFL-leading total to 28 for the season, is not unusual.

Nor is the fact that the Packers beat the Buccaneers.

Any competent weather forecaster could have predicted both achievements.

Favre, after all, is 11-0 in games where the temperature is near or below freezing. Sunday’s temperature in Green Bay was 34 degrees following a three-inch overnight snowfall.

“I can’t explain it because I sure hate it,” Favre said of the cold. “If we’re not playing, I’m inside.”

HE JUST KEEPS CATCHING AND CATCHING AND . . .

When Keith Byars snared a pass from Dan Marino late in the first half of a Miami touchdown drive against the Indianapolis Colts, it kept alive a remarkable streak.

Byars, the only back in NFL history to catch a pass in 100 consecutive games, has the sixth-longest reception streak in league history at 124 games.

Art Monk has the league record of 180. The last time Byars failed to catch a pass was Oct. 25, 1987, against Dallas. He began the streak Nov. 1, 1987, against the St. Louis Cardinals and needs to catch passes in his next three games to tie Harold Carmichael for fifth place on the all-time list.

EVEN NATE CAN BE DOWNRIGHT NASTY

The Dallas Cowboys might have lost only two games so far this season, but Nate Newton, looking ahead to the playoffs, sees a problem.

“We’ve got to find a killer instinct,” Newton said. “We’ve got to start nailing people to the ground. We’ve just got to start crushing people.”

PERHAPS IF SEAHAWKS HAD PLAYED BUCKEYES

This line from the Associated Press account of the New York Jets’ 16-10 victory over Seattle at the Kingdome:

“The Seahawks came out of the game without any significant injuries.”

What, losing at home to a 2-9 team didn’t hurt even their pride?

Meanwhile, Joey Galloway, Seattle’s prize rookie from Ohio State, compared the Seahawks’ loss to the Buckeyes’ defeat against Michigan on Saturday that cost them a trip to the Rose Bowl.

“They weren’t ready to play yesterday and we weren’t ready to play today,” Galloway said.

WHERE NOSTALGIA IS THICKER THAN MUD

Much as the Steelers may dislike the Browns, the prospect that Sunday’s Cleveland-Pittsburgh game might have been the last between the rivals at Cleveland Stadium had players and coaches acting in strange ways.

For example, Steeler quarterback Neil O’Donnell took home the game ball.

“That’s something that is going back to my family room, and I’m going to cherish it,” he said.

And Bill Cowher, the Steelers’ coach and a former Brown assistant, waxed eloquent about his former haunt.

“I hope there is more football here in this stadium,” he said. “It’s too special of a place not to have football being played. . . . I can’t say enough about the mud, the gray, the openness.”

Art Modell may get his way and move the team to Baltimore, but he continues to dodge the Cleveland fans’ anger. Modell again watched the game on television at home and there are doubts he will attend the Browns’ final “home” game--on Dec. 17 against Cincinnati.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

TOP PERFORMANCES

PASSING

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Player, Team Att. Cmp. Yds. TD DAVE KRIEG, Cardinals 43 27 413 4 JOHN ELWAY, Broncos 42 27 332 2 T. DILFER, Buccaneers 49 28 324 0 CHRIS CHANDLER, Oilers 26 18 280 3 ERIK KRAMER, Bears 38 25 268 1 BRETT FAVRE, Packers 24 16 267 3 DREW BLEDSOE, Patriots 45 21 263 3 DAN MARINO, Dolphins 36 23 254 4 NEIL O’DONNELL, Steelers 30 21 251 1 S. BEUERLEIN, Jaguars 34 18 245 1 STEVE YOUNG, 49ers 32 21 226 3 DAVE BROWN, Giants 33 17 217 1 JEFF GEORGE, Falcons 34 15 280 3

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RECEIVING

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Player, Team Rec. Yds. TD ANTHONY MILLER, Broncos 6 152 1 CHRIS SANDERS, Oilers 5 147 2 ROBERT BROOKS, Packers 6 144 2 JACKIE HARRIS, Buccaneers 10 122 0 ROB MOORE, Cardinals 8 121 1 YANCEY THIGPEN, Steelers 5 106 0

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RUSHING

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Player, Team Car. Yds. TD CURTIS MARTIN, Patriots 27 148 0 RICKY WATTERS, Eagles 25 124 1 ADRIAN MURRELL, Jets 24 116 1 TERRELL DAVIS, Broncos 19 110 1 BERNIE PARMALEE, Dolphins 20 102 0 MARSHALL FAULK, Colts 22 95 0

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--Compiled by Bob Cuomo and Grahame L. Jones