For NFC Central Marbles

The best NFL weekend to date, and this should be the best of the best with the defending Super Bowl champions trying to clinch the NFC Central title against the Buccaneers, who remain the top success story in the NFL this season.

The Packers (10-3) jumped on top of the Buccaneers (9-4) earlier at Lambeau Field, but Tampa Bay refused to buckle and threw a scare into Green Bay before losing. Green Bay has the tiebreaking edge on both Tampa Bay and Minnesota because of its division record.

The Packers are competing with San Francisco for home-field advantage through the playoffs.

Green Bay has knocked off the Vikings and Cowboys the last two weeks, and has done so with a stifling defense and the running of Dorsey Levens. The Buccaneers probably don’t have the offense to keep up with the Packers in a wide-open contest, but Tampa Bay does have the defense to win.

Line: Green Bay by 3 1/2.

5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Randall Cunningham’s first start since 1995. The Vikings have lost Brad Johnson for the rest of the season because of a neck injury, and Cunningham, who sat out last season, will open against the 49ers. “I think I’m more mature as a quarterback,” said Cunningham, who left the Eagles after the 1995 season and received very little interest from other teams. “I don’t really get the nervous jitters at the beginning of the game anymore. It’s more an intense feeling of confidence now.” Jay Walker will back up Cunningham, and Todd Bouman will back up Walker and be asked to wave the white flag if Minnesota is forced to go that deep on its roster.

2. Buffalo to struggle in Chicago. The Bills have lost nine games in a row on grass and play in Soldier Field against the Bears. Buffalo’s last win on grass was in Cleveland Stadium, which has since been torn down.

3. The Saints not to throw a touchdown pass. New Orleans’ quarterbacks--and it seems that they’ve started a hundred different ones this season--have not thrown a touchdown pass in 24 quarters. The last touchdown pass came in Game 7 against Atlanta, a 16-yard play from Danny Wuerffel to Andre Hastings in the fourth quarter.

4. Steve Young to start throwing more. The 49ers have lost running back Garrison Hearst, and Young has become frustrated with the team’s play-calling, which until now has emphasized the run. He has had less than 200 yards passing and hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass in three of the last five games.

5. Denver and Green Bay are both on three-game trips that they probably need to sweep to gain home-field advantage as the best teams in the AFC and NFC. Can they do it? Not likely. This decade 54 teams have gone on three-game trips and only 16 have returned home with winning records. Only three went 3-0.

ON TV

* Denver (11-2) at Pittsburgh (9-4), 10 a.m., Channel 4: Could very well be a preview of the AFC championship game, or a moment to forget for the loser. Pittsburgh is in a dead heat with Jacksonville for first place in the AFC Central, and if the Broncos finish tied with the Chiefs in the AFC West, they’re in trouble because they lose all tiebreakers to Kansas City.

Line: Pittsburgh by 1 1/2.

* Minnesota (8-5) at San Francisco (11-2), 1 p.m., Channel 11: The Vikings have collapsed, losing three in a row. They have also lost quarterback Brad Johnson for the season and are forced to play Randall Cunningham. The 49ers, upset after getting shellacked in Kansas City last Sunday, have everything going their way except one thing: They haven’t beaten a team yet with a winning record.

Line: San Francisco by 9.

* Detroit (7-6) at Miami (8-5), 5 p.m., ESPN: The Lions have suddenly become a serious wild-card contender; the Dolphins are in a three-way tie for the AFC East title. The game undoubtedly will feature sideline shots of Lawrence Phillips looking like an angel in his new Dolphin uniform.

Line: Miami by 3.

SUNDAY’S OTHER GAMES

* New England at Jacksonville, 10 a.m.

Line: Jacksonville by 4.

* Oakland at Kansas City, 10 a.m.

Line: Kansas City by 9.

* Buffalo at Chicago, 10 a.m.

Line: Buffalo by 1.

* Seattle at Baltimore, 10 a.m.

Line: Baltimore by 1 1/2.

* N.Y. Giants at Philadelphia, 10 a.m.

Line: Philadelphia by 5.

* St. Louis at New Orleans, 10 a.m.

Line: New Orleans by 2 1/2.

* Washington at Arizona, 1 p.m.

Line: Arizona by 1 1/2.

* Atlanta at San Diego, 1 p.m.

Line: Atlanta by 2.

* Indianapolis at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.

Line: N.Y. Jets by 6 1/2.