WEST / You Can’t Go Home Again

The Falcons spent about 10 days on the West Coast to prepare for games in Seattle and San Diego, costing the team about $100,000 more than had they returned to Atlanta between games. Cheap for a vacation in La Jolla. Coach Dan Reeves had no trouble justifying the expenses because the Falcons won, have now won four in a row and three straight on the road for the first time since 1986. In the last three years before Reeves’ arrival, the Falcons were 5-19 on the road. . . . Panther cornerback Eric Davis will sit out Sunday’s game against Green Bay because doctors said six days was not enough time for him to return from a concussion. “I sat there and watched the replay and my wife was in the room and I looked over and she was crying again,” Davis said. “So I could see the impact it would have on people around you who care about you.” . . . New Orleans Coach Mike Ditka has made a pitch for more fan support in the team’s last game in the Superdome this year: “All I’m saying is, hey, these guys are trying. Now if it’s got to be a Super Bowl team before we fill it [Superdome], well, it’ll be a long time probably.” . . . San Francisco quarterback Steve Young needed painkilling injections last week to play against Minnesota because of sore ribs. The team told him to take time off in practice, but Young chose to take his full turn. . . . With all the hoopla surrounding the retirement of Joe Montana’s jersey Monday night and the return of Jerry Rice, now there is Brent Jones’ announcement that he will retire at the end of the season. “The goal is to make Brent’s last game be the one played in San Diego [Super Bowl],” Young said. . . . In a vote of Ram players, the team did not select Orlando Pace as rookie of the year, but rather David Thompson. The basketball player? Who? Thompson, not even on the active roster until Oct. 9, returned kicks for the Rams, which suggests how unimpressed the team must have been with Pace, the No. 1 player taken in the NFL draft. In playing “Stump the Fans,” now name the Rams’ most valuable player as picked by the players and coaches. Amp Lee, the team’s third-down back, and that’s the kind of year it has been in St. Louis. The Rams, by the way, are 17-29 since moving to St. Louis.

Think about it: How do the Panthers avoid scoreboard watching? They not only have to beat Green Bay and St. Louis to make the playoffs, Washington and Detroit have to lose one more each.

CENTRAL / Traveling Is Unbearable

The Bears finish the season on the road at St. Louis and Tampa Bay, which suggests they will not win again this season. Chicago has lost 18 consecutive road games in the months of December and January, dating to Dec. 27, 1987, when it defeated the Raiders, 6-3, in the Los Angeles Coliseum. . . . The Lions must win to remain in the playoff hunt, but their best receiver, Herman Moore, has ligament damage in his foot and finger injuries on each hand. “The problem I’m having is being able to spread my fingers,” Moore said. “I’m in a tough situation. I’ve never caught with my body. If anything is high, what am I going to do?” Tommie Boyd, who has five catches in his NFL career, would start in his place. . . . In his last four games, Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre has completed 80 of 122 passes. . . . In his first four appearances in Minnesota’s Metrodome, Barry Sanders averaged 41.2 yards a game, which would cripple his try for 2,000. But last year at Minnesota, he ran for 163 yards in 24 carries.

Think about it: The Bears have not had a Pro Bowl player since 1993.

EAST / Plummer’s a Real Helper

The Cardinals have three wins, but the team is excited because of the development of quarterback Jake Plummer. “It’s safe to say we definitely have a star quarterback in the making,” linebacker Eric Hill said. “Which is something we haven’t had around here.” After last week’s game against the Redskins, Washington wide receiver Henry Ellard said, “It’s scary being on the sideline watching him scrambling around. He’s going to be a great player.” . . . The Cowboys have lost six in a row on the road and play in Cincinnati. “We’re playing a hot team with a hot quarterback in a cold town,” Coach Barry Switzer said. . . . Rodney Hampton, who hasn’t played in a regular-season game in a year because of a knee injury, might play for the Giants against Washington. “When you drive a car, sometimes you have to change those tires,” Hampton said. “I’ve got fresher wheels now.”

Think about it: The Cardinals fired Buddy Ryan as coach after he went 12-20; Vince Tobin is currently 10-20.