AROUND THE NFC

WEST / Falcons Grounded Again

How’s this for a season-ticket campaign? The Falcons, 2-8, have guaranteed themselves their 13th non-winning season in the last 15 years, and now have gone 38 games in a row without recording consecutive victories. As you might have guessed, the Falcons have had 18 consecutive home games blacked out. . . . The 49ers have not given up a rushing touchdown this season, which ties a league record by the Jets in 1986. They also haven’t played a team worth a darn yet. . . . Why is 49er defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield playing so well? Money. His contract is up at season’s end and has a clause in it preventing the 49ers from designating him as their franchise player. So either the 49ers sign him by Feb. 15 or he goes onto the open market and becomes very, very rich. “I sense, here’s a guy that wants to prove his worth,” safety Merton Hanks said. “He’s killing people.” . . . If the 49ers clinch their division title with a victory over the Panthers, they will become the 14th team since the NFL’s merger in 1970 to sweep their division games. And it will be the fourth time the 49ers have done it.

How strange: Upper Deck trading cards wanted to do a promotion with Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, the Falcons’ former return specialist, and sent him a box of trading cards to autograph. First, the box was addressed to Gale Sayers, then when Johnson looked at the cards, they were so old he was still wearing black shoes.

“You’d think they might know where my nickname came from, right?” said Johnson, who declined to sign the cards.

CENTRAL / Still Clueless in Chicago Bear Coach Dave Wannstedt said it might be time to give quarterback Steve Stenstrom some experience. Wannstedt is also the guy who thought Rick Mirer was worth a No. 1 draft pick. . . . Detroit quarterback Scott Mitchell said he’s determined to play against the Vikings, which is a real setback for the Lions. Mitchell, nursing a sore hamstring, figures to be a statue ready to be smashed by Viking defensive tackle John Randle, who has 10 1/2 sacks in 10 games. “I like playing against John Randle, I really do,” said Mitchell, who maybe should be checked for a concussion. “It’s an experience, I’ll just tell you. There’s no other player like him, there really isn’t.” . . . The Packers were hurt badly by the loss of cornerback Craig Newsome earlier this season, but Doug Evans has picked up the slack on the opposite side and has drawn raves as one of the game’s premier cornerbacks. “I would guess he’s in the top five or six corners right now in the league,” said Charley Armey, Ram director of pro personnel. Evans earns $600,000. The top five cornerbacks average salaries of $3.362 million a year. And Evans becomes a free agent at season’s end. Obviously, the Rams are interested.

How strange: Detroit’s No. 3 quarterback, Matt Blundin, has been in the league six years and has thrown nine passes, completing two, with two interceptions--one of which was returned for a touchdown. He has the credentials to start one day in New Orleans.

EAST / Cardinals Find Home at Bottom

The Cardinals retired when they moved from St. Louis to Arizona. The Cardinals have assured themselves of their 10th non-winning season in 10 years in Arizona. . . . Defensive lineman Leon Lett is eligible to return to the Cowboys for a game Dec. 8 against Carolina, so long as NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue reinstates him from his drug suspension. “The guy looks great,” Chad Hennings said. . . . Dave Brown is available to replace Danny Kanell if needed in New York. “Will I pull Danny out in the fourth quarter because things are going bad?” Giant Coach Jim Fassel said. “No, I don’t think I’ll do that.” Eagle Coach Ray Rhodes said he would not start Bobby Hoying until the team was out of the playoff hunt. Well, Hoying’s now going to start.

How strange: The Cardinals gave a three-year, $7.5-million contract to Larry Centers, who played in the Pro Bowl as the league’s No. 1 pass catcher out of the backfield. And then made him into a blocking back. He has 35 catches this season--30 fewer than last year at this time. “It’s frustrating all the way around,” Centers said. “It makes me scratch my head that the organization went out of their way to take care of me and build something, and I’m not being utilized much.”