TIMES NFL WRITER T.J. SIMERS POSES--AND ANSWERS--THE BURNING QUESTIONS ON . . . GAME DAY

1. Question: Which is the worst division in the NFL?

Answer: NFC East. The NFC East went 0-5 last week and was outscored, 157-76. The division has gone 0-6 against non-division opponents, and in the only non-division game this week the Redskins are expected to get blasted in Seattle.

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2. Q: Why are the Giants a good choice to defeat the Cowboys?

A: New York Coach Jim Fassel has never lost to an NFC East Division opponent, and certainly not one with Jason Garrett at quarterback. Fassel is 8-0-1 against the NFC East lightweights.

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3. Q: What’s wrong with Carolina running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka?

A: He stinks. The eighth overall choice in the 1996 draft, he has seven carries for 13 yards in the Panthers’ last nine regular-season games. In three years he has gained 528 yards and scored two touchdowns. Lawrence Phillips, a poster child for being a draft bust, had 1,309 yards and 12 touchdowns and off-the-field problems before not being hired by anyone to carry the ball. Carolina passed on Eddie George to take Biakabutuka.

“There were some guys who didn’t start out fast, but they were trusted to eventually get going,” Biakabutuka said. “You would figure as a top-10 pick, with the kind of money they give you, that they’re going to give you a chance to prove yourself.”

The Panthers let him run with the ball 28 times in the preseason and he gained 36 yards.

“I feel like what they’re basically telling me is that with me in there, we’re going to lose games and that I can’t help them do anything,” Biakabutuka said.

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4. Q: Will the Packers get anything if Mike Holmgren, as expected, goes elsewhere next season?

A: Reportedly a second-round pick--cheap, considering the Jets had to give four picks to New England to get Bill Parcells.

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5. Q: Who’s looking more foolish every day?

A: The Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals cut--that’s getting nothing in return--Garrison Hearst two years ago so they could sign rookie defensive end Simeon Rice. Hearst leads the NFL in rushing with 325 yards and three touchdowns.