TWO-MINUTE DRILL

ALLAS 16, at CAROLINA 13, OT

Seemed like old times. Emmitt Smith’s warrior-like 132-yard effort. Troy Aikman coming up big when needed most. Even Reggie White had a sack for Carolina. But don’t plan that Super Bowl ring-sizing party just yet.

at ST. LOUIS 57, SAN DIEGO 31

Too bad the NFL isn’t like soccer’s English Premier League or at some point San Diego could be relegated to the Arena League where a defense giving up 57 points is not only common, but considered a solid effort.

INDIANAPOLIS 18, at BUFFALO 16

The next time someone tries to convince you about picking a team because it is well-rested, remember that the Colts played Monday night and the Bills were coming off their bye week.

MINNESOTA 31, at DETROIT 24

Lions were all freaked out by Randy Moss, who made the secondary trying to cover him look like a pack of eighth-graders who hadn’t yet gone through their growth spurts yet.

at TENNESSEE 28, NEW YORK GIANTS 14

The good news is that the Giants had their point-a-minute offense on display. The bad news is that they held the ball for just more than 17 minutes and didn’t even live up to the billing.

BALTIMORE 12, at CLEVELAND 0

When Sam Adams can do enough the damage necessary to floor Brown quarterback Tim Couch and alcohol isn’t involved, that certainly can’t be a good sign for the depth chart.

PITTSBURGH 24, at JACKSONVILLE 13

Unlike the MTA, the Steelers’ bus was running a full schedule Sunday, riding all the way to their first victory. Jacksonville Coach Tom Coughlin summed it up nicely: “We’re not a very good football team right now.” Duh.

MIAMI 31, at CINCINNATI 16

You can say this for new Bengal Coach Dick LeBeau: The 16 points were more than twice what Cincinnati produced in three games under former coach Bruce Coslet. OK, so maybe we should look for something else to say.

NEW ENGLAND 28, at DENVER 19

The Broncos have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of or to hang their collective heads about. After all, they lost to perhaps the best 0-4 team in the history of the NFL if you believe Patriot fans.

at SAN FRANCISCO 27, ARIZONA 20

OK, now we understand what that Terrell Owens business was all about. He sacrificed his personal glory to be a martyr for his teammates to inspire them toward the greater good of winning games. What an unselfish guy.

CHICAGO 27, at GREEN BAY 24

Instead of upgrading Lambeau Field, maybe the Packers can take the money from the voter-approved referendum and invest it in the future because they can’t seem to stop living in the past.

at WASHINGTON 20, TAMPA BAY 17, OT

The Bucs just don’t get it. If you can’t win when you’re ahead late and you can’t come all the way back when you’re behind, you’re simply not a championship-caliber team. Repeat.

at PHILADELPHIA 38, ATLANTA 10

With it being so draining to watch all of those baseball playoff berths being decided earlier in the day, what better way than to wind down and get a good night’s sleep than by watching this battle of the birds. Or is that for the birds?

OPEN DATES

New Orleans, N.Y. Jets, Oakland