WEEK 10 BREAKDOWN

CINCINNATI AT BALTIMORE

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: Baltimore by 5 1/2.

Quick slant: Jeff Blake: He got out while the going was good.

Plot: The last time the Bengals had a non-losing season (1996; Cincinnati finished 8-8), Blake was their starting quarterback. The last time the Bengals scored a point in Baltimore (1998; touchdown pass to Carl Pickens), Blake was their starting quarterback. Since then, the Bengals have been shut out three times in Baltimore and the franchise has sunk deeper into the tank, 1-7 in 2002 after last week’s upset of Houston. Blake, who starts for the Ravens against his old mates Sunday, told the Baltimore Sun, “I’m not going to laugh at their situation. I was there at one time, and it’s not pretty.”

Monday’s headline: “Bengals Let Another One Get Away”

*

NEW ORLEANS AT CAROLINA

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: New Orleans by 4 1/2.

Quick slant: Rodney Peete, Dale Carter return. Will any of it matter?

Plot: Carolina football fans have been reminiscing about the good old days, September 2002, when Peete was at the helm and the Panthers were 3-0. Then Peete got hurt and the schedule turned tough and before they knew it, the Panthers were starting Randy Fasani and their record was 3-5. Peete returns Sunday, as does Saint cornerback Carter, back off suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Carter can use the payday. On Feb. 15, he filed for Chapter 7, claiming nearly $5 million in debts and about $1 million in assets. Sounds a lot like the Panther offense.

Monday’s headline: “Panthers Lose Sixth; Chapter 7 Coming Next Week”

*

DETROIT AT GREEN BAY

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

TV: Channel 11

The line: Green Bay by 10.

Quick slant: First place versus second place. No kidding.

Plot: Most Valuable Body Part, Detroit Lions? General Manager Matt Millen’s mouth. Since Millen disparaged his team with his “devout coward” line, the Lions are 2-1 (thanks so much, Dallas Cowboys). MVBP, Green Bay Packers? Brett Favre’s left knee, of course. Wrapped in a brace, Favre’s sprained knee passed its first test, Monday’s 24-10 victory over Miami, which improved the Packers’ record to 7-1. Green Bay is four games ahead of 3-5 Detroit, the best of what’s left in the NFC North, and soon to be five. Detroit has not beaten the Packers in Green Bay since 1990.

Monday’s headline: “In NFC North Footrace, Favre Now Lapping the Field”

*

N.Y. GIANTS AT MINNESOTA

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: New York by 1.

Quick slant: When we were kings, 22 months ago.

Plot: January 2000: The Giants play host to the Vikings in the NFC championship game. Lousy game -- Giants won, 41-0; Randy Moss took every play off after the first quarter; crazed Giant fans lulled into thinking Kerry Collins was the next Y.A. Tittle. Since that crystalline moment, the Giants are 11-14 (counting the ensuing Super Bowl embarrassment) and the Vikings are 7-17. Things are so bad in Minnesota, Coach Mike Tice is considering benching Daunte Culpepper in favor of, yes, Todd Bouman. In New York, a dire Amani Toomer has “guaranteed” the Giants will make the playoffs. Sad, sad times.

Monday’s headline: “For Old Times’ Sake, Vikings Say ‘No Moss!’ Again”

*

INDIANAPOLIS AT PHILADELPHIA

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: Philadelphia by 9.

Quick slant: Paging Norm Bulaich.

Plot: Tony Dungy returns to Philadelphia ... Tampa Bay fans can tell you which way this one’s headed. Dungy went 0-2 in his last two trips to the Vet, both playoff games, getting outscored, 52-12. This is why Jon Gruden now coaches the Buccaneers and Dungy arrives in Philadelphia with an empty stable of Colt running backs. Edgerrin James and Ricky Williams are sidelined with hamstring injuries. Dominic Rhodes is out for the season. Dungy is down to fourth-string rookie James Mungro, who had 60 yards in an otherwise depressing loss to Tennessee. But that’s nothing compared to Sunday’s forecast.

Monday’s headline: “All Things Considered, Dungy Would Rather Have Had an Open Date”

*

ATLANTA AT PITTSBURGH

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: Pittsburgh by 5.

Quick slant: Tale of two 5-3 teams, tale of three quarterbacks.

Plot: Atlanta and Pittsburgh enter this one with identical records. No one would have called it back in September, but that was long before Tommy Maddox and the Steelers resurrected each another -- and before Kordell Stewart was playing the role of Michael Vick on the Steeler scout team. Vick has re-energized the Falcons, who are 4-0 after a 1-3 start. Pittsburgh is 4-1 since Maddox replaced Stewart, much to the chagrin of Stewart, who told reporters this week, “If this is the direction they want to go in, fine, so be it, but everybody ... knows what I can do.” Indeed they do. Huddle’s all yours, Tommy.

Monday’s headline: “Given Their Druthers, 6-3 Steelers Prefer This Direction”

*

SAN DIEGO AT ST. LOUIS

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

TV: Channel 2

The line: St. Louis by 6.

Quick slant: You throw the records out the window when these two meet.

Plot: One team is 6-2 and tied for first in the NFL’s toughest division. The other team is 3-5 with Marc Bulger as its starting quarterback. So who’s favored by six points? The 3-5 team. What else do you expect from the what-have-you-done-lately NFL (stands for Not For Long)? The Chargers were looking pretty good until last week’s 44-13 home loss to the Jets. The Rams were 0-5 and out to sea until Bulger began giving the ball to Marshall Faulk and -- shocker! -- St. Louis won three in a row. Two teams meet at the crossroads in St. Louis. For the Chargers, it looks like the Gateway to Going South.

Monday’s headline: “Downward Arch for Chargers Begins Here”

*

HOUSTON AT TENNESSEE

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: Tennessee by 10.

Quick slant: Houston Oiler Memorial Classic.

Plot: A shame it had to happen like this. Houston’s Oilers were one of four teams swept away in the NFL’s Great Carpetbagger Exodus of ‘95-’97, during which a league once proud of its franchise stability suddenly looked as shaky as the Texan offensive line. The Oilers moved to Tennessee and became the Titans, leaving Houston vacant and desperate to do anything to outbid Los Angeles for the next expansion team. And it did. Had the Oilers stayed put, who knows what would have happened? David Carr might still be getting pounded every game. But at least he’d be getting hurt in L.A.

Monday’s headline: “Carr: So Close Yet So Far; L.A. Knows the Feeling”

*

SEATTLE AT ARIZONA

Kickoff: Sunday, 1 p.m.

The line: Arizona by 3 1/2.

Quick slant: The thrill is gone.

Plot: Trying to drum up interest in a town that would rather watch the Suns/the Sun Devils/the sun set than watch the local NFL team, the Cardinals began shrieking two weeks ago, “Hey everybody! We’re 4-2 in a soft division! Look at us go!” And go they did, down the tubes against NFC West rivals San Francisco and St. Louis and back to 4-4 and scraping to sell more than 28,000 advance tickets to Sunday’s why-bother against Seattle. Look, would a quarterback controversy help? Figuring it was worth a try, the Cardinals had rookie Josh McCown trading practice snaps with Jake Plummer this week.

Monday’s headline: “On Bright Side, Cardinals Outdraw WTA Championships”

*

WASHINGTON AT JACKSONVILLE

Kickoff: Sunday, 1 p.m.

The line: Jacksonville by 2 1/2.

Quick slant: Steve Spurrier vs. Tom Coughlin. Pistols at dawn, anyone?

Plot: A study in contrasts, if nothing else. Redskin Coach Spurrier would like you to think he doesn’t sweat the details, which is why he says outlandish things after beating the hapless Seahawks for his first two-game winning streak as an NFL coach. Such as: “We put people on notice today that we are a playoff team.” And Coughlin is a tranquil soul at peace with all that surrounds him. The Jaguar coach has seen his team slump from 3-1 to 3-5, leaving him more miserable than usual and promising to be “more critical” of his players and their mistakes.

Monday’s headline: “Redskins, Jaguars Put People on Notice: You Should’ve Watched Something Else”

*

NEW ENGLAND AT CHICAGO

Kickoff: Sunday, 1:15 p.m.

The line: New England by 3 1/2.

Quick slant: A couple of magical fairy tales, once upon a time.

Plot: The NFL’s two biggest surprise stories of 2001 are halfway through their sequels and, hey, is there a script doctor in the house? The Super Bowl champion Patriots had slid from 3-0 to 3-4 before reading one too many should’ve-kept-Bledsoe stories and rising up to smite the Buffalo Bills, 38-7, to either save the season or buy themselves one more week’s time. The Bears, 13-3 last season, have lost six in a row -- and are seven points removed from 0-8. Nothing will end happily for the Bears this year. The Patriots still have hope, and a soft second-half schedule, beginning right here, right now.

Monday’s headline: “Yesterday, Bears’ Troubles Seemed So Far Away”

*

KANSAS CITY AT SAN FRANCISCO

Kickoff: Sunday, 1:15 p.m.

TV: Channel 2

The line: San Francisco by 6 1/2.

Quick slant: Joe Montana slept here. And there.

Plot: There hasn’t been this much interest in a 49er-Chief skirmish since Joe Montana faced his old San Francisco teammates in 1994. (Final score: With Montana 24, Without Montana 17.) Trent Green and the Chiefs are 4-4, but they have the league’s most fascinating offense -- and, in its own way, the most fascinating defense as well. The 49ers are 6-2 and Terrell Owens is warming up, netting 132 and 191 receiving yards the last two weeks. Both teams are coming off victories over Oakland -- the Chiefs winning, 20-10, and the 49ers, 23-20. There once was a time when that kind of thing meant something.

Monday’s headline: “No Green Party in San Francisco”

*

MIAMI AT N.Y. JETS

Kickoff: Sunday, 5:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN

The line: New York by 3.

Quick slant: No recruiting in the press box.

Plot: Not to say that the Ray Lucas era has the Dolphins panicked or anything, but for the second time in three weeks, they’ve gone to the media looking for a bailout. First the Dolphins signed Cris Carter away from the HBO round table. Then, they started banging on the Fox broadcast booth, wondering if Troy Aikman could come out and play. Aikman has been retired since 2000, which means he hasn’t suffered a concussion since 2000. But the Dolphins are 0-2 under Lucas and desperate, and Aikman sounds interested. Meanwhile, Dan Marino works for HBO and is available.

Monday’s headline: “Dolphins Lose Again, Ask Bob Costas if He Can Pass Block”

*

OAKLAND AT DENVER

Kickoff: Monday, 6 p.m.

TV: Channel 7.

The line: Denver by 5.

Quick slant: MNF, Raiders both at 500.

Plot: Not a bad matchup for the 500th episode of “Monday Night Football,” even if you can predict the outcome a mile away. The Raiders are 4-4 after a 4-0 start. The Broncos are 6-2 and the most (only?) consistent team in the league. The Raiders haven’t won in Denver since they fired Mike Shanahan, who is 7-0 at home against his former team since becoming Bronco coach. The Broncos are 8-1 in their last nine home games against the Raiders and 5-2-1 against them on Monday night. Not much more to say, except: Happy anniversary, Al.

Tuesday’s headline: “Once-Great Rivalry Saddens Madden”