WEEK 8 BREAKDOWN

SEATTLE AT DALLAS

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: Dallas by 2 1/2

Quick slant: Run, don’t walk, Emmitt.

Plot: Cowboy fans haven’t had much to cheer for since the 1996 Super Bowl, so let them have their day. Assuming Emmitt Smith holds up his end and gains the 93 yards he needs to break Walter Payton’s career rushing record at Texas Stadium. It’s anything but a sure thing -- Smith is averaging only 63.8 yards in his last 23 games. However, Smith had a season-high 82 yards last week, Seattle is giving up a league-high 190 yards rushing a game and the Cowboys are starting a new quarterback, rookie Chad Hutchinson.

Monday’s headline: “Smith Finally Breaks Record; Fans Say, ‘Great, Now Can We Start Hambrick?’ ”

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DETROIT AT BUFFALO

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: Buffalo by 7

Quick slant: Can Lions win another for the Ripper?

Plot: Before last week, the word on Lion General Manager Matt Millen was that he couldn’t win for losing. Then he got all riled up on Mike Ditka’s radio show (imagine that) and slandered one of his fine young men in the powder blue and silver, calling him “a devout coward.” Millen didn’t name any names -- maybe there are two devout cowards in the Lion organization -- but from the players’ perspective he didn’t need to. Assuming Millen could have meant any one of them, the Lions bonded and banded together and beat the Bears, 23-20. Next up, Drew Bledsoe. Looks like Detroit could use a few more devout DBs.

Monday’s headline: “Yellow Brick Road Ends Here for Cowardly Lions”

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CLEVELAND AT N.Y. JETS

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: New York by 3

Quick slant: Psst. Jets also have a devout Cowart.

Plot: Speaking of devout Cowarts, the Jets have one playing weakside linebacker. Name is Sam Cowart, supposedly a major off-season free-agent acquisition from Buffalo, but marked down because of damaged goods: He missed 15 games in 2001 because of a torn Achilles’ tendon. Since returning, Cowart has looked out of sorts, which makes him no stranger in the Jet defense, ranked 31st in the NFL in yards rushing allowed. The Browns would like to take advantage, but they rank 31st in yards rushing gained. What to do, what to do? Tim Couch, Chad Pennington: Throw deep, young men.

Monday’s headline: “Pennington Joins Hutchinson; Chads Go 2-0”

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OAKLAND AT KANSAS CITY

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

TV: Channel 2

The line: Oakland by 2 1/2

Quick slant: Third place versus last place. Big deal.

Plot: Oakland and Kansas City rank 1-2 in total offense, Rich Gannon is on pace to break Dan Marino’s record for single-season yards passing (5,084) and Priest Holmes is on pace to break Marshall Faulk’s record for single-season touchdowns (26). And the Raiders (4-2) and the Chiefs (3-4) are holding down the bottom of the AFC West. The Raiders also are last in the Teams That Abandoned L.A. standings, going 0-2 the last two weeks against the Rams and Chargers. Can they right the ship? Stat: Chiefs yield 38.3 points a game. So to answer the question: Yes they can.

Monday’s headline: “Chiefs Run Out of Time in 56-54 Defeat”

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TAMPA BAY AT CAROLINA

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: Tampa Bay by 7

Quick slant: Will the last quarterback standing please take the snap?

Plot: Rodney Peete is out with a knee injury, Chris Weinke is questionable because of a concussion and Brad Johnson is doubtful because of a fractured rib. Is there an able-bodied quarterback in the house? Having thought it over, the Panthers and Buccaneers would like to make the following announcement: Randy Fasani and Rob Johnson are the best we can do. Fasani, a rookie from Stanford, went six for 18 subbing for Weinke in Carolina’s 30-0 loss to Atlanta last week. Johnson is now the answer to a Buffalo trivia question: Who quarterbacked the Bills between Doug Flutie and Drew Bledsoe?

Monday’s headline: “With Tampa Bay’s Defense, Who Needs a QB?”

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ATLANTA AT NEW ORLEANS

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: New Orleans by 4

Quick slant: Football in the family.

Plot: Second cousins and first-string NFL quarterbacks, New Orleans’ Aaron Brooks and Atlanta’s Michael Vick meet on the football field for the first time Sunday -- the first round in what should be a long and lively in-family rivalry. In an interview with ESPN magazine, Brooks said Vick “is the better athlete. But as far as being the pure quarterback, I’m better.” Vick: “We’re going to be dealing with this and having fun for a long time. And then, when we’re retired and hopefully both in the Hall of Fame and living near each other again back in Virginia, we’ll get to talk about these games.”

Monday’s headline: “Brooks Beats Vick; Thanksgiving Dinner in Jeopardy”

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TENNESSEE AT CINCINNATI

Kickoff: Sunday, 1:15 p.m.

The line: Tennessee by 4 1/2

Quick slant: Sadly, Bengals’ unbeaten streak comes to an end.

Plot: For the first time this season, the Bengals didn’t lose last Sunday. The Bengals also didn’t play last Sunday -- right now, “Bye Week” is the front-runner to kick off the team’s 2002 highlight video. At least the Bengals didn’t lose any players high-tailing it for the border during the off week, although it was close. What precisely was running back Corey Dillon getting at when he said, ominously, that the Bengals “better get it right or at the end of the season I’ve got a surprise for them”? Is he threatening to pull a Barry Sanders and quit to save his sanity? Or, heaven help him, volunteering to play quarterback?

Monday’s headline: “Dillon Can Run, but He Can’t Hide”

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CHICAGO AT MINNESOTA

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

TV: Channel 11

The line: Minnesota by 1

Quick slant: Bears, Vikings get a break in the schedule.

Plot: Chicago is 0-4 after starting the season 2-0. Minnesota started 0-4, is 1-1 since. If timing’s everything, the Bears are in trouble, regardless of who plays quarterback -- Jim Miller, reportedly recovering from arm tendinitis, or Chris Chandler, who still might be shellshocked from last week’s loss to Detroit. Bear defensive coordinator Greg Blanche concedes that his players have “been quite confused the last three weeks. We’ve been getting calls from Division II schools trying to schedule us for homecoming. I turned them down because I didn’t want to over-schedule.”

Monday’s headline: “Bears Ruin Vikings’ Homecoming”

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PITTSBURGH AT BALTIMORE

Kickoff: Sunday, 10 a.m.

The line: Pittsburgh by 2

Quick slant: Funny meeting you here.

Plot: After last season’s second-round AFC playoff game, the Steelers and Ravens looked like two franchises speeding in different directions. The Steelers, 27-10 winners, seemed destined for the Super Bowl, if not immediately, then the following season. The Ravens, about to go splat against the salary cap, appeared headed for a long stint in NFL purgatory. Now, Pittsburgh has switched quarterbacks and Jerome Bettis is hurt. Baltimore is getting by with Chris Redman at quarterback and Ray Lewis in street clothes. Both are 3-3, happier news in Baltimore than in Pittsburgh.

Monday’s headline: “In Lieu of Super Bowl, Steelers Settle for First in AFC North”

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ARIZONA AT SAN FRANCISCO

Kickoff: Sunday, 1 p.m.

The line: San Francisco by 8

Quick slant: A battle for first place in the NFC West. Will anybody watch?

Plot: The records, 4-2 across the board, suggest this is a must-win game for both teams. But must-see? Did you see last week’s 9-6 Arizona victory over Dallas in overtime? Have you seen a worse NFL game in the last 25 years? Can anyone stomach another four quarters of Cardinal football? What about San Francisco Giant fans who might consider watching football before a possible Game 7 of the World Series? Won’t they be too busy sticking pins in their rally monkey voodoo dolls to notice?

Monday’s headline: “On A Big Sports Sunday, San Francisco Gets Split”

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DENVER AT NEW ENGLAND

Kickoff: Sunday, 1:15 p.m.

TV: Channel 2

The line: New England by 3

Quick slant: Old Michigan quarterbacks never die, they just go up and down in the public opinion polls.

Plot: Tom Brady and Brian Griese have traveled a long way since their days in Ann Arbor, and they have the white knuckles to prove it. Brady was the wonder kid who took the Patriots to the promised land, and then three more victories to open the season. Since then, the Patriots are 0-3 and fans have begun to loudly wonder if the Patriots got rid of the wrong quarterback. Griese barely avoided a couple of September benchings to reel off four consecutive 300-yard games. The wild ride continues Sunday.

Monday’s headline: “Brady Feeds Fickle Fingertips of Fate to the Wolverines”

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HOUSTON AT JACKSONVILLE

Kickoff: Sunday, 1:15 p.m.

The line: Jacksonville by 10 1/2

Quick slant: All right, Texans. All hands on deck.

Plot: Houston played well enough on offense and defense last week in Cleveland to double its all-time NFL victory total, but the Texans’ not-so-special teams yielded a 95-yard kickoff return and had a punt blocked inside the Houston 15. Houston lost, 34-17. Coach Dom Capers is so desperate, he’s thinking of restocking his special teams with starters. “We can’t play special teams like we did and win football games,” Capers said. “We’re going to address it -- if we have to put all starters out there, we’re going to put the people out there who give us the best chance.”

Monday’s headline: “Texans Lose Again; Carr Volunteers to Run Back Punts”

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INDIANAPOLIS AT WASHINGTON

Kickoff: Sunday, 5:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN

The line: pick

Quick slant: Peyton Manning, Steve Spurrier meet again. Under different circumstances.

Plot: Manning never could beat Spurrier when Manning played at Tennessee and Spurrier coached at Florida, a fact that might have cost Manning the Heisman, if not a national championship. Manning is winning again with the Colts and Spurrier is still juggling quarterbacks with the Redskins -- except Spurrier is 2-4 and replacing Patrick Ramsey with Shane Matthews is no way to turn it around. “Our quarterbacks are not bad,” Spurrier insists. “They’re pretty good. In two of our six games, our guys have played well.”

Monday’s headline: “Manning To Spurrier: Juggle This”

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N.Y. GIANTS AT PHILADELPHIA

Kickoff: Monday, 6 p.m.

TV: Channel 7

The line: Philadelphia by 7

Quick slant: Are you ready for a shutout?

Plot: In three of their last four games, the Giants have scored 10 points or less. They managed only nine points at home against Seattle, which takes some doing, and 10 in their next home game against Atlanta. In between, they lost, 21-7, at Arizona. The Giants are still in the NFC East race at 3-3, one game behind the Eagles, who put a serious clampdown on Tampa Bay’s offense last Sunday. The Eagles swept the Giants in 2001 and are still miffed about their 0-9 run against their New Jersey rivals from 1997-2000. It could add up to long night of nothing for the Giants.

Tuesday’s headline: “Giants, ABC Ratings Go Down The Tubes”