TODAY’S GAMES

Cincinnati at Washington Both teams remain in the playoff hunt. The Bengals need to either win both remaining games, win one combined with a Cleveland loss, or finish in a three-way tie with the Steelers and Browns. The Redskins, however, must win both remaining games and hope the Cowboys and Giants tie today and lose next week. The Bengals routed the Cowboys, 50-24, last week, while the Redskins defeated the Eagles, 17-12. Redskin running back George Rogers set a club record with 36 carries last week, for 150 yards.

New York Giants at Dallas The Cowboys can clinch the NFC East title with a victory, while a Giant victory combined with a Redskin loss to Cincinnati would clinch the division for them. The Cowboys beat the Giants earlier in the season, 30-29. The Giants’ defense leads the NFL with 61 sacks, topped by Leonard Marshall (13 1/2), Lawrence Taylor (13) and George Martin (10). Joe Morris rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s 35-14 victory over Houston. In the Cowboys’ 50-24 loss to Cincinnati last Sunday, quarterback Danny White was sacked for a safety on the game’s third play and the Cowboys’ defense gave up three touchdowns within the first nine minutes.

San Francisco at New Orleans The 49ers need to beat the Saints today and Dallas next week to clinch at least a wild-card playoff spot. Should they win both games and the Rams lose both of theirs, the 49ers would be the NFC West champions. The 49ers were upset by the Saints, 20-17, on Sept. 29. But the Saints have not swept the 49ers in six years. Quarterback Joe Montana of the 49ers is top-ranked in the NFC, but was sacked six times in the first meeting against the Saints. Running back Roger Craig could become the first player in NFL history to both rush and receive for 1,000 yards in a single season. He needs 110 yards rushing and 116 receiving. Saint placekicker Morten Andersen has connected on 28 of 32 field goals, including 11 in a row. Quarterback Bobby Hebert is 60 of 111 for 766 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions since taking over the starting job Nov. 17.

Philadelphia at San Diego The Chargers’ potent passing offense faces an Eagle pass defense that leads the NFL, allowing only 166 yards per game. The Chargers are top-ranked in the NFL in total offense (399 yards per game), passing offense (300) and scoring (29 1/2). The Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention with last week’s 17-12 loss to the Redskins. The Chargers outscored the Steelers, 54-44, last week. The Chargers’ 34 first-half points were the most in a half against the Steelers in 17 years. The Chargers’ Dan Fouts needs three touchdown passes to become the first quarterback in history to have three 30-touchdown seasons and needs three completions to pass Johnny Unitas for second place on the all-time list with 2,830. Wide receiver Charlie Joiner is 242 yards shy of breaking Don Maynard’s all-time mark of 11,834 receiving yards.

Green Bay at Detroit Despite their records (the Lions are 7-7, the Packers 6-8), both teams have yet to be mathematically eliminated from playoff contention and still could sneak in. Green Bay must win both remaining games and hope that San Francisco and Washington both lose their two games and the Vikings lose one. The Lions also must win both remaining games and combine two losses each by Dallas and San Francisco. In the Lions’ favor is the fact that both of their games are at the Silverdome, where they are 6-0 this season. The Packers won the first meeting against Detroit, 43-10. Last week, they lost to Miami, 34-24. Quarterback Jim Zorn threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns in place of Lynn Dickey, who was sidelined with neck spasms. The Lions failed to score a touchdown and managed only 246 yards in last week’s 23-6 loss to the Patriots.

Buffalo at Pittsburgh The Steelers can only win the AFC Central title with two victories combined with two losses by both the Browns and Bengals. The Bills have lost their last 15 road games. Punter John Kidd of Buffalo set an NFL record with his 32nd punt inside the opponents’ 20 in last week’s 27-7 loss to the Jets. Quarterback Bruce Mathison had career highs in completions (22), attempts (39) and yards (357), but the Bills were stopped twice by turnovers inside the Jets’ five. The Steelers enter the game with a three-game losing streak, including last Sunday night’s 54-44 loss to San Diego.

Minnesota at Atlanta The Vikings are a playoff longshot. They must win their final two games, coupled with one loss by Detroit and San Francisco and two losses by the Giants and Washington, to earn a playoff berth. Two wins by the Vikings would give them their first winning season since 1982. Atlanta running back Gerald Riggs leads the NFL with 1,548 yards rushing.

Houston at Cleveland The Browns need to win both remaining games or beat Houston while the Bengals and Steelers lose one of their final two games to clinch the AFC Central title. The Browns beat Houston earlier in the season, 21-6. This game marks the NFL head coaching debut of Houston’s Jerry Glanville. He replaced Hugh Campbell Monday. Houston’s rookie placekicker, Tony Zendejas, can break Toni Fritsch’s team record of 21 field goals in a season with two. The Oilers, last in the NFL in rushing defense (168 yards per game), face a rushing offense that is ranked seventh (142 yards per game). Cleveland quarterback Bernie Kosar’s first NFL start came in the first meeting against the Oilers. He completed eight passes for 208 yards, leading the Browns back from a 6-0 halftime deficit. Cleveland Ozzie Newsome needs four catches to become the 14th player to total 500 in a career, and his 96-game reception streak ties Lance Alworth for the sixth longest.

Indianapolis at Tampa Bay The Colts lead the AFC in rushing with a 4.7-yard per carry average. They were outgained, 328 to 232, but stayed close before losing to the Bears, 17-10, last week. Tampa Bay was beaten by the Vikings, 26-7, last week. Tampa Bay running back James Wilder is fourth in the NFC in rushing with 1,156 yards. Quarterback Steve Young is 37 of 76 for 407 yards and is the only Tampa Bay rusher other than Wilder with more than 100 yards for the season (144).

MONDAY NIGHT GAME New England at Miami Both of these teams, deadlocked with the Jets for the AFC East lead, are good bets to make the playoffs. The Dolphins are assured a playoff spot with wins in their two remaining games, while the Patriots also are assured a playoff spot with wins in their two remaining games. Should they, along with the Jets, each finish 11-5, the Patriots would win the tiebreakers for the division title over both the Jets and Dolphins. New England is 0-6 on the road on Monday nights, while the Dolphins are 6-0 at the Orange Bowl on Monday nights. The Dolphins have a 17-game winning streak against the Patriots at the Orange Bowl. New England won the first meeting this season, 17-13, on Nov. 3. The Patriots are second in the AFC in total defense (292 yards allowed per game), while the Dolphins are third in total offense (376). New England beat Detroit, 23-6, last week for its eighth win in the past nine weeks. Miami rode five Dan Marino touchdown passes to a 34-24 win at Green Bay last week.