WEEK 8 PRIMER

By T.J. SIMERS and HOUSTON MITCHELL

Oct. 29, 1999 12 AM PT

GAME OF THE WEEK

St. Louis (6-0) at Tennessee (5-1). It’s the game of the decade and the century . . . Two teams that moved, then profited from poor records, better draft selections and new stadiums. The Rams have been unstoppable against a schedule of pushovers, and the Titans have been winning with Neil O’Donnell at quarterback.

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Detroit (4-2) over Tampa Bay (3-3). The Buccaneers have finally decided to demote quarterback Trent Dilfer, but it’s not as if Johnny Unitas is next up. Unless Eric Zeier makes like Kurt Warner, he figures to struggle as much as Dilfer has. The Lions are home and in this wacky season of upsets, why not?

POTENTIAL STAR OF THE WEEK

Tennessee running back Eddie George. If the Titans are going to beat the Rams, they will have to hog the ball and keep Kurt Warner & Co. off the field. Handing the ball to George will also allow Steve McNair more time to regain his form after returning from back surgery.

POTENTIAL STIFF OF THE WEEK

Charger quarterback Erik Kramer. As most folks know, there is tremendous thought used in picking the stiff of the week. It’s too easy just to pick someone from the Chargers every week--who wants to be right every week? But how can you pass on a guy who has thrown seven interceptions in the last two weeks and gets to start again?

THIS WEEK’S TREND

They have not won every game, but they have been in every game. The Chicago Bears (3-4) and Oakland Raiders (4-3) have had all seven of their games decided by seven points or fewer this season. If that trend holds when the Bears play the Washington Redskins and the Raiders go against the Miami Dolphins, the teams would tie the 1978 Houston Oilers as the only ones to start a season with eight games being decided by no more than seven points.

NO DOUBT ABOUT IT

How unpredictable has the NFL season been? First-place teams of 1998 have a combined 16-24 (.400) record through seven weeks of 1999. Last-place teams of ’98 have a combined 20-19 (.513) record.

AND FINALLY

When the Dallas Cowboys play the Indianapolis Colts on Halloween, the Cowboys might be a bit frightened by what they see. The Colts’ offense is close to a mirror image of the Dallas offense that dominated opponents in the early 1990s. At the skill positions, the Colts have Peyton Manning at quarterback, Edgerrin James at running back and Marvin Harrison at wide receiver--a trio reminiscent of the Cowboys’ Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.

ON TV

* St. Louis at Tennessee, 10 a.m., Channel 11

When the season started, who would have thought this would be a marquee matchup?

Line: St. Louis by 3.

* Miami at Oakland, 1 p.m. Channel 2

Raiders need to win this game to stay at the forefront of the playoff hunt.

Line: No line.

* Dallas at Indianapolis, 1:15 p.m., Channel 11

Quarterback of the ‘90s takes on the quarterback of the next decade.

Line: Indianapolis by 3.

* Tampa Bay at Detroit, 5:15 p.m., ESPN

There must be something better on TV at this time.