The Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals joined the Bears and Cleveland Browns Sunday as contenders on a two-game slide. It happens to the best of them.
As the National Football League neared the halfway point, division races began to sort themselves out with few surprises. The cream is starting to rise.
The Minnesota Vikings took a half-game lead over the Bears in the NFC Central by beating the Detroit Lions 20-7. Herschel Walker got 89 yards this week on 20 carries, an off-day compared to his 148-yard debut last Sunday. Keith Millard didn`t get a sack, but the Vikings got eight for the third straight game. Linebacker Mike Merriweather had two sacks, an interception, and caused two fumbles.
Vikings coach Jerry Burns allowed injured quarterback Wade Wilson (broken left ring finger) some playing time late in relief of Tommy Kramer, but said Kramer will start next Monday night`s game against the New York Giants in the Meadowlands.
The Bears now must beat the Browns Monday night to stay in first place, where they have been continuously since 1984. If the Browns win, they can tie Cincinnati and Houston for first in the AFC Central, the tightest of the six divisions.
The Denver Broncos (6-1) are back, threatening to run away with the AFC West, where everyone else is below .500. The Broncos beat the Seattle Seahawks 24-21 in overtime in Seattle to take a three-game lead on the field.
The world champion San Francisco 49ers beat the New England Patriots 37-20 to regain the lead in the NFC West as the Rams-unbeaten only seven days ago-were trounced by the New Orleans Saints 40-21. Former San Francisco coach Bill Walsh called his first 49er game for NBC-TV and said he was envious of successor George Seifert because the team was ”executing so beautifully.”
The 49ers lost strong safety Jeff Fuller in the game with compression fractures of vertebrae in his neck and also lost quarterback Joe Montana late in the first half with a hyperextended knee, but demonstrated the depth required of all great teams when Steve Young completed 10 of 11 passes in the second half with Montana watching.
The Rams lost to the Saints when quarterback Bobby Hebert threw touchdown passes on consecutive plays early in the third quarter. The Saints knew they weren`t as bad as their 1-4 start.
”Two weeks ago we were four games behind the Rams and now we`re two games behind. We`ve hung in there,” New Orleans coach Jim Mora said.
It was a good day for running backs.
The Buffalo Bills stayed ahead in their quest to repeat in the AFC East by running 52 times and controlling the clock for 42 minutes 53 seconds against the New York Jets.
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Eric Dickerson`s 21-yard touchdown run and season-high 152-yard effort enabled the Indianapolis Colts to hand the Bengals their second loss in a row in Riverfront Stadium.
”I`ve been hurt the last four weeks,” Dickerson said.
”They were way too much for us,” Cincinnati coach Sam Wyche said of the Colts.
Christian Okoye of the Kansas City Chiefs took the NFL rushing lead with 170 yards and two touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys.
The New York Giants (6-1) continued to lead the NFC East with a 20-13 victory over the San Diego Chargers on two touchdowns by Ottis Anderson.
The Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) stayed close by handing the Los Angeles Raiders their first loss under new coach Art Shell 10-7. The Eagles` best running back, quarterback Randall Cunningham, ran for their only touchdown. Bo Jackson ran for 79 yards on 20 carries in a losing cause.
Earl Ferrell ran for three touchdowns in the Phoenix Cardinals` 34-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, but only 33,894 showed up in 78-degree weather in Tempe, Ariz. It was the smallest crowd at the 74,724-seat Sun Devil Stadium since the Cardinals moved from St. Louis.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers also lost their second games in successive weeks to fall below .500 after promises of better things. Both staged impressive comebacks again Sunday, but fell short.
Losing streaks also happen to the worst of them. The Cowboys lost their seventh in a row. The Jets fell to 1-6 and coach Joe Walton remains on a hot seat. The 1-6 Lions have run and shot themselves in the foot.
Green Bay`s Don Majkowski threw two touchdown passes to Sterling Sharpe in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 20 before Miami`s rookie placekicker Pete Stoyanovich kicked his second game-winner in three weeks.
”If we expect to be a contender, we`re going to have to win the close ones,” said Green Bay coach Lindy Infante.
But it`s getting later than you think.