The normally tight NFC Central Division race could be virtually finished by Sunday night.
If the undefeated Minnesota Vikings hand the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their fifth straight loss and the Colts beat the Detroit Lions in Indianapolis, the Vikings might as well wear championship masks for Halloween.
They would have what amounts to a four-game lead with eight to play. They already have defeated the Lions in Detroit. Their remaining schedule is not as tough as Detroit’s. The Vikings play at home against Arizona, Carolina, Detroit and Green Bay, with trips to Tampa on Sunday, to Green Bay next Monday night, to Dallas on Thanksgiving, to St. Louis and to Indianapolis. By the time they must travel to St. Louis on Dec. 10 and Indianapolis on Christmas Eve, they could be coasting to the playoffs.
This would be great news for coach Dennis Green but not so great for a league that doesn’t like its division races decided before November.
The Bucs started 3-4 in 1998 and 1999, but this 3-4 has a more ominous look. Coach Tony Dungy’s team got physically pounded by the Lions in their last game, an unfamiliar sight at Raymond James Stadium. They started the season talking about becoming the first team to play a Super Bowl on their home field. Now they have reset their priorities.
“We need to win the opening kickoff; we need to win the first play,” safety John Lynch said. “That’s the point where we’re at now. We need just one win. It might spark something great, but let’s just worry about this one.”
Surprise: The New York Jets will try to continue their magical season against the Buffalo Bills, most of whom were asleep by the time the Jets pulled out last Monday’s game against Miami at 1:20 a.m. EDT Tuesday. “It was about the same as Dewey and Truman–I thought Dewey won,” Bills coach Wade Phillips said. “I expected to see it in the paper, and it wasn’t there.”
Groh-ing up: Jets coach Al Groh admitted he blew the call to go for a two-point conversion when his team trailed 30-13 early in the fourth quarter. It failed. A kick could have averted overtime. “A mistake by the head coach,” Groh said. “I don’t have a [two-point] chart, just a gut and heart and a little bit of a brain. I just made a mistake. It wasn’t good thinking.”
The two-point chart calls for a kick when trailing by 17.
Key stat: Jets offensive tackle Jumbo Elliott caught the first touchdown pass of his NFL life to send the game into overtime 37-37. That ties him with ex-Jets receiver Keyshawn Johnson for touchdown catches this season.
Banks closed: The Tony Banks experiment appears over in Baltimore now that the Ravens have gone four games–246 minutes and 39 seconds, 16 quarters and 49 possessions–without scoring a touchdown. Trent Dilfer is the new quarterback.
“When we sacked him I could hear his teammates say things like, `Tony, throw the ball,'” Tennessee pass rusher Jevon Kearse said. “When his own players were cussing at him, his coach [Brian Billick] was chewing him out on the sideline and the fans were booing him, I knew we had them right where we wanted them.”
Dilfer, on failure: “The most crippling thing to an athlete is the fear of failure because we hold on so tightly to the successes we’ve had in the past. When things are rolling it feels so great and you don’t ever want to let that feeling go away, so at times you get crippled by fear of something bad happening.
“Is that pressure? Maybe. I don’t know. I’ve had that happen to me. Things go well, and then you don’t want to let them go and you don’t play as well because you’re not as fearless.”
More Top Picks Best Blackout Sleep Masks For Travel
In the second game of the season, Banks threw five touchdown passes against Jacksonville.
Feast or famine: When Cincinnati’s Corey Dillon broke Walter Payton’s single-game rushing record with 278 yards in 22 attempts, he had 10 rushes that went for one yard or less. Those 10 attempts accounted for minus-2 yards. That means Dillon gained 280 yards in his 12 other attempts. Payton had 40 carries when he ran for 275 yards.
Here’s the breakdown of Dillon’s runs: First quarter: 0, 26, 31, 1. Second quarter: 1, minus-2, minus-1, 21, 0. Third quarter: 4, 37, 3, 30, 4, 1, 14. Fourth quarter: minus-1, 1, 65 (touchdown), minus-2, 4, 41 (touchdown).
Man against boy: When Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter faces Baltimore left tackle Jonathan Ogden Sunday, he’ll be giving away 100 pounds.
Porter is 6 feet 2 inches, 240 pounds. Ogden goes 6-8, 340.
“He’s not the kind of guy you want to power-rush,” Porter said. “You have to use all the finesse moves you can think of to beat the guy, that and speed.”
Porter is tied with Jason Gildon for the team lead with five sacks.
Bad break: The doctor who operated on Kurt Warner’s broken little finger on his right hand called it a “nasty little fracture” that required two steel pins to correct.
“Imagine taking a stick and twisting it and breaking it in a spiral fashion. That spiral pattern . . . made it relatively unstable,” Dr. George Paletta said.
Neither Warner nor coach Mike Martz is worried as Trent Green takes over.
“This is only going to be three or four weeks and I’m going to be back on the field,” Warner said. “I’m going to be with my team come crunch time, come the playoffs, so I don’t think about it too much. We’re going to do great with [Green] in there. I’m excited for him, and I know that the team is not going to drop off one iota going from me to Trent.”
Said Martz: “Trent’s not my worry, I can promise you that. He’s like having Kurt in there, in my opinion.”
Martz’s worries are on defense, where he benched two of last season’s Pro Bowl selections, end Kevin Carter and cornerback Todd Lyght.
Carter, unhappy with his contract, is doing nothing to help himself at the bank. He led the NFL in sacks with 17 last season and his 29 over the 1998-99 seasons were the most in the league.
This year he has 19 tackles, three sacks and 19 quarterback pressures.
After seven games last season he had 20 tackles, four sacks and 27 quarterback pressures, plus four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
He has no tackles for loss and no forced fumbles this year.
“He’s not the same player I remember,” said new defensive coach Bud Carson, who worked in St. Louis in 1997. “You’ve got to play. What have you done for me lately?”
La’Roi on Da Coach: Saints defensive tackle La’Roi Glover was asked about the difference in coaching styles between Mike Ditka and new Saints coach Jim Haslett.
Glover said Haslett “is hungrier right now than I think Ditka was. It’s a lot more organized than it was in the past, and there is really an emphasis on winning and knowing how to win. Those are the biggest changes I see.”
Second time around: New Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis noted this is really his second head-coaching job.
“I was head coach of the Chicago Bears for three hours–I just didn’t know it for the first two,” he said.
McGinnis was negotiating a contract with former Bears President Michael McCaskey when he heard a radio report saying he was the new coach.
“Since we made the decision to walk away from that, there has not been one single time we have regretted it,” said McGinnis’ wife, Kim. “You look at yourself in the mirror, do the best you can do and, God willing, the opportunity will happen again. And it has.”
DON PIERSON’S NFL RANKINGS
1. Vikings–Looking to bury Bucs in Tampa.
2. Rams–Roadblocks detour disoriented express.
3. Titans–Big Monday night test in Washington.
4. Colts–Positioning themselves in AFC East.
5. Jets–The magic is getting curiouser.
6. Raiders–They are starting to believe the hype.
7. Redskins–After early losses, steadily climbing back.
8. Dolphins–They must wipe fourth quarter from minds.
9. Lions–Unbeaten in three road games; Colts next.
10. Giants–Had a week off to prepare for Eagles.
11. Chiefs–Gunther believes they turned corner vs. Rams.
More Top Picks Poker Chips
12. Ravens–Dilfer next Billick project; good luck.
13. Eagles–They can continue climb against Giants.
14. Bills–Falling team faces must-win against Jets.
15. Buccaneers–Talk about must-wins; Vikings in town.
16. Steelers–Rising from dead with Ravens in sights.
17. Saints–Five 100-yard games in row for Williams.
18. Broncos–Enigmatic team can’t shake .500 look.
19. Packers–No more time to waste; Favre vs. Wannstedt.
20. Jaguars–Going down fast with no lifeboats.
21. Patriots–Out of tough division race; spoiler now.
22. Seahawks–Holmgren ready to suit up himself.
23. Falcons–No comeback this year for 1998 Super team.
24. Cowboys–Trying to crawl back to .500 vs. Jaguars.
25. Panthers–Seifert has 2 of 3 wins against 49ers.
26. 49ers–They could light up Rams’ defense too.
27. Cardinals–Dave McGinnis takes over tough situation.
28. Browns–Battle of Ohio II for bottom of barrel.
29. BEARS–Jim Miller to the rescue, but too late.
30. Bengals–At least they found out they can run.
31. Chargers–Won’t be favored for rest of season.