SPOTLIGHT / A GLANCE AT THIS WEEK IN THE NFL

TOP PERFORMANCES

Passing

Quarterback, Team Att. Cmp. Yds. TD KEN O’BRIEN, Jets 29 22 386 2 VINNY TESTAVERDE, Bucs 50 27 370 2 WARREN MOON, Oilers 38 30 345 2 DON MAJKOWSKI, Packers 40 23 299 2 DOUG WILLIAMS, Redskins 52 28 296 0 WADE WILSON, Vikings 39 20 281 0 RODNEY PEETE, Lions 29 18 273 1 JIM McMAHON, Chargers 29 14 264 2 JOHN ELWAY, Broncos 21 14 261 1

Rushing

Player, Team Car. Yds. TD BO JACKSON, Raiders 13 159 2 CHRISTIAN OKOYE, Chiefs 37 126 1 SAMMIE SMITH, Dolphins 25 123 0 PAUL PALMER, Cowboys 18 110 1 BOBBY HUMPHREY, Broncos 25 105 2

Receiving

Player, Team No. Yds. TD DREW HILL, Oilers 9 101 1 EARNEST BYNER, Redskins 9 75 0 JAMES WILDER, Buccaneers 8 107 2 ART MONK, Redskins 8 98 0 ERIC METCALF, Browns 7 52 1 ERIC SIEVERS, Patriots 7 50 0 ROBERT CLARK, Lions 6 141 1 CEDRIC JONES, Jets 6 127 1 ERNEST GIVINS, Oilers 6 77 1 RICHARD JOHNSON, Lions 6 77 0 BRAD MUSTER, Bears 6 68 0 CURTIS DUNCAN, Oilers 6 66 0 RICKY SANDERS, Redskins 6 46 0 ANTHONY MILLER, Chargers 5 129 2 ANDRE REED, Bills 5 100 0 KELVIN MARIN, Cowboys 5 93 0 ROBERT DRUMMOND, Eagles 5 74 0 EDDIE BROWN, Bengals 5 74 0 KEITH NEUBERT, Jets 5 66 0 ODESSA TURNER, Giants 5 45 0 WILLIE GAULT, Raiders 2 147 1

BIG PLAYS

Bo Jackson set a team record with a 92-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Willie Gault caught an 84-yard touchdown pass from Jay Schroeder in the Raiders’ 28-7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mike Merriweather blocked Dale Hatcher’s punt 2:14 into overtime for a safety and Rich Karlis kicked seven field goals as the special teams scored all of Minnesota’s points in the Vikings’ 23-21 victory over the Rams.

Paul McFadden’s 50-yard field goal with two seconds remaining gave the Atlanta Falcons a 30-28 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Pat Leahy kicked a 23-yard field goal on the final play of the game as the New York Jets ended a five-game losing streak and beat the New England Patriots, 27-26.

Chris Bahr kicked a 49-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to give the San Diego Chargers a 20-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Don Majkowski threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Sharpe on fourth down with 32 seconds left on a play reversed by a replay official, and the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 14-13.

Felix Wright and Thane Gash returned interceptions for touchdowns on successive plays as Cleveland outscored Tampa Bay, 42-31.

Warren Moon threw touchdown passes to Ernest Givins and Drew Hills to rally Houston from a 10-point third quarter deficit and the Oilers defeated the Detroit Lions, 35-31.

LOWLIGHTS

The Seattle Seahawks lost four of eights fumbles and lost 36 yards on five quarterback sacks in their 20-10 loss to Kansas City. . . . Phoenix quarterback Gary Hogeboom was sacked seven times in the Cardinals’ 20-13 loss to the New York Giants.

Tampa Bay’s Vinny Testaverde threw four interceptions, two which were returned for touchdowns on successive plays in the first half, as the Buccaneers lost to the Cleveland Browns, 42-31.

STREAKS

Houston quarterback Warren Moon completed 11 consecutive passes during one second-half stretch in a 35-31 victory over the Detroit Lions.

Al Del Greco of Phoenix tied a club record set by Jim Bakken in the 1965-66 season with his 10th consecutive field goal, a 37-yarder, in the first quarter of the Cardinals’ 20-13 loss to the New York Giants. Del Greco, 14 of 16 this season after converting 12 of 21 last year, had his streak broken when he missed a 42-yard attempt with one second remaining in the half.

Steve Largent of Seattle had three catches for 37 yards, extending to 170 games his streak of games with receptions. . . . Anthony Carter extended to 58 games his streak of games with receptions with four catches in Minnesota’s 23-21 overtime victory over the Rams. . . . The Vikings have won 10 in a row at home.

Pittsburgh quarterback Bubby Brister has thrown 179 passes since he was last intercepted. . . . Stephone Paige extended to 57 his streak of games with receptions with a catch in Kansas City’s 20-10 victory over Seattle. . . . Chief kicker Nick Lowery has converted 191 extra-point attempts in a row.

Miami’s 19-13 win over Indianapolis was the Dolphins’ first at home against an American Conference East team since December 1987. . . . Cleveland won its third consecutive game with a 42-31 victory at Tampa Bay. . . . San Diego ended a four-game losing streak with a 20-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

MILESTONES

James Lofton of Buffalo became the seventh player in NFL history to catch 600 passes in the Bills’ 30-28 loss to Atlanta. Lofton, who had two catches for 16 yards and a touchdown, has 601 career receptions.

John Settle of Atlanta rushed for 83 yards in 22 carries to surpass Bubba Bean and move into ninth place on the team’s all-time rushing list. Settle, a third-year pro, has rushed for 1,554 yards in his career.

Christian Okoye of Kansas City established team records with his sixth 100-yard rushing game and 37 carries in the Chiefs’ 20-10 victory over Seattle.

Rich Karlis of Minnesota tied one NFL record and established another by converting seven field goals in the Vikings’ 23-21 overtime victory over the Rams. Karlis tied the record for most field goals in a game established by St. Louis Cardinals’ kicker Jim Bakken during the 1965-66 season and set the record for the most field goals made in a game without a miss.

INJURIES

Pro Bowl selection J.T. Smith was among six Phoenix players injured in the Cardinals’ 20-13 loss to the New York Giants.

Smith, the league leader with 62 receptions, suffered a sprained left ankle and fractured fibula and may miss the rest of the season. Offensive tackle Luis Sharpe (sprained right knee) and special teams captain Ron Wolfley (pulled groin) will be sidelined indefinitely.

Defensive end David Galloway (pulled right calf muscle) and running backs Tony Baker (right ankle sprain) and Tony Jordan (bruised left shoulder) also sustained injuries for for Phoenix, which has had 12 starters go down since the season started.

Cleveland safety Thane Gash, lunging to break up a pass, landed on his head and stayed on the ground for several minutes. He was carried off by stretcher, but X-rays were negative.

Quarterback Steve Grogan of New England left the game in the third quarter after taking a late hit from Ron Stallworth in the New York Jets’ 27-26 victory over the Patriots.

Wide receiver Gregg Garrity of Philadelphia will be lost for the season after sustaining a broken collarbone in the Eagles’ 20-17 loss to San Diego.

Quarterback Boomer Esiason of Cincinnati left after two series with a bruised lung in the Bengals’ 28-7 loss to the Raiders. The Bengals also lost running backs Eric Ball, who injured his hip and left the game in the first half, and leading rusher James Brooks, who bruised ribs in second quarter and did not return.

IN QUOTES

New York Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler, subbing for the injured Phil Simms, passed for 177 yards in his second NFL start and scoring the first two touchdowns of his six-year pro career: “It was great to get those touchdowns. I had six years to work on my spike.”

Houston Coach Jerry Glanville on Detroit rookies Barry Sanders and Rodney Peete: “Their back (Sanders) makes it so you can’t help people on coverage. I’ve never seen anyone make people miss the way he does. They’ve got a future. All they have to do is grow up and they’ll win some games in the future.” Green Bay receiver Sterling Sharpe, after his 14-yard, game-winning touchdown catch in 14-13 victory over Chicago was secured by an instant replay official who overturned a field official’s judgment that Packer quarterback Don Majkowski crossed the line of scrimmage before passing: “I still don’t like instant replay, but today I guess I have to say it’s the greatest thing in the world.”

Chicago linebacker Ron Rivera: “I always thought judgment calls couldn’t be overruled. If that’s what it’s come down to, they’ve definitely taken out the human nature in football. We might as well be robots in football uniforms.”

Christian Okoye, Kansas City’s 260-pound fullback who gained 126 yards in a club-record 37 carries: “It doesn’t matter how much you weigh. What is most important is the blocking, and it was very, very good all day long.”

Chief quarterback Steve Pelluer, on his first start since being traded by Dallas last month: “It’s not hard when they write all the plays on your wrist for you. Having a fullback like Christian Okoye helps, too.”

Tampa Bay Coach Ray Perkins, on his team’s 42-31 loss to Cleveland, in which the Browns scored on two interceptions and had a third touchdown set up by an interception: “Our offense scored 52 points, but only 31 counted for us. You can’t spot a team three touchdowns and hope to win the game. I made some bad calls in minus territory, and I’ll probably make them again because I have confidence in my quarterback.”

TONIGHT’S GAME

New Orleans at San Francisco, 6 p.m. PST--The home field advantage is really no advantage at all for the 49ers, the NFL’s best road team of the 1980s with a .789 winning percentage.

San Francisco (7-1) has played true to form this season, winning each of its six road games and a seventh when its home date against New England was moved to Stanford in the wake of the 7.1 earthquake that rocked the Bay Area last month. The 49ers lost their only game this season at Candlestick Park on a last-second field goal by the Rams’ Mike Lansford.

This series has seldom favored the home team anyway. Seven of the last 10 games between the West Division rivals have been won by the visiting team.

The Saints (4-4) have won three in a row behind an improved defense and the offensive leadership of quarterback Bobby Hebert and running back Dalton Hilliard.

The Saints lead the NFL in defending the rush and, after recording seven sacks in their first five games, they have had 17 in the last three, including seven by speedy linebacker Pat Swilling. Hebert is the second-rated passer in the conference behind Montana and Hilliard has scored in all but one game this season.

The injury-riddled 49ers will be without nose guard Michael Carter and linebacker Jim Fahnhorst. Linebackers Keena Turner and Keith DeLong, safety Ronnie Lott and cornerback Tim McKyer are questionable with assorted ailments.

Joe Montana, the top-rated quarterback in the NFC who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, is expected to play.